When you hear the word “history,” you might think of stuffy classrooms, thick textbooks, and memorization sessions. But history is much more than that. It is the way we understand who we are as a human race and how to live life on this planet. It helps us understand how to be effective members of society and how to build a better future. Moreover, it can help people grow to be better versions of themselves by helping them relate to other cultures and times through their hopes, struggles, and achievements.
The most common definition of history is that it is “what-really-happened.” However, historians know that the reality of history is a lot more complicated than that. It is difficult to determine what really happened, even with a large number of eyewitness reports. Even the most seemingly innocuous of events can take on thousands of different interpretations, as people impose their own emotional baggage on them.
This is why history is so vulnerable to omission, reinterpretation, and even outright manipulation. What’s more, it can be wildly inaccurate in different places at the same time. For example, a book about the Civil War might be written in California while another about the same event is being taught in Texas. That’s because the same topic can be interpreted in different ways according to local culture and value systems.
Historians often work to weed out these biases, but they cannot eliminate them completely. The only thing that can be done is to try and get as close as possible to the truth by examining as many primary sources as possible, as well as credible secondary analyses of them.
While this is a daunting task, it is one that should be pursued with as much passion and enthusiasm as any other endeavor. Forget about history being a dull endeavor that should be consigned to a dusty shelf in a library nobody ever visits. It is an incredibly relevant and vital discipline that is far too important to leave to the “experts.”
So if you want to enhance your historical literacy, consider visiting museums, exploring digital archives such as Google Arts & Culture, or listening to podcasts such as Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History. Above all, question your sources critically. Always be clear about whose point of view you are discussing, and whether it is your own or that of the original author or historian who wrote them. In this way, you can become a more critical consumer of history and avoid falling prey to its many distortions. Moreover, it can help you develop the skills necessary for an exciting career in a highly sought-after field. Learn more about the fascinating study of history with a degree from University of the People, an accredited, 100% online university. Tuition is free. Apply today.