History is not just “what-really-happened-in-the-past,” but a complex intersection of truths, bias and hopes. No historian knows the full, unvarnished truth, nor is any historical source perfect. Memory is fallible, and archaeology is prone to invention and contamination. The study of the past is a messy business, but one that serves three main purposes: 1. History reminds us not to repeat mistakes; 2. It provides a terrain for moral contemplation; and 3. It inspires people to greatness.
Historians, like other scientists, must master the techniques of the discipline and learn the tools of analysis. This means understanding primary sources. A primary source is a document that was written or created during the time of an event, such as a letter, diary entry or newspaper article. Historians also learn the difference between scholarly and non-scholarly secondary sources. Secondary sources are any works that were written after an event, such as books and articles. Historians read secondary sources to learn how other scholars interpreted the events of the past.
Using a variety of different sources to understand the past helps students develop critical thinking skills. It is important for students to be able to discern whether a source is useful or not, and to distinguish between fact and opinion. History is an excellent subject to use in teaching these skills, because it allows students to examine many different opinions about the same event or period of time.
In addition to the study of specific events, history provides a broad context for exploring major developments that shape and connect human civilizations. The development of agriculture, the rise of the city, the transformation of animism into monotheism, and the evolution of philosophy provide a framework for understanding how human societies progress over time.
It is important for students to understand how the past affects the present. This enables them to better judge the importance of current issues and determine what, if anything, they can learn from the past. In addition, it enables them to avoid the mistakes of those who have failed to study and learn from the lessons of the past.
In addition to teaching analytical and research skills, history also provides a good opportunity to teach the basics of civics, economics, science and foreign language. It is also an ideal way to help children become more informed citizens. Finally, studying history can be a lot of fun for kids, especially when they can see the heroic and inspirational stories of brilliant people who have changed the course of nations. These stories can ignite children’s imagination and drive them to achieve the impossible. For these reasons, history has an indispensable place in the modern world.