On Friday's class, I introduced the topic of historical bias. Ideally, the historian and the journalist have much the same code; only the journalist deals with the here and now and the historian deals with the past. This professional code requires that the writer must do their best to keep their personal attitudes and feelings separate from the matter they are covering. This is a wonderful ideal, but in practicality, no one can completely separate themselves and what they believe to be true and real from the way in which they account for, discuss, and analyse historical subjects.
So as such, I will be asking you to be careful when reading material and always assume a bias exists. Conversely, when I ask you to do the work of the historian, I expect that you will attempt to minimize your own bias as much as you can. More on this as we go on in the course...
Our discussion on this topic was advanced using the American Civil War as the backdrop.
I began by asking you to draw a general conclusion about the war. The class came to a consensus that the Civil War brought about the end of slavery. Based on this statement I asked if it followed logically then that the original aim of the war was to end slavery. The class agreed.
Now I am asking you to challenge that assumption... Be it resolved that the original aim of the war was NOT to end slavery. Agree or disagree.
Your homework is to read Lincoln's first inaugural and decide whether or not there is any evidence to settle the matter. In other words, did Abraham Lincoln think that his election as president gave him a mandate to end slavery?
Be prepared to discuss this in class on Monday.
As well.... I also want you to read the story of claimed historical bias at the site of the Alamo.
http://www.statesman.com/specialreports/content/specialreports/forgottenplaces/15alamo_rs.html
What is the author's thesis? Do they reveal a bias of their own? What are some of the ways we can test for bias? Be prepared to discuss these issues briefly in class on Monday, September 14 as well.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
What is history? Thursday, September 10
The first class featured an introduction to the classic question, "What is history?"
Through some discussion, we determined that history is the study of the past and how it affects the future. So what are the implications of this statement? It suggests that those people and happenings that affect the future or have a significant impact on the nation are historically worthy of study while others are not worthy of such study.
Does that mean that, for example, the diary of an "ordinary" person is not worthy of historical study?
This depends on your perspective. Perhaps it is the diary of a young woman whose son has gone off to fight in the Civil War and the diary includes entries that discuss the events of that war which include his account of the third day Confederate assault on Gettysburg. There could be much to learn about the attitudes of everyday people towards the war. There could also be things that help us to better understand how the world was different for these people and the reality they lived in.
Therefore, evaluating what is historically significant is not always as easy as it sounds.
Knowing the purpose of your study is also critical. In this case, we are studying a nation and this has implications for the requisite parts that we divide our study into... Conventionally we divide a nation's history into two main components -- political history and social history. As well, we also have other categories -- military history and economic history, but these usually are dealt with under the framework of the political or social history. For example, a particular military action has its own story, but it is most often discussed in concert with what precipitated the military response in the first place. Or economic history might be intertwined with the social impact of a particular event, like the 1929 stock market crash.
For a more detailed analysis, read the following link --
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_history
Our study of the United States will be divided up into the aforementioned historical categories. My purpose will be to not only familiarize you with America's history, but also have you participate in the process of historical analysis and writing... More on that later.
Through some discussion, we determined that history is the study of the past and how it affects the future. So what are the implications of this statement? It suggests that those people and happenings that affect the future or have a significant impact on the nation are historically worthy of study while others are not worthy of such study.
Does that mean that, for example, the diary of an "ordinary" person is not worthy of historical study?
This depends on your perspective. Perhaps it is the diary of a young woman whose son has gone off to fight in the Civil War and the diary includes entries that discuss the events of that war which include his account of the third day Confederate assault on Gettysburg. There could be much to learn about the attitudes of everyday people towards the war. There could also be things that help us to better understand how the world was different for these people and the reality they lived in.
Therefore, evaluating what is historically significant is not always as easy as it sounds.
Knowing the purpose of your study is also critical. In this case, we are studying a nation and this has implications for the requisite parts that we divide our study into... Conventionally we divide a nation's history into two main components -- political history and social history. As well, we also have other categories -- military history and economic history, but these usually are dealt with under the framework of the political or social history. For example, a particular military action has its own story, but it is most often discussed in concert with what precipitated the military response in the first place. Or economic history might be intertwined with the social impact of a particular event, like the 1929 stock market crash.
For a more detailed analysis, read the following link --
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_history
Our study of the United States will be divided up into the aforementioned historical categories. My purpose will be to not only familiarize you with America's history, but also have you participate in the process of historical analysis and writing... More on that later.
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