PDP1 - Why Study History?

Author Bio: The author, William H. McNeil, is a renowned historian and former professor at the University of Chicago. McNeil would go on to write a plethora of books relating to the history of western civilization. With this in mind, evident biases may include the knowledge of western civilization rather than "big history". In other words, McNeil is writing from the standpoint of a "pure" historian. He doesn't necessarily needed any sciences, social or natural, to back of any of his information. Furthermore, since he fought for the U.S army in the European Theater during World War II, his experiences with warfare inevitably shape his beliefs and morals after the war. Nonetheless, this document is reliable because it provides us the necessary information that McNeil shared with us through his knowledge as a historian. He did an exemplary job reasoning his argument through his analysis of the benefits of learning the history of human civilization.

Date/Context: This document, in essence, summarizes why history is to be taught to students across the nation and in addition the outcome it can have on the students for the future. Furthermore, the document is fairly dated, as it was written in 1985. Keeping this in mind, it is important to recall that during this time period, the Cold War was at its height. Moreover, events that occurred in the past twenty years were unknown of what the article was written. Such events such as 9/11 has lead to the world's outlook on terrorism in a whole new spectrum. In retrospect, the time period in which this document was written brought us an analysis that may seem outdated since many new events unfolded between 1985 and today.

Summary: This article begins by abruptly asking the reader why should we care about influential human beings such as Cleopatra, Confucius, or George Washington. McNeil goes on to explain how historical knowledge is literally one collective and constructive memory of humans. Memory is also something that is not fixed and permanent, as when time passes, new experiences unfold. Furthermore, many of these memories aren't particularly sweet, as they may be bitter and not something people would like to revisit. McNeil points out how the changing perspectives of historical understating are the best introduction to any practical problem of real life. With this in mind, it is vital that history is taught to every young person. History, which is our collective memory, allows us to share ideas and beliefs about the past - as there are many different point's of view's and interpretations of the past. In addition, examining all specific parts of our collective memory helps young people understand it the best and most accurately. This means that the addition of the role of women and minorities would make historical education complete by enabling all perspectives to be analyzed by students.. According to McNeil, historians have figured out the three best levels of teaching history to young people. The first level has to do with personal-local history. This level is the most imperative since it allows the students to understand what had occurred quite literally around them and can use that knowledge to better understand themselves. The next level has to do with nation history. This lays the foundation for students to understand who we are as a nation and to, as stressed before, help them to understand themselves better. Last but not least is global history, which is perhaps the most time-consuming to teach. If a student understands alien religious beliefs, customs, and cultures, they will be able to interact much more suitably at a social level. This allows the student to finally broaden his or her sense of humanity. In essence, the understanding and education of history and historical events can help make an individual understand him or herself better while in addition understanding the world around them.

Key Quotation: "Historical Knowledge is no more and no less carefully and critically constructed memory." This quotation is paramount because it serves as the touchstone for what McNeil will be arguing for the rest of the article.