1. Why do we study History - and how?
- The Historical Method -

2. Learning goals By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
define the term ‘history’
explain the difference between religious and secular historical dating systems
explain the difference between primary and secondary evidence
understand the different ways that history is studied

3. World History in a nutshell . . .

4. Historical dating CHRISTIAN (religious)
There are two (2) main ways of dating history in most Western countries:
CHRISTIAN (religious)
uses abbreviations BC and AD to identify time periods
BC = before Christ
AD = anno domini
SECULAR (non-religious)
uses BCE and CE to identify time
BCE = before common era
CE = common era
Interesting fact:
- both systems rely on the life of Jesus Christ to distinguish them

5. Why study history? “Those who cannot remember the past,
are condemned to repeat it.”
George Santayana
- philosopher
Question:
Is this the only benefit to understanding the past?

6. What is ‘history’?
Is history the event, or the re-telling of the event?
What do you need to have history? People? Important events?
Defintion:
History is the study of past events, that involve or affect people, based on the interpretation of evidence.

7. Essential skills for studying history
RECALL; INTERPRETATION; APPLICATION; SYNTHESIS; EVALUATION

8. The Hall of Remembrance, USHMM
1. Recall
History is what we choose to remember about the past.
We rely on evidence to tell the stories
There are two types of evidence:
Primary = 1st hand accounts of the past (ex. a diary)
Secondary = 2nd hand accounts (ex. textbooks)
The Hall of Remembrance, USHMM

9. 2. Interpretation
History involves explaining people and events from the past.
We must be aware of historian’s bias: a preference for one side over another
Historians read between the lines.
Speculation means guessing about the past when we don’t have all the facts

10. Example of Interpretation
What is happening in the image?
Which side created the image? Why?

11. 3. Application We use the past to understand the present.
The past must engage in dialogue with the present.
We use the lessons of the past to guide our present and future.
ex. the Great Depression teaches us how to avoid economic disasters still today

12. 4. Synthesis History involves making sense out of a jumble of facts.
You can search for patterns.
You can speculate: guessing at reasons for outcomes.
You can predict:
Ex. Could World War II have been avoided?
You can make generalizations: broad statements that summarize.
Ex. The American Revolution split America into 2 parts – the Patriots and the Loyalists

13. Synthesis: Creating A New Idea
Draw your own conclusions:
ex. Was dropping the atomic bomb on Japan during WWII justified or unjustified?

14. 6. Evaluation
History involves making judgments about people and events.
Ex. You can examine all sides of the Holocaust – did the average German share responsibility for the deaths of more than 7 million Jews and other ‘undesirables’?
You can debate the issue of morality in history:
Ex. Should there be ‘rules’ in times of war?

15. In Summary. . .
History is much like science. It uses evidence and analysis to form opinion and shape understanding.
History is never complete - our understanding of the past is always changing.
Knowing history helps us understand our world, and helps chart a course for the future!