Direct Bearing on Current and Future Events.

¶ … direct bearing on current and future events. "Our view of history shapes the way we view the present, and therefore it dictates what answers we offer for existing problems," (Crabtree, n.d.). It is important also to understand how to study history. There are right and wrong approaches. The right approaches take into account the context of the event or issue because doing so prevents us from being biased. If we do not have context, we place our modern values and beliefs on the past. This is anachronistic, and provides a warped version of the past that is not only unclear but also untrue.

When studying history, therefore, context is all-important. All historical artifacts, persons, events, and ideas need to be placed into context if they are to be appreciated and understood fully. We need to know who, what, when, where, why, and how. This is evident in branches of history from military to art history. We need to know the cultural context of an ancient artifact to understand what it was used for. We also need to know the status of women in a society if we are to understand that society and its social norms. We need to know the relationship between countries, or the status of countries, before fully grasping events like wars. Context is also important when studying literature, because all works of literature are products of their time. The authors reflect on the events and values that were prevalent at the time.

The experiences of participants in history are also important to study and understand. By studying the experiences of participants, such as by reading primary source documents, we learn a great deal about social norms, politics, and the prevailing economic climate. To read slave narratives, for example, tells us about the experience of slavery. This rounds out our understanding of American history, which has been recorded, communicated, and perpetuated not by former slaves but by the ruling classes. History need to incorporate alternative voices and opinions into its canon if we are to learn anything from the past.

As a student of history, I will enjoy a wealth of resources that are available to me. Online, there are a plethora of credible resources I can use when conducting research or when simply browsing for the pleasure of learning. Even Wikipedia articles can be a good place to start learning about the subjects I am interested in. The foundational knowledge I learn from wiki sources can then be applied to deeper study, or used to develop research questions. Also available online are digital databases of primary and secondary material. Many primary sources have been digitalized online by organizations like the Library of Congress. At the school library, I can access academic databases that have scholarly articles published in peer-reviewed journals. Also at the library, books give me access to a wealth of historical knowledge.