7/30/2019 Lesson 1 Definition and Importance of History

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LESSON 1

DEFINITION AND IMPORTANCE OF HISTORYWhat is History?

History is the study (teaching) of the past, with special attention to the written record of theactivities of human beings over time.

Scholars who write about history are called historians. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyze the sequence of events,and it often attempts to investigate objectively the patterns of cause and effect that

determine events. Historians debate the nature of history and the lessons history teaches

History according to the Webster Dictionary:

a chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) oftenincluding an explanation of their causes

a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events a : events that form the subject matter of a history, b : events of the past

History as Social Science

Social historyo is the study of how societies adapt and change over periods of time.

Cultural historyo It replaced social history as the dominant form in the 1980s and 1990s. It typically combinesthe approaches of anthropology and history to look at language, popular cultural traditions andcultural interpretations of historical experience.o It examines the records and narrative descriptions of past knowledge, customs, andarts of a group of people. How people constructed their memory of the past is a major topic.

People's historyo is a type of historical work which attempts to account for historical events from theperspective of common people.o A people's history is the history of the world that is the story of mass movements and

of the outsiders.o Individuals not included in the past in other type of writing about history are part of thistheory's primary focus, which includes the disenfranchised, the oppressed, the poor, thenonconformists, and the otherwise forgotten people.o This theory also usually focuses on events occurring in the fullness of time, or when

an overwhelming wave of smaller events cause certain developments to occur

Importance of History to People/Students

1. Learning about history is important because some of it should be common knowledge.2. One basic importance of history is to know enough to do well because yourknowledge of it is tested.3. It is also important to know about history because you can then educate others who do not

know as much.4. When you understand history, you understand basic concepts and ideas. You will learn aboutcause and effect, relationships and human nature.5. When you also know about history, you can understand what it really means to be insomeone elses shoes.

6. By understanding history, you can understand why things are the way they are right now.7. Lastly, history is so important because each of us is part of the history that takes place.