Teaching History
Let me clarify.  I'm not saying one can't write a book or teach a class exclusively on the "littles."  What I am arguing is that teaching that exclusively is as narrowminded as teaching only the "greats."  I'd simply say (as I should have initially) that the complete picture needs all the pieces as best we can put them together.  Thus a story of the 1860s, condensed for the needs of a high school class, needs to talk about both Lincoln and the morality of the period as experienced and understood by regular people.
 
One can lose the trees for the forest as easily as the forest for the trees.  Each has a place and each should be examined, but we need to appreciate that they are interdependent.
 
DS
 

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Daniel Sokolow, Archives Coordinator
David Taylor Archives
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System
155 Community Drive
Great Neck, NY 11021
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-----Original Message-----
From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Cunningham, Ray
Sent: Thursday, March 09, 2006 11:31 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Teaching History

And frankly, I disagree that people can get a good grasp of history without great men, great deeds.  If you choose to add the story of regular people, regular deeds that's fine, but I fail to see how you can truly grasp what happens without understanding the role of the big players.  You can certainly learn a lot from the experience of the average Civil War soldier, but skipping the role of Abraham Lincoln, R.E. Lee, and U.S. Grant is not my idea of teaching the history properly.

 

As someone writing and publishing "microhistory" I take a different view. Context is important to events on the micro scale. Obviously a village did not have electricity in 1850 but to have to mention Abraham Lincoln in every history of town life is nonsense. I am able to craft the story of a cooper, blacksmith, banker or peddler quite well without the "big players" and I have plenty of interesting material. The influence of Lincoln cannot be understated but everyone grasps history in different ways. To discuss the Great Depression at this level one would have to give context to FDR and the WPA etc. but that is still something done in an introductory paragraph.

 

I think that it is fascinating to examine in great detail the lives of "the boring masses" that are not as boring as viewing history from the elite perspective implies. Having written on sex scandals of the 1860s, prohibition and morality I discovered I did not have to mention Lincoln, Grant or anyone else. When I write about epidemics I don't have to bring in any elites - but I do have to tie it to events occurring elsewhere, events that could be tied to governance or wealth.

 

There were extraordinary people out there who are never mentioned in any book. They are free for the taking if you are willing to look. Boring? hardly. I think most historians don't do their homework in enough depth to make it interesting.

 

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