David Allison
I visited Horizon High School in Thornton a few months ago to speak to a group of 40 or so students about why we study history and describe some of the ways that the teaching of history is changing in the United States. The panel of us—including three people from History Colorado and a staffer from the State Archaeological office—spoke to how history is actually something that is created, rather than presented as a set of immutable facts, and how traditionally history has been more tied to civics (how “we” function as citizens in a democracy) than it has been about understanding the ways that history influences current situations. History is a lens through which we can seek a more just future.
Of course, there is danger in seeing history as only applicable to the present. When we do this, we neglect the unique stories and voices of the people of the past speaking on their own terms. We can lapse into an empty “presentism” that degrades our empathy and causes us to either villainize or valorize past historical actors.
Ultimately, history is wrapped up in layers of complexity. We are indebted to past interpretations of the past, yet we must also forge new interpretations based on new information and understandings of our world. We need to look to the past to inform our present and our future, whilst also acknowledging that our current biases and lenses (as well as the strangeness of the past) prevent us from drawing 1 to 1 comparisons; therefore, we should infuse our interpretations with humility and grace.
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Photo by Pavel Danilyuk