This piece, Why History?, lays out a number of arguments for studying our shared story. Identify one argument by the author that you found the most compelling/convincing. Briefly defend your choice below in the comments section as a complete response.
Once you have completed your response, come back and read over the responses of your classmates. Then briefly reply to two comments with some feedback. We aren’t evaluating one another’s comments, only offering what we agree or disagree with in the comments of others.
This pattern of commenting once on the post and then replying twice to others will be our way of having virtual discussions, as if we are in an actual classroom. 
History is not just the past, but it is our present and our future. Our current state of the world is derived from events that happened before. By studying history, we don't only get to be informed of the stories and experiences of others, but we, as a nation, can be educated by those occurrences. 'Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.' writes George Santayana. By accumulating history and learning from it, we propel ourselves forward. Without history, we would be stuck trying the same things repeatedly. In addition, learning history reminds us (the US) of what our country values. We are a nation built on the promise of liberty and justice, and by remembering and valuing those foundation, we are able to continue working toward the goal of a just country. History is important in many aspects, and passing down the stories of past generations is tradition as much as it is necessity.
ReplyDeleteI think the same, without understanding our past we cannot properly understand our present. Not only that, but being able to see patterns and how certain events affect others is curial when we ourselves take action and make decisions so we can make the right choices. Finding flaws in past theories and values and learning from them is the only way to effectively go forth and improve our societies.
DeleteThe Quote about those who dont learn history are doomed to repeat it, is very true as those who dont learn their past, the past that has influenced their society, they are condemned to repeat their mistakes.
DeleteI agree with you on the point that people who don't le arn from history are doomed to repeat it. I think that people still don't pay enough attention to history and that when they do that they always make the same mistakes. What I disagree with is that history is the future. I think that everything is changing and that perspective for womens rights in 1900 is different than what it will be in 2100. I think that times are everchanging but their a few basic principle that history teaches us.
DeleteI agree with the fact that people who don't study history are most likely to repeat it. Without knowing the failures of the past, we wouldn't be able to proceed on without falling at nearly every step we take. In order to avoid these consequences, being able to know the methods that worked for us is extremely important.
DeleteI agree. History is so important in progressing and improving. Understanding and learning about the history of something helps us move forward.
DeleteThe author provides multiple reasons for studying history, and I find myself agreeing with many of those points. The statement, “Americans don't all look alike. Sometimes we don't think alike”, stood out to me. I believe that by learning the history of America, we can all better understand one another. Learning about people’s backgrounds and the events, opinions, and actions that influenced them, provides us with a better understanding of what people are experiencing today. When the author says “You will want to know their stories”, I wholeheartedly agree, because without that knowledge we will never be able to understand those different to ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThe "Americans don't all look alike" also stuck out to me because by learning history, we come to realize how much immigrants have done for this country! Perhaps if everyone were to discover the power of the influence of different cultures, different people, our country could be a much more accepting place.
DeleteI strongly agree. We can learn so much from other people and group's history, and we can understand so much from that.
DeleteThat stood out to me too. I think it's something mass America needs to consider. The issues in this country tend to be very "us vs. them", when I think this sentence argues that there's no "them". We are all Americans, regardless of opinions.
DeleteI agree as well. Without knowledge and understanding of those different to us we are not a true community nor a true society. -Langston
DeleteI agree with that because Americans don't look alike we need to learn history. I agree with that because it preserves our differences but also our similarities. We come from different backgrounds, but we all share American history.
DeleteI agree with your answer because everyone has different ancestors who have experienced different things from everyone else
DeleteHistory is our perception of past events, and it is a story that is told using many different sources and inputs. That story is constantly evolving and changing as new discoveries are made, which is why it is so important to have a solid understanding of events to then build off of. Though I do not agree with everything the author said, it can not be refuted that the United States has had one of the biggest impacts on the course of human history. I believe it is important to study US history because it is not only a foundation for my personal history, but for the history of the modern world as well. I find the author's acknowledgement of the US's flawed past (and present) accompanied by the statement that "The United States of America is the most remarkable nation that has ever existed" very interesting because it shows how there is never only a single story when it comes to history, but rather an accumulation of ideas - both positive and negative - need to be studied.
ReplyDeleteI honestly agree, US is one of the pioneers that really shifted our history, many advancements and such took place and that lead to what we are living in today, US history ties in with many other aspects and I also have to agree with your idea of history, being an accumulation of both positive and negative ideas, we have to look at both sides of the story, to gain a better understanding of history and analyze properly
DeleteI love how you called history a story made from many view points. Everyone experiences things differently and has their biases. When you are in the moment you don't know if you are on "the right" side of history or not, but even "wrong" opinions from the past are passed down to present day. Looking at many viewpoints of historical events is the only way to understand why opinions today differ.
DeleteI agree with you. Not only did you recognize the flaws of the argument, you also realized that some of it was valid as well. Such understanding of an opinionated text is important in analyzing and studying current and past writings on history,
Delete"Unknown" is Langston.
DeleteI agree with your perspective Noah! history comes with a constant flow of different perspectives of many events. I also agree that the author dramatized the positive effects of the U.S and how well the U.S has been at fixing all of its "mistakes." And by "mistakes" the author means slavery and a genocide of indigenous people...
DeleteI agree with your answer because history is always changing and you also realize the mistakes your argument has and why someone might not agree with it.
DeleteHistory is What compromises of our Past, Present and Future. The author has made some very compelling arguments on the point of studying history, I find myself to be centered around this one quote the author had said, "Americans dont all look alike. Sometimes We Dont think alike. But as Americans we do share something. It is our history." Americans are connected by their history, whether they be from different ethnicity, we can all share one history. Going Back to the Argument of Why History, Studying History allows us to be able to understand our world we live in better, learning about the past allows for deeper understanding and in turn appreciation for what we live in today. Our World That We live in now, is influenced by the events of our past, one example of this is The Constitution of The USA. The people who wrote it came to understand that improvement needed to be made in the future, and thus was the idea of amendments and the first 10 amendments called the Bill of Rights
ReplyDeleteThat quote was also my favorite part. We're not only connected by our history, but our connection has MADE history. We are known as a melting pot, and this particular "people stew" has created a nation unlike any other!
DeleteI agree, Americans all share a common story, our history such as where we came from. Also, our amendments still stay to us to this day, and we can learn from our Founding Fathers to make new amendments to keep this democracy, even when it's not full perfection.
DeleteLearning or studying history allows us to know and learn from previous mistakes. As quoted, "Nations and people who don't study history sometimes repeat mistakes. Slavery was a big one, where we had to fight a bloody war before slavery could be abolished. After learning the consequences of the war, it is true that American won't have to divide itself over again. If we didn't study our mistakes before, during, and after the war, we could've been bound to a second civil war. Nations aren't perfect, but they avoid their mistakes if they learn from them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response. Its important we take note of our history and understand it to avoid it from coming again. Our history has lots of flaws and in the future we use history to make sure it doesn't repeat its flaws and that we learn from the mistakes once made.
DeleteI agree with your comment, as this is a good way to keep improving our country and society for the better, the past is a reminder to have us avoid the mistakes humans have made.
DeleteLearning about the past and the history of other nations helps us, as America, be a better people. As henry Ford said, "the farther you look back, the farther you can see ahead." When we look at great nations that existed in the past, we can see what truly made them great. We can try to be like that. We can see the mistakes that were made by people in the past, and try not to replicate them. The only way that society really progresses is by learning. And using history (what previous nations have learned) to improve ourselves and our society is one of the best things we can do. And one of the only things we can do.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this statement because we can really see what history makes nations great, instead of trying to recreate those errors, we can derive from it to know better so that a nation can be better. The US was able to learn about democracy from Greece, and it wasn't perfect, but the US used mistakes of it to improve it.
DeleteI think the quote “the farther you look back, the farther you can see ahead” really supports your claim. What Henry Ford said is still relevant, even though it was said so long ago.
DeleteHistory is our common ground. When the author stated of how we all have our differences but in America history is important as its all our heritage and its our common ground. Everyone here makes an impact to the country one way or another. Despite the way the government is its also on our behalf as it is OUR government and its a democracy which means the change of the goverment is in our hands. So why history? To have a common ground in America despite all the places we come from and to understand the impact we hold on the government and our history and to make sure through the negative times in the past as we learn about it we make sure not to repeat it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea that history is important to learn as to not repeat mistakes and to learn from the past to improve the future.
DeleteHistory can teach us not only what to do when confronted with a certain issue, but also what not to do. For example, if we do not fully understand certain wars of our past, then we cannot learn from them. We can't avoid certain strategies that may have ended horribly, and we won't know to repeat successful ones. Essentially, the reason I found to be the most compelling to study history was that we need to be able to learn from our past mistakes and successes. Without knowing our past, the nation could collapse from a mistake we've already made. In order to stay a thriving nation, we have to know what has and hasn't worked for us in the past.
ReplyDeleteSasha I strongly agree! The way humans learn is either by doing or by watching someone else do. In this scenario we can't spend all of our times making the same mistakes as other. America as a society needs to learn from other in order to improve.
DeleteI found this point to have a lot of truth to it as well, and I agreed that learning from our mistakes is an amazing way to know prevent future mistakes from occurring. While I didn't find this point the most compelling, I thought that it came close.
DeleteI completely agree. If we continue to use methods or strategies that did not work for us in the past, then why would we use those methods again? In order to avoid these mistakes, learning about the failures in the past would help us have a higher chance at succeeding.
DeleteThe author of this book laid out multiple justifications for studying history, and I found them all to be substantially persuasive. However, one argument stood out to me as more alluring than the rest, that argument being that history is full of stories. I view this argument as the most compelling because it suggests that reviewing and learning about history is innately interesting, similar to the way that reading a book or watching a movie is interesting. The author's statement that: "History is full of stories... the best ever." superbly exemplifies this. People enjoy interesting narratives, and since you can find stories following the same format (heroes vs villains, triumphing over evil, etc.) in history, studying history can be enjoyable as well. This argument posed by the author aims to challenge the assumptions a reader might have about studying history, specifically the assumption that it would be boring. I believe that it accomplishes this goal, and as a result I find it the most compelling argument.
ReplyDeleteI found that statement very interesting as well and I believe it does make a good case for why history is not only important to study but also enjoyable. Being able to see real examples of tropes in our media and stories is very interesting
DeleteI believe that the most compelling argument for why history is important is the fact that, compared to citizens from other countries, Americans are all different and diverse. We all have different backgrounds, and by knowing our history we could know about our ancestors and heritage. I say it was the most convincing argument because I know that the history regarding our race and how we came as one was significant. Don't you find it shocking how we went from a primarily white english nation to being one of the most diverse nations. Immigrants from all around came seeking a new life. They not only made the country diverse, but they played a massive role in creating our nation and economy.We can't take what they did for granted and not realize their impact. People of all races and cultures now live in the U.S, and it's important for us to know how and why.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this response because I think it is important to note that America's history as a whole is of a melting pot, and that there is no one dominant ethnicity or culture, such as in Europe with each country having its own culture, for example the Spanish culture.
DeleteI agree with your statement, America has largely involved from a all white nation. Being from so many diverse places its important we know the history of the place we live in and see why so many of our ancestors came to live in the US and why they came. We have to acknowledge the history our immigrants made and understand why.
DeleteI agree. America strives on diversity and the history of all of our ancestors and how they came here is so important to our country as a whole. It is so true that immigrants have played a huge role in creating our country.
DeleteI think that the argument that history is especially important for Americans, as a mixture of cultures and races, was compelling to studying history, but only for certain people. For example, while the point that "If you are American then the Indians, Vikings, the Pilgrims, and the slaves are all your ancestors" is correct for some people, but for others who immigrated after the civil war, it doesn't apply. And I know the argument isn't meant to be taken so literally, but I still feel a better point could've been made than pulling the ancestral card. For example, learning history is important to you because you can use the information you learn to help you in the present, and many jobs require at least some degree of understanding of history, such as jobs involving politics, where you must know the history of your nation and your policies towards others, or lawyers, who must know the laws of their country, which in turn means the history of their country as well.
ReplyDeleteI think that is a really interesting point Kevin! Although I did not think of that quote as literally as you did. More like as an American citizen your "ancestors" or those who lived on American soil are your history. I think that idea creates a powerful message of equality. It implies that even though we have very different ways of getting to the US and cultures we are all American citizens. However the idea about how history can help with getting a job is really smart! I didn't even think about how history could be helpful.
DeleteHistory is important because you should learn about your story. The author says that, especially for Americans, that they are many different people and that they all have different stories. If you learn your story you can learn what differentiates from others. It preserves the uniqueness of America, with all its different cultures. It also helps you to realize what is wrong with America, and that it puts everything into perspective. If you see the villains of history, you can see the villains of the present. Like Joseph McCarthy and Donald Trump. They both had an insanely dedicated supporters and noone in the Republican party had the courage to stand up to them. But that brings me onto my next point that it gives us hope. Joseph McCarthy was kicked out of office by Americans. And even though America is deeply flawed they usually find a way to fix themselves, like Joy Hakim said.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Everyone is different and we don't all think alike or do the same things but its our history that connects us all.
DeleteHaving a common story is useful for unifying a nation's people, and I think in the US our common story is that all of our stories are different. Your point about things finding a way to fix themselves is interesting because in the long run I think that is what ends up happening, and the way in which things work themselves out is very interesting.
DeleteJoy Hakim brings up a lot of compelling reasons to study history in the chapter, "History? Why?" but the argument that I connected to most was the statement, "If you are an American. then the Indians, the Vikings, the Pilgrims, and the slaves are all your ancestors. You will want to know their stories." Without understanding and empathizing with the stories and tragedies of our fellow citizens we will become ignorant to one other. Many Americans have not learned the history of individuals different to them, and in turn became not only ignorant, but prejudice to their beliefs and backgrounds. By learning about one other's ancestors and history we can understand how deeply intertwined we all are in each other's stories and work together create a more equal country. As Joy Hakim wrote, "As Americans we do share something. It is our history."
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly that studying history can eliminate a lot of prejudices or ignorant opinions that one may hold otherwise. History connects us all, and so learning about it is incredibly important.
DeleteI agree. I think in this country, there is a certain mentality that we should be proud of our own heritage and love it no matter what it is just because it ours. What people don't often consider, in my opinion, is that even if certain people aren't directly related to you, they're also a part of your heritage as well. This statement supports that- as long as they're American, they are important to your heritage in one way or another. It's all American history. As long as you are an American, it is your history in one way or another.
DeleteThe most compelling and necessary argument made by the author must be that closely examining history is a paramount tool for progress and understanding of society. Without learning from our past we are simply no better than birds who constantly fly into windows, constantly failing due the fact that none of them learned from the past. Our ability as humans to think and analyze are what sets us apart from these birds and other creatures of the world, thus we must continue to study our past or we are doing nothing but repeating an unhealthy, gruesome life cycle where nothing will ever change.
ReplyDeleteWritten by Langston. I don't know why it says unknown.
DeleteI really like your analogy, it really proves the idea that history is vital.
DeleteThat's a really good point and analogy. History is essential when it comes to fixing past mistakes and improving/progressing.
DeleteOut of all the reasons the author gave for studying history, the statement, "But as Americans we do share something. It is our history. We Americans share a common heritage", caught my attention the most. It goes to show that although Americans may not all be of the same ethnicity and have multiple different backgrounds, we are all essentially "connected" by our history. By learning history, we are able to get a deeper understanding of different cultures that make up the US and it allows us to understand each other better. We are also able to see how different events or issues may have influenced the way things were, which leads up to how things are today. The author states, "When we read about the mistakes people made in the past, we can try not to make them ourselves." By learning about these situations, we are able to avoid repeating as many mistakes as possible that were made in the past.
ReplyDeleteI agree, history is important because it can help us avoid repeating the mistakes of our past and even though everyone is different in their own way, we are all connected from our roots.
DeleteHistory plays a very important role in our lives by shaping our future and building off of the past. The most convincing argument the author includes In their article is "Nations and people who don't study history sometimes repeat history." This line really stood out to me because it resonates with my personal life. Sometimes, I don't pay attention to how my parents would do something and end up making the same mistake as them. Countries and people who don't reflect on their past are bound to repeat the same mistakes. When you don't acknowledge the events that happened in the past, it can damage your future. Those who don't contemplate on their past mistakes and try to learn from them, cannot move on in life. History is a vital part of everyone's life and I completely agree with the author on this statement. History is an important resource in our lives that can prevent the past from repeating and help alter the future.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment because history is there to help us improve, so mistakes can be avoided. This can make a better future for others and from this it can continue because they would've known what was done right.
DeleteI agree. Without history, we wouldn't know how to improve and we wouldn't develop.
DeleteThe author brings up a lot of interesting points as to why we should study history and the one that was most compelling to me was that "History is the story of US". What this means to me is that previous events that have occurred in our country may still continue to impact us not just in ways that are obvious to us but that have affected our daily lives. Such examples can be the variety of different cultural backgrounds the country has and the way people can say they have friends who come from all over the world or have migrated from different places. History can also impacts us in ways that are not just positive but also may have formed stereotypes for people or even society's norms of what some people believe is "normal for them" or should be normal.
ReplyDeleteMy response shows up as unknown but it says comment as David
DeleteHistory never gets old. We find ourselves constantly striving to become better, to become newer, more modern. However, the only thing that stays the same and still has the same amount of significance and relevance is history. Our history is what we come from, who we are. A prime example of this is America as a whole. The United States started as only thirteen colonies ruled by Great Britain. The colonies then began a revolution which created one of the most influential and powerful in the world. They created a democracy—an entirely new form of government that was ahead of its time. But at the same time, America has been responsible for terrible atrocities. the United States dropped a nuclear bomb on Japan. American society is plagued by systemic racism. America’s successes and failures are part of our past and part of our present. We don’t always move on from our pasts, so we have to understand them in order to move on. For these reasons I believe that history is important for Americans to understand.
ReplyDeleteI like your first line, and It makes sense that history is where we come from and who we are, as you put it.
DeleteWhat's most compelling about one of the author's arguments is how history can help us learn about our society. We can study the history of nations around the world, from this we can learn how to improve our country. The U.S has been able to improve this way by avoiding mistakes such as slavery, or racism, although they're all the problems aren't completely gone, we're making progress to getting rid of problems we have. We can also learn how our countries came to be from this, such as all the ideas that started the country. In the end we can have a much better understanding on our country and our origins.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. Certain issues such as systemic racism and sexism that are prevalent today stem from different events in history, such as slavery and then women’s suffrage movement.
DeleteHistory enables people to build a deeper understanding of the present. Society today is built on the trials and errors of people in the past. The author points out in the textbook that the US government "Has made some terrible mistakes". The US is only able to improve and progress by learning from the past, and through this the people can achieve "equality and happiness" that holds so much significance in our democracy. The pattern of consistently acknowledging and learning from the past to be better as a society is what makes us human.
ReplyDeleteI agree, and the author is right that the United States was revolutionary in this manner.
DeleteI agree with almost all of this authors points, but I especially agree with her claim that history is a study of the past, but its applications are vital to the future. I believe that by looking through the past we can assume the future of our America, and change that future for the better. I think there is a connection between nations that don't learn from their pasts and nations that are worse than others. I think she put it succinctly and correctly when she stated that some nations are better than others, but the people of one nation are not better than the people of any other. The author is, however, oversimplifying history by saying there are heroes and villains. everyone has different facets. Abraham Lincon, The president who won the civil war, felt that segregation was right. My favorite quote about history comes from Neil Gaiman/Terry Pratchett: "It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people." she presents the false narrative that people are heroes or villains, not people with different facets.
ReplyDeleteI like that you called to attention to the sentence of heroes and villains as I agree with your point as people aren't necessarily black and white. Theres always a gray area to people
DeleteI agree with what you said about the superiority of empires that remember their history, and about the shortcoming of the author when oversimplifying this topic.
DeleteI agree, without looking into the past we can not help prevent catastrophic situations from happening in the future.
DeleteHistory is to society what memory is to the individual, without it we would have no concept of who we are as a society and as indviduals. Thus, I agree the author's argument that learning history prevents us from repeating past mistakes, and by extension will help us repeat past successes. Countries that don't learn from the past are doomed to repeat mistakes. A very relevant example of which would be pandemics, which people have, in the past, dismissed, and suffered the consequences, and yet we are currently suffering because of that exact instance. History is constantly repeating, and in some cases it should, people form the past were not as stupid as is popularly believed, but we in this modern era have an unprecedented amount of information at our fingertips and thus a chance to change that cycle. Not using these resources to learn and grow as a society, would be an abominable oversight.
ReplyDeleteI really like your beginning sentence and your connection of pandemics from the past to the pandemic that is currently happening and how history is currently repeating.
DeleteThe article we have read provides many compelling arguments as to why we should learn about history, and the most compelling argument I found was of how studying and understanding the history can help prevent the same mistakes of our predecessors to happen in present time and help guide us to a better future. To quote from the article, "When we read about mistakes people made in the past, we can try not to make them ourselves. Nations and people who don't study history sometimes repeat mistakes." Knowing and understanding the history can prevent future suffering, because if we don't understand it the first time, it'll happen a second.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it would almost be foolish of people to not learn their history as it allows them to be able to solve problems by looking in the past.
DeleteI agree. If we didn't have history, we wouldn't be able to prevent or stop problems that have happened in the past.
DeleteThe author brings up a lot of interesting points as to why we should study history and the one that was most compelling to me was that "History is the story of US". What this means to me is that previous events that have occurred in our country may still continue to impact us not just in ways that are obvious to us but that have affected our daily lives. Such examples can be the variety of different cultural backgrounds the country has and the way people can say they have friends who come from all over the world or have migrated from different places. History can also impacts us in ways that are not just positive but also may have formed stereotypes for people or even society's norms of what some people believe is "normal for them" or should be normal.
ReplyDeleteThe most compelling argument from the story is that we history should be learned so that we can understand how to avoid certain mistakes that were crucial in the past. The article almost states that history can be seen as a way of looking into the future, rather than the past. We can all understand that actions repeat themselves and since we know this, we can learn from mistakes that happened in out past. In the text it states, "Nations and people who don't study history sometimes repeat mistakes" This shows that there have been people who have been foolish enough to forget about what lead them to the present, that their entire nation falls.
ReplyDeleteThe most convincing reason for why we should study history is so that we don't repeat past mistakes. The article states "nations and people who don't study history sometimes repeat mistakes." This statement is definitely true. Without history we wouldn't know helpful from harmful.
ReplyDelete