CAP National Historical CAP National Historical JournalJournal

K.J. EFINGER

BUILDING CAP’S TEAM ... FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW

Lesson Objective

By the end of this presentation, you will understand:

1.History & purpose of the CAP National Historical Journal

2.Writing & Preparation/Historical Analysis

3.Process by which writers can submit works to the CAP NHJ

CAP NATIONAL HISTORICAL JOURNAL

• HISTORY OF THE CAP NHJ:The CAP NHJ was born from the idea that

the CAP needed a professional publication that highlighted CAP history, aviation science, and a wide array of articles and contributions that celebrated the nation’s military service related to air-power.

LT COL Mulanax, and CAPT Efinger with the approval of COL Frank Blazich set to work on developing ideas that would lead to the first edition in late 2013.

UNDERSTANDING HISTORICAL UNDERSTANDING HISTORICAL ANALYSIS AND WRITING FOR SUCCESSANALYSIS AND WRITING FOR SUCCESS

• History is one of those subjects that oozes with subjectivity, ergo...it must be “solid.” In other words...the idea of “good

history,” translates to “good investigation.”

History can be made to say whatever we want it to...an audience can/will always be found that latches on to our ideas and conclusions—albeit however “correct,” or “incorrect” they may be.

??...WAS HE REALLY A MEMBER OF

DEVO...THE EVIDENCE IS OVERWHELMING!

CAUSATIONCONTEXT

CHARACTERS

CONSEQUENCES

CRITICAL EVALUATION

CHRONOLOGY

THE MANY C’S OF HISTORICAL ANALYSISTHE MANY C’S OF HISTORICAL ANALYSIS

CHRONOLOGYCHRONOLOGY

Placing the person or event(s) in the proper context of

time—being careful to not indiscriminately apply

preconceived notions on the discovery of said person or

events. This tendency should be avoided. Using your

expertise as an historian, means to develop a sensitivity

to the subject being observed, and applying contextual

processes to interpretation that are of local or intrinsic

value.

CONTEXTCONTEXT

The idea of “contextualization,” or placing things

within a framework of reference. When we say

“hunter-gatherers,” do we mean this?

Who is the subject of our observation?

We must develop a “whole personality” of the subject—get

inside that individuals head as we say. We must fully and

completely understand the subject of our analysis as best

as the evidence provides—to do less is to fall short of our

task as a professional.

CHARACTERSCHARACTERS

CAUSATIONCAUSATION

Cause...direct and indirect stimulus.

i.e. The Austro-Hungarian empire declared war on Serbia because:

A....Serbia was a threat to Germanic hegemony?

B....so-called “Serbian Nationalists” were responsible for

the assassination of the Archduke?

C...Serbia rejected the “July-Ultimatum?”

D...war was imminent, and the assassination provided a

legitimate excuse.

Which choice is correct?

CONSEQUENCESCONSEQUENCES

The immediate, short-term, and long-term effects of an event or action.

...includes the idea of intended as well as unintended consequences.

The unintended consequences of U.S. aid to Britain in WWI was the targeting of American Merchant vessels by German U-boats.

CRITICAL ANALYSISCRITICAL ANALYSIS

The analysis of primary and secondary sources for bias,

credibility, and logically derived conclusions by the

author

...what prejudices did the author have in recording an

event, or writing a biography of a contemporary figure or

event? How far removed was the author from an event or

person? Herodotus wrote of events far removed in time

from his own life. How accurate could his assessments of

events be?

COMPARE

CONTRAST

COUNTERFACTUAL QUESTIONSCOUNTERFACTUAL QUESTIONS

What would have happened if...?

This is not the historian’s “happy-place” Avoid

speculation without hard-evidence. ie. What would have

happened if Germany “won the war?” Occasionally we

are called to speculate, or prognosticate, but unless a

very specific directive is offered, avoid this tendency.

The same goes for asserting that specific events were

“inevitable.” It is fundamentally, “bad-history.”

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDSPROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

The American Historical Association defines the profession of history as:

“...the never-ending process whereby people seek to understand the past and its many meanings.”

AHA 2005 Statement on Standards and Professional Conduct

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDSPROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

“Historians should practice their craft with integrity. They

should honor the historical record. They should

document their sources. They should acknowledge their

debts to the work of other scholars. They should respect

and welcome divergent points of view even as they argue

and subject those views to critical scrutiny. They should

remember that our collective enterprise depends on

mutual trust. And they should never betray that trust.”

https://www.historians.org/jobs-and-professional-development/statements-and-standards-of-the-profession/statement-on-standards-of-professional-conduct

SOURCES FOR GUIDANCESOURCES FOR GUIDANCE

After the Fact: The Art of Historical Detection

James West Davidson & Mark Hamilton Lytle

Historiography: Ancient, Medieval, & Modern

Ernst Breisach

The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past

John Lewis Gaddis

QUESTIONS?

TRIVIATRIVIA

Is it “a historian,”

or “an historian?”

Well...is it “an hour,” or “an honor?”

or

“a hour,” or “a honor?”

...we report...you decide.

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