WHY DO WE STUDY

HISTORY?

TO UNDERSTAND YOURSELF

– Why do Americans dress this way?– Why do I have the political opinions that I

do?– Why do I eat certain types of food?– Why do I avoid those types of people?

TO UNDERSTAND OTHER PEOPLE

– Why are their names weird sounding to me?– Why are their political views different from

mine?– Why doesn’t my family/friends like them?– Why don’t they like me?– Why don’t we have as much money as we

used to?

TO MAKE PREDICTIONS/SEE IT COMING

– Why does my dad think they will go to war? I don’t have a clue.

– How did my aunt know prices at the pump would go up?

– How did my mom know to wait and shop after Christmas?

– Why are so many people afraid of government surveillance?

– Why do some people hate the poor?– Why don’t some people trust the rich?

THE ANSWER…• To know or to understand they had to pay

attention.• The knowledge was cultivated (grew) when they

paid attention.• The study of history provides some of this

knowledge.

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Studying History is ......more than just recounting and learning about past events.

Examining a historical event also involves studying a society’s culture, religion, politics and economies.

Example: Studying Religions Throughout History

•History is full of the harassment and murder of those with different religions.

•The targeted groups have varied throughout historical periods and locations.

•It sure would hurt to be on the receiving end.

Cultures● Historians often ask questions about the past in order

to understand the present

● Historians use a variety of methods to help them answer questions about what happened in the past

● Historians examine evidence and draw conclusions as they answer historical questions

VIDEO Why Studying History Matters

The answers to historical questions can help people as they respond to today’s events and challenges

History shows us how important it is to vote and exercise our opinions in politics. Many people in history did not have these freedoms and many fought and died for this right. We should not squander their legacy by not raising our voices.

By contemplating the past we figure out how and why individuals lived as they did all through the world and the progressions and reasons for such changes, that happened inside these societies. We think about the past to get a more extensive and wealthier comprehension of our reality today and our place in it.

HISTORY IS THE HUMAN STORY

HOW DO HISTORIANS

STUDY HISTORY?

Essential Question : What Questions do Historians Ask to Help Them Understand the Past?

EARLY HISTORIAN- HERODOTUS

Studying the Past• History and Archaeology are fields that

study the past. • It is a common misconception that

Archaeologists study dinosaurs, but in fact Archaeologists, like Historians, study only the human past—the last one million years.

• Each of these fields has developed its own methods for studying the past.

Video Types of Historians: Archaeologist

Study the past by looking at what humans have left behind. They look at these artifacts such as tools, pottery and jewelry to learn how people lived long ago.

Types of Historians:Paleontologist

They study ancient fossils to learn what happened millions of years ago. They look at fossils and other remains to learn about the past.

Types of Historians: Anthropologist

They look at clues to determine what people believed, how they lived, and how their culture compared to others.

Method of Historical InquiryRecall History is what is choose to remember

about the past.

Interpret History is about explaining people and events.

Apply Use what we know about the past to understand the present

Synthesize History involves making sense out of a jumble of facts

Evaluate History involves making judgments about people and events

The Historian’s Job

Historian’s Job

Examining Evidence

Asking Questions

Using Tools

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Historians ...…. try to find patterns in past events and look for causes and effects to explain why events happen.

…. to try figure out why some ideas and traditions last and others die out.

…. attempt to see the past through the eyes of the people who lived it to get a greater insight into human nature and answer important historical questions.

Historians...… gathers clues like a detective to study the past

…. try to be objective by relying on evidence to support their claims.

…. attempt to put events in the order in which they occurred (Chronologically)

… go through years of formal training and often specialize in a specific area of study such as American History or History of Ancient Cultures

Types of Questions Historians Ask

● How have groups or societies interacted, and what have been the results?

● How have leaders governed the societies?● How have belief systems developed and

changed?● How have societies dealt with differences among

their people?● How have societies tried to protect people’s

security?● How are societies similar and different?

Tools Historians UseHistorians act like detectives by using these tools:

1. Primary Sources2. Secondary Sources3. Oral History

Gregorian CalendarOur modern calendar is named after Pope Gregory XIII

The Gregorian Calendar breaks history into two parts:

B.C. = Before Common Era

A.D. = Anno Domini Idea was that the birth of Jesus would separate the “old” history from the modern era.

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Vocabulary

Primary SourceSomething that is written or created by a person who witnessed a historical event.

These include things like: letters, diaries, eyewitness articles, videotapes, speeches, newspapers, magazines, tax and census data, marriage and birth certificates, death records, works of art, interviews and photographs.

Artifacts are also considered to be primary sources.

The Rosetta Stone is an example of a Primary Source

Secondary SourceWritten AFTER a historical event by people who did not witness the event.

Examples of secondary sources are books, paintings and media reports that are based from primary sources.

Sometimes secondary sources are the only ones available.

Primary vs. SecondarySources

Primary Sources Secondary Sources

Written or created at time of the event

Written after the event

Eyewitness accounts Author is relying on other information to write about the event

Includes letters, tools and artifacts Includes textbooks, reference materials and editorials

Has the benefit of being a source directly from the event

Has the benefit of having time to understand and analyze the event

Oral HistoryWhen cultures have no written records, historian rely on oral history as a resource.

Oral history is all of the unwritten, verbal accounts of events including stories, customs and songs that a culture has told and passed from generation to generation.

Decade

10 years

Century

100 Years

Millennium

1,000 Years