The Importance of Getting History Right

History is one of my favorite subjects, not only because it is interesting, but mainly because it is fascinating to me that certain events somehow took place. It is often shocking to hear about something that happened in history; it is hard to imagine that something so outrageous, or tragic, or morally reprehensible could take place.

One of my favorite eras of history to learn about is the Civil Rights Movement. It is incredibly difficult for me to understand how people could have treated other human beings in such an awful way. I try to imagine myself in that period- would I do the same? I would like to hope that I would not have treated someone differently because of the color of their skin. Perhaps I would have even been involved in the fight for civil rights. I simply can’t say. But this is why learning about history is so important. It forces you to insert yourself into the situation and consider what you might have done. It makes you confront issues (such as race) that still may be relevant even today.

History has to be taught in an accurate way. Of course there is often bias, whether intended or not, but it is our duty to get all the facts straight. This is the only way we can learn from history. People say we should learn about history so that it doesn’t repeat itself. I think this holds true. If a person is ignorant about history, they can’t learn how to avoid the failures of our past.

I am incredulous as to how people can deny the Holocaust. Somehow these people exist. We have to do a better job of education. It pains me every time I hear of another Holocaust survivor passing away. I am so sad, even scared, that my children will not have the opportunity to hear about the Holocaust from someone who experienced it first hand. It is our duty to ensure that our children are educated about the history in a way that is not only true, but will resonate with them. This is a daunting task, but I think it is possible.

We talk a lot about getting history right, ensuring it is unbiased and based on actual facts, when it comes to Israel. If I want to be an advocate for the State of Israel, I have to understand its history. I have to have knowledge of its successes and failures so that I can effectively paint a picture of the country as a whole. This is an area I continue to research and learn about.

History is, I think, one of the most important topics to be learned about. It is crucial that we make the teaching of history a priority in our schools, that the teachers are those who can put aside personal bias and opinion to present the material in a fair, accurate way. There is so much at stake when it comes to the teaching of history; what we learn from the past has the power to shape our future.