Thread: Should History be taught in school?

Yes, history should definitely be taught in schools. History teaches us how we even got here and why our society is the way it is. If we don’t understand our history we can’t learn from it. If we don’t know the history of other nations then we can’t understand why the culture has developed in the way it has. History is a very crucial part in understanding not only our own culture but cultures all over the world. Needless to say, I think history should with out a doubt be taught in schools.

I do agree with you that some of it was written to beter the person writting it but in general the person is right about the whole of what happend. like if there was a war and someone made it to look like they were the hero well they might not have been the hero because it is ones opinion but the war most definatly happend.

So i do believe it should be taught.
Also if you dont learn about the past you will only make the same mistakes in the futre.
Also if you never learn from the history that is why i think we must learn it.
^_^

My appolgizes, allow me to clarify my thread a bet more. When I was taling about history I ment the battles between on nation and another, or people against other people. For example the Native Americans and the Setellers. For many years the Natives were thought to be the enimies, and the stellers the victims. What was not record was the natives side of the story. How are we to know, (by we I mean the people of today, not just us) on how, what, or even when took place?
I do agree with you on the culture subject, I believe you have a very valid point there. However I do have a opinion on that as well. what if the schools where to make a class just for culture. That way we still learn of the worlds cultures just in a different matter.
I'm sure some on is going to write this soon or later so I'm going to put it out now. People say we study history so that we can prevent history from repeating its self. In this time and age we are much more andvance than we wore, so I'm sure with clear think we could preventing history repeating its self with out study.

If we do not learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it.

Being one of those geeks that graduated school with 4 extra years of history, I would have to say it must be taught. I took 4 different history classes my final year of school alone.

Yes much of history is, or can be one sided. Yes most of the time the victors write history. Yes it is difficult, if not next to impossible to know what may have happened her or there, now or then in history.

History is just that though. His (hers/our) story. It has always been a part of any people. Perhaps if people still has the tradition of story telling, we would not need history classes. People used to pass on stories of their people through tradition (story telling). History classes have existed since before written language. The only difference is that it was taught orally. You learned your people stories through hearing them, you memorized them, and in your turn you passed them on. We have moved away from the tribal/clan life that kept any peoples history a living thing.

It's sad really. So few people still do this. Many of the stories of today are being taught through history classes. Today, as in the past, some things will be taught from a victors goes the spoils view. However, there always comes a point in time when the truth will out. Eventually it always does. Even ancient history changes. As we learn and discover more, we pass on that history.

Eventually there will come a time when we will no longer destroy trees to create books. How will we learn our history? How can we guarantee any of it would continue to be passed on. Will all we (the human race) have ever learned of be lost as a people?

Yes, I believe History must be taught.

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Sorry, I was posting this as you posted your second comment.

My one grandmother is a Native American Cherokee Indian, so she understood full well how one sided a story/history can be told. She always said truth will out. People will always search for what is the truth. It is when we stop to learn everything that any people will cease to exist.

So I still stand by what I said. Yes we should have history classes. Even when I was in school history books changed. They continue to change. They will always change, so long as anyone strives to learn more.

Originally Posted by shoru

My friends and I are having this debate on hisotry and if it should be taught in school. I think that it does not need to be taught for 2 basic, but logical reason.
1. History is written by the Victors (by Victors I mean the dominating people of that time.)
2. No one knows exactly what happen in the past, it is human nature to exagerate the truth to better ones self. I would be very interested in you opinion.

While both of these points are true, you forget that accounts have also been written by the losers, so it's good to read both sides. Also, if we did not know about the mistakes (exaggerated or not) of yore, we would go on repeating them.

that's dumb... i'm sorry, but everyone needs to know where they came from, even if it's a bunch of lies...


if you take away history, then only scholars would know what happend. and slowly, it would lead to the dark ages once again! it was called the Dark Ages! their minds were dark with ignorance!


=_= come on people, you're not serious are you?

Learning history is not so much about learning where you came from. You need to know history so you can form an opinion on whats going on today. You need to learn history so you can vote on the right leader, to have an opinion in politics, to say "well this happened before and i dont want it to happen again". Its about learning from past mistakes.

Like the war in Iraq. Obviously, President Bush didn't learn enough history, with his c average gpa. He obviously didnt know enough about the Vietnam war, and how bad that was.