Keeping History In My Back Pocket (a formal plea)

SOME CONTEXT ON MY CURIOSITY

I was a middle schooler when my mom took my brother and me to Gettysburg, P.A. I looked at the big field blankly, being too young to comprehend its magnitude. My older brother pointed to the spot where General Reynolds was shot down, and somewhere, there must have been where Union artillery blew thousands to bits in Pickett’s Charge, marking a major turning point in the Civil War.

At some point soon thereafter, I read the book “The Killer Angels” and two others, which chronicled the events of Gettysburg and the war. I did not retain most of the information to the present day, unfortunately. 

Still, I remember finding it fascinating learning that some Civil War generals were veterans of the 1848 Mexican-American War (I will admit, I did not even know what that was when I read it). These veterans understood that massive charges of soldiers akin to Napoleonic warfare would now be too costly due to the Industrial Revolution. The weapons were suddenly just that much more deadly, and they knew that the shovel for digging trenches was just as important a tool as ammunition was. Most of the Confederate generals were made up of these experienced veterans, perhaps explaining why they prevailed in the first half of the year. 

You can take historical facts and apply them to the present in endless ways. They enhance understanding of things without even conscious awareness sometimes. When Ukrainian soldiers visited the University last year, they spoke about how American training had prepared them for desert conditions, such as in Afghanistan, not the urban forests of Ukraine. When they applied that specialized training in such a different setting, it was costly. In addition, veterans of the 2014 Russian Invasion understood new drone technology, compared to new soldiers who were unaccustomed to it. It just made that much more sense when combined with seemingly unrelated background knowledge.

When you understand history, everything in life carries more weight. It provides helpful context, and it’s not just about warfare. I know why our U.S. Congress is split into two houses, and therefore better how it works today. I know what helped lead to the Soviet Union’s collapse, so perhaps I know a little better what the villainous Putin now hopes to achieve. I know how Napoleon’s conquests spread not just intense nationalism to many parts of Europe through his code, but also sexism ingrained in law.

My father’s parents grew up in the Great Depression, who saved every penny and finished all the food on their plate. This must have seeped down to me, as I try hard not to waste food when I can. You see, I didn’t just become curious genetically; I had to have learned it. Another example was that my father always pointed out local buildings made of brownstone, because it was all mined from the Portland Quarry in Connecticut. Our neighborhood was built on the foundations of an old Boy Scout camp; that’s why there are rotted wood planks embedded in our far backyard. History provides vital context to the world you’re living in. 

MY FORMAL EDUCATION 

Over the past year or two, however, I have become extremely aware of how little the public education system actually  taught me. A lot of what I have learned has come from my own curiosity. I do appreciate my 8th-grade teacher, who taught us about Andrew Jackson’s Trail of Tears and the living conditions of slave ships. He spoke to us about the usual George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware, of course, among other events that culminated in our nation’s founding. Yet, I really appreciated how he didn’t dart around subjects that were hard to talk about. We got a minute-by-minute timeline of September 11th, 2001, which is taught every September, of course, but I really only remember his lesson in particular. So for being eight years ago now, it must have been conveyed pretty well by him. 

The public education I got was very well funded, considering that I remember Hammurabi’s Code of Mesopotamia being a big deal in sixth grade. I took AP U.S. Government & Politics and AP European History in high school, and I have to say, those courses deeply impacted me looking back. It made more sense years later, visiting the British Museum in London to look at hordes upon hordes of stolen stuff from every civilization. Travel naturally provides cultural education, and although I have been privileged enough to travel overseas twice, one’s wallet doesn’t usually allow for it. 

Still, my exposure to global history was and is limited. Colonial history has been glossed over, told only from the victor’s perspective. I desire to know more about Asian history, for instance, something I know little about. It is all a blurred afterthought for so many, even in the 20th century, which I consider to be very recent. It’ll take me years to catch up, or perhaps my whole life. 

That’s why I worry, because if someone doesn’t have a conscious, alert motive to learn, they may not know anything about the world they live in. As much as I know, there’s always something historically that I don’t know. Or that no one knows for sure, but that they’re trying to find out. 

I’ve been called an old soul before, or even a nerd. So what, if I was looking up the story of Hank Williams’ death again? Or looking up the ancient use of elephants in war in relation to Alexander the Great? Isn’t that what the internet is for? I’m wary enough to try to dodge AI sources and other non-credible sources, fear not.

Perhaps I care so much about it because, for how important history seems, it appears delicately fragile. Recently, the National Park Service began removing slavery exhibits as a part of President Trump's order to remove “corrosive ideology.” To say this is senselessly disgusting by any moral standards is an understatement. It however becomes even scarier if you know about historical attempts to erase previous history, and how dangerous they are.

IN DEFENSE OF THE HUMANITIES

We’re taking a bit of a detour here, but it’s an important one, I assure you. 

People have always divided subjects in such a way that many students identify as either a “math and science person” or a “history and English person.” It’s true, on a surface level, they appear to demand opposite skill sets. These unspoken categories of learning, however, could box people into learning only one of these simply by being labelled constantly. 

This has real history behind it. In the financial divide here against STEM and the humanities, it can be shown that the Cold War may have served as a catalyst for the US government funneling considerable amounts of money into science and technology education. One of these pieces of legislation, the National Defense Education Act of 1958, was spurred into action after the launch of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik. It was the first Earth-orbiting satellite, and Americans soon feared losing their global hegemony. 

These subsequent priorities on STEM have continued into this century, as the internet, digital tech and advancements in medicine require skilled professionals. I acknowledge this, especially when writing for a school known for its forensic science programs. There is no doubt in my mind that these skills are extremely important. However, everywhere I’ve looked, shows the arts, histories, sociology, civic education and communication have been under-prioritized financially.

Without attention to the humanities, we may have critical thinking and creative problem-solving shortages. I believe we already do. We would have no theatre or music, philosophical outlooks, or understanding of world religions without the humanities. Spending time immersed in the words and beliefs of others changes people’s capacity to connect with them, it is shown. From better conversational skills, easier empathy, the humanities present solutions that aren’t just numbers; they are open to interpretation and endless. We need more of that right now.

MY FORMAL PLEA

I seem to love history so much that if careers and finances didn’t matter, I might just drop everything to become a historian. Journalism seems to be the closest I can get to it, which I must have gravitated towards unconsciously. 

I understand that for many, though, it is just extremely ingrained that they are better at one subject and not another. I can see this in myself. I did math in high school, and now I run from it like the plague. While I don’t remember myself being good at math, I certainly wasn’t bad. Otherwise, I would not have survived precalculus. To start learning again would require a motive outside of career or finance, but to develop myself. It would be a challenge, but nothing good comes easy.

Start with what you’re interested in. Find an easy magazine with pictures. Browse the library for a topic that you love. There is no expectation to read an entire book, although I recommend it. A lot of people believe ‘everything happens for a reason’. I never believed that entirely, so now I’m changing it in my own personal way and saying that ‘everything happens because of a reason.’ The reason lies in history, whether it was last week or a hundred years ago. 

We have access to more information readily available to the literate public than at any other time in history. So if you’re bored and scrolling Instagram, confused about the stock market, worried about a worldly conflict’s complexities, or want to find out where your favorite sport came from, then do me a favor.

Keep some history in your back pocket for me, will you?