History

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History Why do we
study history? What does it mean that history
repeats itself? How do we discover history and
why is it important that we get it accurate?
Johnny Weissmuller 1924 Olympics Champion never
beaten in any freestyle race.
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Why do we study history?
1. Discovery To discover information about
ourselves and our past.
2. Understanding Who are we? Where do we come
from? Why was ?
3. Enlightenment If these historical factors
existed in the past then it is probable that a
similar historical event will likely take place.
4. Truth This is the definitive quest of all
societies, for only through the discovery,
understanding and enlightment of truth can we
discover ourselves.
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What does it mean History repeats itself? Was
there a WWII / WWII? Where does Adolph Hitler
live now and does he watch MTV? Will Abraham
Lincoln join the recall race in California?
What do you think? How does history repeat
itself? Can you think of any examples of history
repeating itself?
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How do we discover history? Caution We need to
be careful! Why? Careful and complete
historical examinations must be made in order to
truly understand the subject being discovered.
Some things are simple. What can we
historically tell from the photograph
below? This is an easy one.
Mr. Patten signing the Declaration of
Independence 1776
Why are you able to historically assess this
picture?
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This is not always as easy as we may think. Is a
picture worth a thousand words? What can we
historically tell from the photograph below?
Careful research and examination is necessary in
order to uncover the truth of the past.
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What can we tell about this photograph from the
civil war period?
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What can we tell about this photograph from the
civil war period?
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Read the following story and complete the
historical analysis form at the end of the
reading. Have fun!
The Hunting
Story It was a very cold day in July, and the
leaves were beginning to fall from the trees. It
was the early morning when I rolled over in my
nice warm bed and watched the first rays of sun
rise in the west. I yawned for what seemed like
an entire hour and rose to my feet filled with
excitement because this was the first day of
hunting season! I was so anxious, that I put on
my Ford western jeans and matching plaid Polo
flannel shirt. Next I slipped into my Teva
sandals and ate a healthy breakfast of buffalo
and rattlesnake meat sautéed in marrow fat. All
of this was topped with Hollandaise sauce. It was
truly a feast fit for a queen. By 600PM, I was
ready to go hunting. Therefore, I climbed
downstairs to where I kept my supply of hunting
weapons. I opened the gun cabinet with my credit
card and grabbed my favorite weapon, a Belgian
Browning 12 gauge over under  
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shotgun with marble stock and shiny titanium
rifled barrel. Placing my brown hunting hat on my
head, I headed for the door and my car. Exiting
the house, I jumped into my red Land Rover
Defender 90 and placed my Belgian Browning 12
gauge over under shotgun with marble stock and
shiny titanium rifled barrel on the rack of the
dashboard. I headed down the road at a staggering
100 miles an hour, and kept the pedal to the
medal for 30 minutes until I reached my hunting
spot 25 miles from my house. It was a beautiful
spot, that was heavily wooded with pine and oak
trees of various sizes. I stepped from the
utility I was driving and grabbed my Belgian
Browning 12 gauge over under shotgun with marble
stock and shiny titanium rifled barrel. Silently
(i.e.ever so silently) I crept into the woods in
search of the ever allusive Duckbill Platypus. It
was quite warm and I was very nervous about the
prospect of coming face to face
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with this vicious, merciless man killer. I did
not have long to wait. I had walked only a
mile, when I stepped into a clearing located next
to a small pond. There before my eyes, I spotted
my prey chewing on its recent kill. It was awful
to watch this creature gorge itself, chlorophyll
was everywhere. As sweat pierced my eyes, I
raised my Belgian Browning 12 gauge over under
shotgun with marble stock and shiny titanium
rifled barrel and took aim on the unsuspecting
Platypus. Squeezing the trigger, I closed my eyes
and heard a large KABOOM. Well, the kick from
the gun was so powerful that I was knocked back
into the pond. I was briefly knocked unconscious
for about 3 hours. However, when I awakened, one
of my hands was on the Platypus and the other
hand was on the head of a moose that had been
killed by the ricocheting bullet that hit the
Platypus. I discovered that my pockets were so
full of trout from the pond that when I tried to
get up, the button on my pants burst and killed a
nearby partridge.
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Oh, it truly was a great day of hunting.
Directions What really happened on this day?
Using the following form to place information
from the story under the appropriate column.
Fact Fiction
Hypothesis (based on the evidence
it probably is truth)
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Therefore, our conclusion must be that
In order to uncover the truth about the past and
to be able to truly think about its relevance to
human civilization, we need
INFORMATION