History’s Wisdom

Freedom Giveaway Hop logoWelcome to my blog. The week of 1–7 July 2011, I’m participating with more than two hundred other bloggers in the “Freedom Giveaway Hop,” accessed by clicking on the logo at the left. All blogs in this hop offer book-related giveaways, and we’re all linked, so you can easily hop from one giveaway to another. But here on my blog, I’m posting a week of Relevant History essays, each one with a Revolutionary War theme. To find out how to qualify for the giveaways on my blog, read through each day’s Relevant History post below and follow the directions. Then click on the Freedom Hop logo so you can move along to another blog. Enjoy!

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Early in June 2011, Austin (Texas) College archivist Justin Banks made a remarkable discovery among the items stashed in the college’s rare books vault. More than twenty years earlier, someone had donated an original copy of a pamphlet written by Cambridge history professor and classical scholar John Symonds. The pamphlet, printed in London in 1778, bashed Britain for taxing the American colonies without their consent. Banks commented that the thrust of the pamphlet “…goes against in a sense what the whole nation, England was doing at the time. They were at war with the American colonies.”

Actually, the war was quite unpopular among most citizens of Britain. They groused about it in coffeehouses, tearooms, and taverns. You don’t have to look far to understand why. During that time, Britain’s soldiers were painting every continent except Antarctica scarlet, fighting a world war. The American front was a money pit. Imagine what affect all that aggression had on the economy as well as the livelihood of the average Briton back home.

So who was making war with the American colonies? Think about it, then raise your hand if this scenario sounds eerily familiar.

In this blog, I’m taking advantage of a right patriots bought for the American people: the right to freedom of speech. These were patriots like my great-great-great grandfather, Joseph Moseley, who joined the 14th Virginia Regiment in March 1777, when he was twelve years old. He was issued a musket and uniform and paid monthly, and you can read his two-part story here and here.

This week, my guests and I have used freedom of speech to point out gems from history that were omitted from high school history classes and libraries. Those omitted details are often the lessons we should be learning about human nature, religion, government, and society. In other words, they’re what makes history relevant.

We aren’t learning from history very well. Why does this matter? Because every time we don’t learn a lesson, we risk making a costly mistake. Ask yourself what can be done about it.

FireworksThe week of wisdom from history wouldn’t have been possible without you or my talented guest authors: Charles F. Price, Christine Swager, Tin Roof Teas (Ryan Hinson), J. R. Lindermuth, and Sheila Ingle. What worlds can they open for you? Browse back through the posts. Give these authors your patronage.

Then comment on something you learned on my blog this week that made history relevant to you. Thanks for stopping by!

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I’m giving away an ebook copy of my second and third books, The Blacksmith’s Daughter and Camp Follower, to two people who contribute a legitimate comment on my blog today or tomorrow. I’ll choose the winners from among those who comment on this post by Friday 8 June at 6 p.m. ET, then publish the names of the winners on my blog the week of 11 July. No eReader required. Multiple file formats are available.

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Comments

History’s Wisdom — 29 Comments

  1. Barbara Tuchman discussed this in the final chapter of her book “The March of Folly”. History is interesting to study but I don’t think governments profit from the knowledge. The United States doesn’t.

  2. Suzanne,
    You are spot on. History isn’t just relevant, it’s what we live, every day. And the Revolutionary Way is being recreated across part of the Arabian world right now. I hope the uprisings will establish governments that respect and assist their citizens.

  3. Thanks for stopping by, Michael. No, governments don’t profit from understanding history. Otherwise, someone would have paid attention to Thomas Jefferson’s wisdom: “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.”

  4. One of the best things about these posts is that they got me rereading “Lies My Teacher Told Me” by James Loewen. I loved history as a kid, particularly early American. One of my favorite books was “Johnny Tremaine.” I majored in history at UCLA – a liberal college with a liberal history staff who delighted in debunking “myths.” (Some of this was history bashing. It was the beginning of the 60’s with the Civil Rights movement just starting and leading to the hippie era.) I remember some of my fellow students being quite upset at this view of history.
    Inspite of this more jaundiced approach, I’m appalled at how biased my texts were, particularly Morrison and Commenger(?). The info Loewen presents makes many of our current issues much more understandable.
    Thanks for the nudge to revisit an old passion.

  5. Kathy, somehow that book hasn’t made it to my radar before now. I’ll check it out. Thanks.
    Let’s not forget that hippies had a solid reason for knocking the establishment. Many people today pine for that movement.

  6. Suzanne, if you’re interested in how history is taught to high school students, you really should read this book. In the first edition, Loewen analyzed the 12 most used HS texts for accuracy, including mistakes and omissions. In the current edition, he focuses on the 6 most popular now. The omissions, as well as the distortions and outright untruths, are appalling. Most of the books are little more than propaganda tools, aiming to make “good” citizens that feel good about their country’s history. This approach makes history boring and non-relevant. You can’t learn from the past if you don’t know the truth about the past. It should be required reading for every teacher.

  7. Completely agree with the main thrust of this article, which is why I wrote both of my “historical bastards” books (This is not blatant self-promotion, so I won’t give details. If you’re interested, feel free to contact me or google me for more info.). Thanks a lot for broaching it, Suzanne.
    (And Michael, great Tuchman reference! One of my all-time favorite historians.)
    It’s interesting to note as well that college history departments have been known to develop into hotbeds of political infamy over questions of what subject is fashionable, which research methodology is superior, and so on, and so forth.
    As a white male interested in studying what was derisively termed at the time as “dead white guy” history, I saw first-hand how ugly political correctness could be, when I earned my MA in history during the early ’90s. This is not to say that the aim of such a movement (the inclusion of previously excluded minority perspectives in the historical record and subjecting them as sources to historical analysis and criticism) was not and is not in itself noteworthy- merely that in any system, particularly where academics are involved,
    A sad commentary on a sad period in historical writing, indeed.

  8. Ken Burns showed dramatically that the thoughts of participants, beyond politicians, are critical to the understanding of history. The posts this week have referred to the people who implemented ideals on a basic level to forge this country.

  9. Kathy, most of us were subjected to that propaganda machine in history class. There are ways to reverse and counteract it. For example, when my sons were very young, I got us involved in Revolutionary War reenacting — not on the patriot side, but on the crown forces side. I needed that POV for research for my books. But something interesting happened to my sons when they were raised in that environment, surrounded by “redcoats” about one weekend per month. They grew up better able to see both sides of arguments, and they understood on a deep level how history is written by the “victors.” They also saw through the gobbledegook in history class and challenged history teachers who had incorrect information. As older teens, both of them now enjoy history of multiple eras.

  10. What I find incredible is how little is taught of this most formative period in our history, & so few are interested in! (Suzanne you & I know this from publishers) It’s tragic. David McCullough recently talked about the lack of history education in America today and the steps he would take if teaching. Too numerous to name here, it can be found at http://t.co/Bq6J2o4 My pronouncement is: make history fun, relevant AND required!

  11. Excellent article, Helena. Thanks for the link. Funding in schools for history and the arts always seems the first to be cut. Ugh.
    Yes, certain literary agents turn their noses up at manuscripts of American historical fiction. They’re convinced that no one wants to read it. Point 1: They’ve never been on Goodreads and seen the demand for it there. Point 2: Well-crafted historical fiction is often the spark that sets off a reader’s lifelong interest in history.

  12. Thank you for a most fascinating discussion. I have been thinking a lot about this topic. There is something special about seeing it in writing and in more detail….

  13. Take heart all! Ben, a descendent of a well-known AR figure, has created a wonderful historical tour & created a book, audio and curriculum for his tour in my beloved Boston :) It’s quite popular – huzzah for history! Check it out: http://walkingboston.com/

  14. When i was a youngster, my mother had me read historical fiction, as a way of “educating” me. There were the books of Howard Fast, and then Thomas Costain for English history. One of the best years of my life was spent in the Boston area where it seemed that every turn in the road was a famous place. What about that well known line-He who does not study history is condemned to repeat. (I can’t remember the author or if I got it right, but it seems apt).

  15. I’ve been interested in history since before I went to school. But it was never history classes in school that inspired me, but fiction. At six, I saw the 1958 Titanic movie on TV, which started a lifelong interest in the topic. At 12, I saw Patton, and went straight to the library the next day to find a bio about him, which led to reading more books about WWII. At around the same age, I read the Little House books, which led to reading books about the Old West.
    As an adult, I saw the Patriot, and wanted to know the real story, so back to the library it was again for me. And no matter how historically inaccurate Patriot was, it did inspire me to learn the real story about the Southern Campaign. When I was in school in the sixties and seventies, all they taught about this was the Northern Campaign with a throwaway comment about Cornwallis at Yorktown.
    Now, I’ve been inspired to study the Napoleonic era by reading Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe novels and the TV movies.
    So, the moral of all this is that no one should discount the value of historical fiction and historical movies, both fiction and non-fiction, in inspiring people to want to learn more about history.

  16. I love the Revolutionary period of America. My ancestors fought against the British and I am proud of my ancestry! I loved taking trips through time with you!

  17. Helena, thanks for that link. Considering certain recent events, I see why you didn’t name Ben’s ancestor. LOL
    I wonder if such a walking tour exists for cities in the South that played a role in the Revolutionary War, such as Wilmington and Charles Town?

  18. Lil, thanks for stopping by my blog. What a wonderful gift your mother gave to you when you were growing up, reading you historical fiction. Sadly, I think most parents don’t read to their children at all.
    That warning about not learning the lessons of history has been stated by many and heeded by few. George Santayana said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” But he was restating a sentiment that had been expressed throughout history, all the way back to the Greeks.

  19. Tracy, it’s great to see you back here. Thanks for reinforcing the point of why authors of historical fiction need to keep writing in the genre and finding a way to get it into the hands of readers — never mind what boneheaded literary agents and publishers believe. LOL
    You’ll get a kick out of this story. Inaccuracies in “The Patriot” drove one guy to become a Revolutionary War reenactor. Here’s the link.
    And I suspect that Sean Bean, as Sharpe, had a bit to do with the interest many ladies have in reading fiction about the Napoleonic era. Bernard Cornwell thinks so, too. :-)

  20. Teresa, thanks for joining me on my blog this week. I hope you’ll come back. I have plenty more trips through time in store for readers.

  21. Suzanne, though Sean Bean is indeed handsome, I was more drawn to Pete Postlethwaite acting in those films. God help me, but I’ve got a strange taste in men. Maybe it was because he was a better actor, hmm?

  22. Oh, and thanks for the link. My interest in reenacting came from the same source as well. Unfortunately, I’ve not been able to put it into practice, for lack of money and that it’s probably difficult for a single woman to get involved.
    I also wonder how things would have panned out had the British won the war. I think we would have eventually gained independence, but more on the lines of how Canada did so.

  23. Hi Tracy, when I got into Revolutionary War reenacting, I was a single mom with two small children. My first event, I went without my sons. Someone loaned me the period attire. I wanted to scope things out to make sure it would be a wholesome environment for young kids. To my delight, I found that a number of reenactors had their families with them. I met the good folks of the 33rd Light Company of Foot (my “unit”), and I soon learned that reenactors of all units kept an eye on each others’ kids. People are very willing to help. Ask.
    After I found out about the Carlisle Peace Commission, I realized that we could have gone another route, gotten independence from Britain without so many years of bloodshed. There were some very stubborn people in the Congress who insisted on the all-or-nothing approach. And naturally, the Carlisle Peace Commission isn’t something they teach American children about because it would make the Congress look like boneheads.
    Sean Bean’s acting certainly improved over time, but I don’t think a lot of women watch his movies for his acting skills. 😉

  24. Interesting that you mention the 33rd. That unit plays a role in the earlier Sharpe books during the campaign in India

  25. The 33rd is one of those units that was around for a long, long time.
    Years ago, after we’d reenacted the battle at Brattonsville (SC), a fellow from the American militia came over to our camp and brought his English friend. The friend was from Yorkshire and was nicely decked out in militia attire, with a spray of black powder across the side of his face to indicate that he’d been firing a musket for the Americans.
    He told us he was mortified during the battle when the American commander pointed at the 33rd Light and told him to fire upon them. The conversation went this way:
    British chap: “But those are my mates, from my homeland. I cannot fire on them!”
    American commander: (points out some Jagers fighting near the 33rd Light) “Those guys are Germans. Can you shoot them?”
    British chap: (brightening) “Oh, yes, I can shoot Germans!”
    We love happy endings in reenacting.