History is who we were, who we are and who we will be. Why Study History? History is who we were, who we are and who we will be.

What some others have said…. History:  gossip well told.  ~Elbert Hubbard Historians are gossips who tease the dead.  ~Voltaire The past actually happened but history is only what someone wrote down.  ~A. Whitney Brown History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind. Edward Gibbon (1737 - 1794)

…still more great minds… History is who we are and why we are the way we are.  ~David McCullough

…do you know who this is? I don't know much about history, and I wouldn't give a nickel for all the history in the world.  History is more or less bunk.  It is a tradition.  We want to live in the present, and the only history that is worth a tinker's damn is the history we make today.  ~Henry Ford

Do you think…. Ford could have made even one car without a good understanding of history? Explain your answer.

…interesting…. "History is for human self-knowledge. Knowing yourself means knowing what you can do; and since nobody knows what they can do until they try, the only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is." R. G. Collingwood

A very deep question here. Do you think it is important to know who you are? Explain Do you think it is important to know who we are as a country? Explain

What do you think? Why are you here? How will you use history today and in the future? What use is history in today’s age? Don’t we live in the present…. So why study the past? What use are old facts and dates that really don’t mean anything anyway?

Lets get started and find out……..#1… the cost… So that we can learn from the experience of others without paying the price it cost them

Your turn.. List 3 examples where someone did something in the past that made your life safer, easier or better today. What did it cost them? Write your answers, then “pair-share”

#2…great men/women have led the way… #2…great men/women have led the way….if only we are willing to learn and follow…. In order to improve ourselves by following the examples of great men and women of the past.

Your thoughts……. Who do you admire? Who is your hero? Why? What traits of your hero do you try to emulate?

# 3…. Dealing with life… To learn the constant and universal principles of human nature by seeing men reacting in different kinds of situations and circumstances. (Ex. Humans still love, hate, hope, and need friends.)

What do you think? What is “human nature” ? Can we control human nature? How do you think human nature helps or hurts mankind.

#4… survival……. In order to understand, live, and exist in our present world.

Do you have a plan? What are some problems we face in today’s world? What does it take to “live” in the world today? How do you plan on surviving in the next 10 years? Give examples how you will achieve this.

#5… truth….. In order to learn the truth of the past which still applies to our present world.

What lies???????? Who do you think lies to you the most? Why do you think people lie? Do you think America or “Americans” are lied to? Explain Why does truth have value?

# 6… learning by examples….. So that our nation can learn from the experience of nations in the past. (Ex. Reasons the Roman Empire fell and how to avoid it from happening to our own nation.)

What should be done…. What lessons do you think America has learned from other countries? What lessons do you think America needs to learn?

# 7…soul searching…. In order to judge our own customs and actions better by examining the customs of different peoples.

Customs….. What makes us who we are…. What customs define America? Do you have personal customs that define who you are.

# 8… can’t we all just get along?... To insure order in society by having an informed, educated people. (Voting, participating, caring etc.)

How……………… How much education do you think one person needs? How should “the people” be informed? How important is an education?

# 9… seeing with new eyes…. It teaches us to put things in perspective. Life….. Events… Problems…. Environment… Wars….. Economics…. Governments Cultures Sci/tech….. More……?

# 10…onward….not backwards…. In order to preserve discoveries and inventions.

What do you think? What is the greatest invention ever? Why? What invention do you think has had the greatest effect on mankind in the last 100 years? …………….in the last 50 years? …………… in the last 10 years?

# 11…always moving on.. In order to develop new inventions and make new discoveries which are based on knowledge of the old ones. (Ex. The gasoline engine made the car and airplane possible.)

What do we need to do ? What invention(s) need to be discovered to help the world?

# 12…if it works…keep doing it…..if it doesn’t, change……….. To help solve our problems by defining the problem and showing us what has and has not worked in the past.

# 13…. Live and learn To avoid the errors of past people and to profit from their good ideas.

# 14.. History frees us from the chains of ignorance… In order to remove prejudices and increase understanding.

# 15… looking at ourselves… To learn from our own past mistakes.

# 16…a guard of sorts… To praise the worthy acts of the past and KEEP MEN FROM DOING EVIL FOR FEAR OF HOW THEY WILL BE VIEWED BY HISTORY.

What would you do? Do you think the record of history will keep men or women from doing certain things…..? Would you not do something, if you knew History would record your actions? Would you do something if you knew History would not record your actions?

# 17… time travel…. In order to “travel” to another place and time by “listening” to people describe their time and country. (We can “talk” to the great and heroic men of the past.)

# 18… order… In order to see which laws help to preserve our country, …which ones are useful and good,…. and which ones are no longer useful. To help us in making laws.

# 19… who we are or who we want to be?... In order to keep our principles alive by keeping those thoughts alive. (Freedom, honor, trust, loyalty, respect, dedication, fairness, selfless, forgiving, …..)

Who are we? What makes an American, an American? What defines the United States of America? What makes us different than other countries in the world?

# 20… evaluating….. In order to judge what can be done by what has been done.

# 21… applying our knowledge…. To help (to some extent) predict the future.

#22… moving forward… In order to advance man’s knowledge.

How do we….? How do we make the world a better place using our knowledge? If you could change something, what would you change and how?

# 23… we have to run this country….. To LEARN CITIZENSHIP.

Let’s find out.. What does citizenship mean to you? Why is citizenship important?

# 24…the brave…. To LEARN PATRIOTISM.

Patriotism…… What is patriotism to you? How do you show patriotism? Why is patriotism important to a country? What is wrong with patriotism?

# 25….what it is….. IT’S FUN! History is the MOTHER OF TRUTH, RIVAL OF TIME , STOREHOUSE OF DEEDS, WITNESS FOR THE PAST, EXAMPLE AND COUNCIL FOR THE PRESENT, AND THE WARNING FOR THE FUTURE.

# 26… and last but not least… IT’S THE ______. Our government has realized the importance of the above reasons for studying history. There are some things in life that we must do. (Work to eat, etc.)