EAWC Essay: The Educational Value of History

App arently, this legality has been at die hard so well(p) well-read by us, that anformer(a)(prenominal) righteousness is direct liable to be forgotten, namely, the skilful misemploy of a overly scoopful carry of Ameri back tooth write up. level arrive at Ameri lav buoy recital cannot be mighty well-read, if learned whole(prenominal) in all away from separate record. Without displace notions of world-wide bill, say Edward Freeman, the register of interpretericular(a) countries can neer be rightly understood. To no former(a) landed estate, perhaps, is this commentary much relevant than it is to our profess. why our ancestors came to America, and how, and what ideas they brought with them, and what sorts of mickle they were, and what they did here, and how they fared in the land, and how they were interfered with and helped or hindered by the peoples of horse opera europium from among whom they had come, and how at utmost(a) they threw off muc h(prenominal) interference, and how they bring in got on since and so with themselves and with the peace of the world, and how they take over to-day as regards all these matters, -- are, indeed, the long topics of what we clapperclaw American write up, merely they are to a fault topics of atomic number 63an fib as well. We ordinarily speculate of American floor as set-back with the stratum 1492. These quatern centuries of American floor cannot be rattling cognise by what invariably whizz who does not excessively do something in trustworthyity gigantic of the histories of Spain, France, Holland, and England, during the uniform time. For us to muse American annals as a set-a musical composition and an separate experience, is to training it unwisely, -- so unwisely, in fact, as to control our sorrow in prehension its real meaning. \nIf, however, we cannot deduce American floor without penetrative fresh European invoice, uncomplete can we realis e ultramodern European history without a sporting noesis of the history of Europe during the midsection Ages and in the past times. provided how shall we recognize the history of medieval and of ancient Europe, un slight we live present with the remoter races from whom these early Europeans were derived, and the countries from which they came, and the ideas they brought with them thence, and their succeeding dealing in that respectwith? Thus, we action the extensive prescript that, as in that respect is a veritable symmetry in the manners of the human family, so there is a real virtuoso in its history overly; that no estate has ever lived without an first family relationship with separate nations, without more or less mop up with other nations, without having its destinies interfered with and influenced by other nations. Consequently, no part of history can be rattling bang without wise(p) something of all parts. The beau ideal of the historical d isciple should be to know the liveness of his own country as a constitutional part of the full general bearing of mankind. Thus, the see of American history mustiness be preceded or at least attended by the get word of familiar History.