Why Do We Study History?

Today we discussed the reasons people study history. The students came up with lots of great ideas:

• Studying the past teaches you about foreign cultures and about your own culture -- it helps you understand and appreciate the different ways that people live.


• Studying the past can be inspiring ... for example, when we learn about great achievements and inventions made in earlier times, it can cause us to want to change the world, in a positive way, too!


• Studying history helps us make better decisions. We learn about the reasons that certain mistakes were made, and this helps us avoid making similar mistakes in our own lives.


• Learning about history enables us to understand why things are the way they are. For example, we can learn why the United States operates its government as a democracy, instead of having a king or another system of government.

And here are several great questions about the way that historians and archaeologists work:

Austin: How do historians learn about ancient cultures based on the artifacts they left behind? [If you find an old pot or hammer, how can that object actually teach you about the people who produced it?]

Chloe P.B.: How do historians know if a primary source is reliable?

James A.: Is it bad or rude to dig out or take away ancient statues or artifacts?

Chloe Z.: When did archaeology first start? How exactly do archaeologists dig up all those things?

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!