"History Isn't Boring!" by Melissa

"History Isn't Boring!" by Melissa - June 2014 Scholarship Essay

There are very few people on the entire globe who have ever read a history textbook and found it to be a pleasurable experience. For most people just the thought of skimming a social studies chapter on any topic is painful. That is why if I could write a book about anything I would write a history textbook called “History Isn’t Boring!”

Every topic covered in a history textbook needs to answer four questions: what happened?, why there?, why then?, and SO WHAT? When history is written with no enthusiasm and with no urgency there is no point. My textbook would make history clear, concise, and significant with the guidance of the questions mentioned above.

What happened? As enjoyable as I want my textbook to be it still has to get the facts straight. I can’t understand the pertinence of the Civil War until I know who Abraham Lincoln was and what occurred at the Battle of Fort Sumter.

Why there? Context is vital to understanding history. The geography and culture of a place contributes a lot to its history. For example, India was rarely unified in the past three thousand years. This phenomenon can be explained by looking at the country’s very diverse region where farmers, fishermen, nomads, herders, and city dwellers all thrived in their respected area; however, this made living under a collective government next to impossible. Here, the country of India explains why location is another crucial part of understanding history.

Why then? Have you ever tried to memorize the order of the Presidents of the United States? It’s very difficult if you only focus on recalling names because you haven’t organized them into their respective era. History makes since when it’s put in chronological order. Remembering Herbert Hoover’s name would be difficult unless you grouped him in the era of the Great Depression where “Hoovervilles” helped get FDR elected.

SO WHAT? This is my favorite question to answer because it makes history not boring. Keeping a sophomore in high school engaged in a lesson about Confucian principles is hard if their significance ends in the Zhou Dynasty. However, my history textbook would explain how the Confucian principle of remonstrance, established over 2,000 years ago, contributed to ending the massacre in Tiananmen Square. The iconic picture of one man blocking a line of tanks from killing more people shows that the concept of sacrificial protest (remonstrance) is still defining Chinese society. Questioning and identifying the significance of an event makes history interesting and relevant.

I am sick and tired of history getting a bad rap! It is not the study of a bunch of old people doing boring things. It is the study of an ancient progression where people defined social norms to force advancement. 2014 did not arrive by accident. The billions of people that have walked on the earth helped mold it into what it is today. Their actions deserve recognition whether that means praise or criticism. To avoid mistakes and promote success we must use the past as our road map. I want to write that road map. I would call the map “History Isn’t Boring!”