Every single person has a history, as does every town, city, state, and country. The thing is, people are understanding less and less of it unless they seek it out. In 2007, the U. S. only 68% of people in the U. S. knew George Washington led the Continental Army. That’s a shock!
Sometimes it feels as though individuals are deliberately attempting to forget history exists. Granted, sometimes it has some inconvenient facts in it. Who wants to be reminded that the colonists used smallpox blankets as biological warfare against the Native Americans? Those inconvenient events though should be learned.
There are popular sayings about those who do not learn from history being doomed to repeat it. This invariably rings true every generation or two, when humans make the same mistakes, fight the same wars, rehash the same issues, and so on. Eventually, humans will get it right, but until then, knowing history simply means knowing you’re watching a cycle.
There are many ways to combat this. The public school system is supposed to provide a well-rounded education to every child in the United States. Yet social studies as a subject is often treated as an afterthought, in some places only required for as little as 2 years. Most states require 4 years of language arts. Understanding society certainly can’t be less important than knowing where to place a comma.
Another option is to use national holidays, like the 4th of July. Instead of spending the entire day partying or dashing between events, spending a half hour researching the events that led to that day being a national holiday would be better. Then share that knowledge, since knowledge only grows with being shared.
Whether it’s a moment of personal research or a massive education reform, the outcome is the same. History is necessary, even the awkward parts. In not learning it, the citizens of planet Earth are doing themselves a great disservice.
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References
Education Commission of the States. Standard High School Graduation Requirements (50-state). 23 March 2007. Web. 23 June 2018. <http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbprofall?Rep=HS01>
U. S. Mint. Survey Reveals Most Americans Can’t Name Nation’s Founding Fathers. 15 August 2007. Web. 23 June 2018. < https://www.usmint.gov/news/press-releases/20070815-survey-reveals-most-americans-cant-name-nations-founding-fathers>