Why is history class important

It tells you where your ancestors came from and tells you who they were. Most importantly of all, it gives you the ability to spot and appreciate the legacies you may have inherited from them. Global, national, and regional history books help us understand how other cultures affect our own. They encourage us to develop a greater appreciation for multicultural influences within our own communities as well — exactly why everyone should study African American history , immigrant history, and so forth, regardless of their own cultural background.

It goes without saying that change can be a difficult concept to understand. Each of us has a different experience with the rest of the world — an experience shaped by societal norms, cultural differences, personal experiences, and more. We know when we as individuals crave change and why.

History helps us better understand how, when, and why change occurs or should be sought on a larger scale. Good citizens are always informed citizens, and no one can consider himself to be an informed citizen without a working knowledge of history.

History helps us become better voters and more effective members of any type of society. It helps put us in a position to better inform others as well. History gives us the opportunity to learn from past mistakes. It helps us understand the many reasons why people may behave the way they do. That experience, earning his degree and a pair of internships at historical sites, led to his current position at Fort Washington Park outside Washington D. Like Roos, many who share his zeal for history earn a degree in the subject or a related field prior to heading into the professional world.

James Fennessy , associate dean of faculty for history at SNHU, for instance, said he has always appreciated the study of history, but it was the influence of some of his professors, who shared his fervor, that helped him find direction.

Fennessy said history graduates develop many soft skills — research and assessment, interpretation in a larger context, critical thinking, and strong communication of complex issues, to name a few — that have direct carryover to the career field. In addition to his own chosen path in education, there are many professions that embrace those with a degree in history , said Fennessy.

You might need additional training for that type of role, however, depending on the job. In addition to setting him up for professional success, Fennessy credited historical awareness with personal growth as well.

Moreover, Denning said history is important because it encompasses every other field of human knowledge. All of those fields developed within broader political, social, cultural, and religious contexts and were influenced by those contexts. Instead, we believe that a thorough understanding of the past will help present leaders make informed decisions based on all available data.

Fennessy said a strong knowledge of the past helps historians identify trends and cycles throughout history and then apply that acumen of the past to improve insight of present events and prepare better for the future. To study history is to study change: historians are experts in examining and interpreting human identities and transformations of societies and civilizations over time. They use a range of methods and analytical tools to answer questions about the past and to reconstruct the diversity of past human experience: how profoundly people have differed in their ideas, institutions, and cultural practices; how widely their experiences have varied by time and place, and the ways they have struggled while inhabiting a shared world.

Historians use a wide range of sources to weave individual lives and collective actions into narratives that bring critical perspectives on both our past and our present. Studying history helps us understand and grapple with complex questions and dilemmas by examining how the past has shaped and continues to shape global, national, and local relationships between societies and people.

Because history gives us the tools to analyze and explain problems in the past, it positions us to see patterns that might otherwise be invisible in the present — thus providing a crucial perspective for understanding and solving! For example, a course on the history of public health might emphasize how environmental pollution disproportionately affects less affluent communities — a major factor in the Flint water crisis.

Understanding immigration patterns may provide crucial background for addressing ongoing racial or cultural tensions.