What is history? This question may seem really easy, even silly. Most people would say that history is the study of the important people, dates, and events of the past. This answer is true as far as it goes. But who decides what people, dates, and events are important? And why should we bother learning about them in the first place?

Let’s dig a little deeper into the question “What is history?” First of all, history is an important way of thinking about the world. To see what this means, imagine waking up tomorrow and not being able to remember a single thing about your past. You can’t remember your name, who your parents or family members are, the rules to your favorite game, or anything you ever learned in school.

Without a knowledge of your own past, you might feel lost and lonely. You wouldn’t even know who you are. And you would have a difficult time making good decisions about what to do next.

In a similar way, history helps us make sense of the world. It is the memory of communities, peoples, and nations. Without history, individuals and whole countries would lose their sense of direction. The next time you watch the news on TV, notice how often reporters, politicians, and others mention something about the past. Humans constantly use their knowledge of the past to make sense of what is happening today.

History is also an academic discipline. It is a systematic way of using evidence to make sense of the past. When you think about it, the past is not an easy thing to study. After all, it’s not here any longer for historians to observe. So historians turn to many kinds of evidence to describe and understand the past. They’re fascinated by things like old letters, diaries, photographs, paintings, film footage, speeches, political cartoons, newspaper articles, maps, tools, and many other kinds of evidence. They want to know who created them and for what reason, and what they can teach us about the past.

History as an Ongoing Argument

Some people think that history is just a listing of facts. That is not true. Historians argue all the time. They argue about what the facts really are. They also argue about how to interpret the facts.

Think about it this way. Suppose you, your parents, and a good friend sit down to write separate versions of your life story. Would the stories be alike in every way? Or would each of you include events that the others don’t know about or don’t think are important? And even when you included the same events, would everyone’s version describe the events in the same way? What if you or others were embarrassed by some part of the story? Might you change things a little to make yourself look better? Now suppose a historian came along to write your life story. How would the historian make sense of these different versions?

History works in a similar way. Historians have countless pieces of evidence to work with, and yet there is no complete record of the past for them to look at. To make sense of the past, historians must weigh the available evidence and try to figure out what the facts are. Then they need to stitch the facts together to answer the questions that interest them. In doing this, they must use their judgment. And that means that their own viewpoints come into play.

History, then, is much more than a listing of “facts.” Some people have even described history as an ongoing argument about the past. Why does the argument go on? Sometimes historians chance upon new evidence, such as a forgotten document or a new archeological discovery. The new evidence may lead them to challenge old interpretations. Sometimes historians reconsider existing evidence and see things that others have overlooked. Historians are always considering evidence from new angles. As they do so, they may correct an earlier historian’s error or explain events in a different way.

Reading History

Our discussion leads to some key points about how to read history. You can’t just assume that what you’re reading is the final truth. If you read more than one version of history, you are likely to find differences. So when you read history, ask yourself these questions:

•	Who wrote this document?
•	When was it written?
•	What kinds of evidence does the author use?
•	Is the evidence reliable?
•	Does the author have a particular viewpoint that he or she is trying to promote?

An Example of a Historical Argument

Let’s look at one example of a historical argument. History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism says this about a man you may or may not have heard of—Denmark Vesey:

In 1822 authorities in Charleston, South Carolina, learned that Denmark Vesey, a free black, was preparing to lead a sizable revolt of slaves. Vesey, along with more than 30 slaves, was arrested and hanged.

If you look in 10 different American history textbooks, you are likely to find similar passages. In this case, the facts seem straightforward. Historians have long accepted the fact that Denmark Vesey led what would have been the largest planned slave revolt in American history. The main piece of evidence for this was the Official Report written at the time.

In 2001, a historian named Michael Johnson came up with an entirely different version of the same story. Johnson was skeptical of the Official Report. Instead of relying on this source, he looked to the court transcripts (records of what was said in court) as evidence for his arguments.

According to Johnson, Vesey may not have been the leader of any revolt. In the court transcripts, Johnson found six witnesses who said that someone else led the rebellion.

And that’s not all. Johnson argues that the so-called “Vesey rebellion” was not a rebellion at all. He claims that whites made up the charges and frightened witnesses into testifying against others by threatening them with hanging. The “Vesey rebellion,” Johnson argues, was not a revolt among blacks at all. Instead, it was a conspiracy among whites to kill blacks.

Johnson’s conclusions have raised quite a stir. Many historians believe that Johnson has misread or exaggerated the evidence. Articles and books challenging his position have been printed, and the argument goes on.

Did Johnson get it wrong? Or are his critics the ones who are in error? The one sure thing is that historians are human, and they do make mistakes. In reading history, it’s up to us to look at the evidence and the arguments and to make our best judgment about who is right.

Conclusion

We started with a simple question: What is history? As you have seen, this question has many answers. History is a study of the past. It is a way of making sense of the world. It is an academic discipline. It is a combination of facts and interpretations of facts. It is also an ongoing argument that changes as new evidence is uncovered. And that is the most exciting thing of all, because it means that history is very much alive.

Enrichment Activity

Answer these questions:

1.	What is history?
2.	Is history just a listing of the facts? Explain.
3.	How can two different historians come up with different versions of the past?
4.	What is the role of chance, oversight, and error in the writing of history?
5.	Why are historical interpretations subject to change?
6.	Why do you think Johnson reached such different conclusions than other historians? Did he ask different questions? Did he consult different sources? Did his own beliefs play a role?
7.	How does the example of Denmark Vesey show why it is important for students of history to question and evaluate the history they read?