This is a bit of a rant, so feel free to skip this. Also a warning for any die hard Republicans or Democrats, I do a little skewering of both sides here.
I am a historian, I love history. We've moved so I could study it, it's part of who I am. Needless to say I have something of a personal investment in the way that it is used and spoken of in the public sphere. There are so many reasons to study our past, and while I'm not of the "doomed to repeat it" school of thought, I do think an understanding of history helps us understand the world in which we live in today. (Studying history, for those of my readers who care about such things, is also something the scriptures encourage us to do. In D&C 88: 78-79 in a list of things that should be "taught diligently" it lists "things which have been" and "the wars and perplexities of nations.")
I also think, though some in the academic field might look down their noses at such a statement, that if you love our country you need to celebrate the great achievements of our nation, while also being aware of its mistakes. I am perhaps a bit more patriotic and emotional than many academic historians, but so what, I'm happy to admit that when I stood in the room in Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed I had to fight back tears, and that I had a similar experience at the Lincoln Memorial. There are reasons to honor the past and feel deep gratitude towards the men and women who worked their very hardest and did their very best to create a great nation.
But, and here's where the rant comes in, if people want to use the American past for political reasons they at least need to get it right! Don't turn George Washington into the poster child for small government and conservative values, don't try to compare Barack Obama to Abraham Lincoln in order to boost his greatness – just don't. (And I'm sorry to be specific and controversial here - but Sarah Palin needs a full time history tutor and a willingness to admit when she screws up.)
Is there a Founding Father who would back up conservative folks who want smaller government? Oh, absolutely. There are several – Thomas Jefferson for starters. But I think clinging on to George Washington here shows a real misunderstanding of the complexity of federalism.
Is it potentially a cool bit of trivia that the three presidents who spent most of their lives in Illinois (Lincoln, Grant, Obama) have some kind of connection to solving racial discord in our country? Sure. But I'd like to point out that the only president born in Illinois was Ronald Reagan and, in addition, I don't think President Obama did much rail splitting in Honolulu.
PLEASE notice here that I am giving examples of both the "right" and the "left" doing this - this isn't a rant about politics, my political views would take a novel to explain, not a blog post – it's a rant about people using history but not bothering to study it. History is complex and fascinating and wonderful, and by turning it into an inaccurate political sound bite, it diminishes its value to our nation.
Oh, and for the record, I think each time one of these politicians invokes our glorious past for their own purposes they need to donate ten dollars towards history scholarships or historical preservation. Well, a girl can dream.
I am a historian, I love history. We've moved so I could study it, it's part of who I am. Needless to say I have something of a personal investment in the way that it is used and spoken of in the public sphere. There are so many reasons to study our past, and while I'm not of the "doomed to repeat it" school of thought, I do think an understanding of history helps us understand the world in which we live in today. (Studying history, for those of my readers who care about such things, is also something the scriptures encourage us to do. In D&C 88: 78-79 in a list of things that should be "taught diligently" it lists "things which have been" and "the wars and perplexities of nations.")
I also think, though some in the academic field might look down their noses at such a statement, that if you love our country you need to celebrate the great achievements of our nation, while also being aware of its mistakes. I am perhaps a bit more patriotic and emotional than many academic historians, but so what, I'm happy to admit that when I stood in the room in Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed I had to fight back tears, and that I had a similar experience at the Lincoln Memorial. There are reasons to honor the past and feel deep gratitude towards the men and women who worked their very hardest and did their very best to create a great nation.
But, and here's where the rant comes in, if people want to use the American past for political reasons they at least need to get it right! Don't turn George Washington into the poster child for small government and conservative values, don't try to compare Barack Obama to Abraham Lincoln in order to boost his greatness – just don't. (And I'm sorry to be specific and controversial here - but Sarah Palin needs a full time history tutor and a willingness to admit when she screws up.)
Is there a Founding Father who would back up conservative folks who want smaller government? Oh, absolutely. There are several – Thomas Jefferson for starters. But I think clinging on to George Washington here shows a real misunderstanding of the complexity of federalism.
Is it potentially a cool bit of trivia that the three presidents who spent most of their lives in Illinois (Lincoln, Grant, Obama) have some kind of connection to solving racial discord in our country? Sure. But I'd like to point out that the only president born in Illinois was Ronald Reagan and, in addition, I don't think President Obama did much rail splitting in Honolulu.
PLEASE notice here that I am giving examples of both the "right" and the "left" doing this - this isn't a rant about politics, my political views would take a novel to explain, not a blog post – it's a rant about people using history but not bothering to study it. History is complex and fascinating and wonderful, and by turning it into an inaccurate political sound bite, it diminishes its value to our nation.
Oh, and for the record, I think each time one of these politicians invokes our glorious past for their own purposes they need to donate ten dollars towards history scholarships or historical preservation. Well, a girl can dream.
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