This piece, Why History?, lays out a number of arguments for studying our shared story. Identify one argument by the author that you found the most compelling/convincing. Briefly defend your choice below in the comments section as a complete response.
Once you have completed your response, come back and read over the responses of your classmates. Then briefly reply to two comments with some feedback. We aren’t evaluating one another’s comments, only offering what we agree or disagree with in the comments of others.
This pattern of commenting once on the post and then replying twice to others will be our way of having virtual discussions, as if we are in an actual classroom. 
agree
ReplyDeleteOne statement I agreed with was the idea that in order to learn from our mistakes in the past, we need to learn history. I feel it’s much more difficult do develop empathy when you understand the story behind something, which comes from their past. If we understand it, we’re able to move forward more smoothly as a community and society
ReplyDeleteI agree because history repeats itself and through recognizing situations from the past, we can prepare ourselves to resolve conflict more efficiently
DeleteSince we choose the same argument point, I agree. Seeing how things happened in the past, learning from it, and then moving on easier as a society is all something we should strive for.
DeleteI agree because history is a cycle and as we recognize and understand and our mistakes from history we can learn a lot.
DeleteThe notion in the piece "Why History" I agreed with most was the fact that the truth of history can't be denied and leaves all information out to witness and be pondered about. Injustices done before in history can't be taken back and lets people learn for themselves about whether their home was built upon good or bad intentions.
ReplyDeletei agree because by looking back we can learn about mistakes our ancestors made and avoid them
DeleteI agree. Having to look history in the face and acknowledging the wonderful and terrible things that human beings have done is a really important thing.
DeleteI agree with this because I think that even currently, there is so much that has been left out that must be learned. It is difficult for us as a society to actually move forward in life if we are ignoring certain parts of history that are significant.
DeleteThe answer I was most compelled with was “History is a mystery,” and not only because it rhymes. I feel like when I learn history i am figuring something out, piecing together parts of a puzzle. Although I know how most of the stories end, “we won this war“ “we invented this thing”, that’s not what matters what matters is the little pieces that you need to get there. The bits and pieces make history interesting and fun to learn.
ReplyDeleteI agree and your point is interesting. It's not always just about the big picture. It's important to pay attention to each individual piece that leads us there.
DeleteI agree with you because its true as we go on we make advances and that allows us to look back and see how far we have gone as a society and see what things can be done in the future.
DeleteThe idea, "...the mistakes people made in the past," appeals to me the most as it is important that we learn from our mistakes. We must not repeat the same errors as our forefathers, as we won't be able to move on as a nation. Seeing the circumstances of what led to a mistake in the past can help us identify one in the making in the present day. This will allow us the time to not let that similar mistake happen. History never repeats itself, but it does show similar patterns that we all can learn from.
ReplyDeleteI agree that what you said about how we have to see the mistakes that you've made in the past and use them to affect the present. I think its a very good point, and to add on I believe we can also use them to affect the future.
DeleteI agree with your point that history can help us learn from our previous mistakes. If we didn't know about history, it would be very likely that we would be unable to see how each decision would impact other people. History can help us see that some decisions can lead to a good path, and others into a bad one.
DeleteI agree with this because learning about the mistakes from the past will teach the people in the present on how to succeed.
DeleteThe most convincing argument the author presented in the article "Why History" was that to learn from our mistakes we need to study history. History is a showcase of all of our good deeds, but more importantly, our bad moments and our mistakes. We need history to tell us which course of action to take, and why we should. History tells us why things fail and why things succeed, which is important, and key in helping make the world a better place.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you say we can learn from out mistakes from studying history. For example if you do something wrong you can think of what happened for that to go wrong and what you can do better next time. American history of course is on a much bigger scale because a mistake may affect the whole country but we can all learn from it.
DeleteI agree with your argument that history is a good way to prevent further mistakes when it comes to making the world a better place. We can observe the historic moments of the past, so that we can further improve our odds of maintaining world peace. Looking and understanding people's mistakes in the past is a good way to make sure that we do not repeat the same mistake again in the future.
DeleteI agree with your argument that we should study history so that we can look towards the future and also so that history will not repeat itself. Every action has an effect, no matter how small, and the road for change has been opened by history.
Deletei agree with you and everyone else who replied because history really is just like a big book about ourselves that we need to look at and learn from because if not where would we be
DeleteThe author made many points that could be very convincing to many people but I choose one. The argument that I found most compelling from the author is "History is a mystery nobody knows what happened in the past" This statement/argument really does represent what history is. As the author said we weren't there in the past so we may have some information but unless we were actually there then there may be no way for us to actually have the fully story. For me personally if someone tells me a story but leaves some parts out I also would consider it a mystery. This is why I agree with that authors statement of History is a mystery.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that one reason we study history is because we don't know a lot about it. Humans aren't only scared of the unknown but are also naturally curious about the things they don't know. People want answers about how things came to be and what happened before we were there.
DeleteI agree with you on the idea that humans study the past to simply feed their curiosity. For example, nobody is absolutely positive about what happens when you die, but people still speculate on it and give their best guesses onto what happens. It might be the same with the unknowns of history. One might not know exactly what happened, but they might want to give an educated guess.
DeleteThe idea in the text "Why History" that I agreed with the most was that we study “the mistakes people made in the past.” In doing so we are able to learn from our mistakes. As Mark Twain once said, "History doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes." This shows how that if we don't study the things we have done wrong in the past we wont be able to stop them from happening again it the future. Places that are bad at facing their mistakes such as the country we live in right now have trouble moving forward. We have to study what we did wrong and learn from it. The reason why we study history is so that we can understand it, and use that information to ensure that we make a better future.
ReplyDeleteI agree; it's incredibly important to understand that, while history will never happen the same way twice, certain patterns emerge over time, and fixing our current actions based off of those patterns is vital.
DeleteWhen I read that quote, it doesn't make much sense, because I don't know what rhyming Mark Twain is referring to. Do you?
DeleteMark Twain is saying that even though history doesn’t do the exact same thing over and over with the exact same people and exact same places, but certain themes and patterns repeat
DeleteI agree. Learning from history is very important and although history is never the same, sometimes it is similar so we can learn a lot about what to do in the present from the past.
DeleteI agree with this because in the pat, history has shown to repeat itself and similar events will continue to occur until we can properly put a stop to this. One way of doing so is actually learning about our mistakes from the past to develop empathy for others.
DeleteI agree that history is an important topic to understand, but the main part of the article that had me hooked had to be on page 9. There was a specific section, "History is full of stories," that made the answer very clear to me. The author includes the fact that history talks about the people before us. These people's stories have changed how the world functions today, which is very important to understand. I think that's what really compelled me to believe that history isn't a dead topic.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you mention the author saying "History is full of stories" as a compelling point. History is full of other peoples lives and learning about this may encourage people to continue studying history. Making it entertaining and informational for them.
DeleteI agree with you on the basis that we as a society need to learn how we got to this point in our country. If everyone knows what decisions made the US into what we are today, I think that the majority of the population would have a good understanding of where this country needs to go in order to thrive.
DeleteI agree with this, as seeing how people lived in the past lets us see how it has influenced the present day. We get to see if there are any similarities or differences between how we lived then and now. Knowing how we as a nation formed today can be found in the stories of the past.
DeleteThe idea of acknowledging past mistakes in order to do better felt quite convincing to me. History isn't something abstract, or something that we study for no good reason; it's something that we can learn from, because human beings have been through so much over time, and there's always a historical event that's relevant to current issues.
ReplyDeleteI agree because there are things happening in present time that are very similar to events that occurred in the past.
DeleteI agree with you because we don't just study history to talk about the past, it is all connected to the present. There are always issues in the world and history can play a big part in helping prevent more. We need to use history to help us solve problems we are facing right now.
DeleteI agree because people need tobeaware of their history so they don’t repeat
DeleteI agree because history is to repeat itself and knowing the mistakes will help open a person’s eyes on how to do it correctly and skip what they have done wrong in the past.
DeleteI agree because history is to repeat itself and knowing the mistakes will help open a person’s eyes on how to do it correctly and skip what they have done wrong in the past.
DeleteWe study history to learn from the mistakes of our past and know our ancestors and what they knew so that we can make predictions about the future
ReplyDeleteDo you think that history is more important to learn about the present or the future?
DeleteThe idea that we as Americans have to learn about our countries past mistakes in order to not make them again compelled me the most because it reminded me why history itself is so important to this generation. Some of the mistakes that our government is making today were made by the past government decades ago. Perhaps if some of the people in power took past events in to consideration before making decisions, our country could be in a better place. Our growth and development as a society depend on our leaders to make the right decisions, and looking back on history could direct them to the best path for our country.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that history is important to know in order to learn from past mistakes and that after learning history we should implement what you've discovered into modern-day decisions instead of just saying "Whats in the past is in the past".
DeleteFor me, the most compelling argument the author makes in favor of the study of history is the part "history is full of stories" because it encompasses all of the other arguments. The section about history being a mystery and not learning history means you will repeat it, in my mind, are both about learning the stories of the past, both the mystery stories and the stories of warning. Also, it makes me realize how much of conventional stories are like history in ways I did not think of before.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you describe how conventional stories are similar to history. From my understanding, history is the study of stories from the past that are told in the order in which they occur and conventional stories are narratives that have a specific order; a beginning, a middle, and an end.
DeleteThe concept I found most compelling was "History is especially important for Americans." This stood out to me the most because America has always been a land of many people, so I believe it is important to learn about all of our people and our origins. This idea also aids other arguments provided in the article like learning from "the mistakes people made in the past." History is especially important in the U.S because it is the only way we can understand our past mistakes and continue to forge ahead in our search for the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you and think that this concept is the convincing because it includes a lot of ideas about why history is important in one.
DeleteThe most compelling argument that the author presented in the article ‘Why History’ was that history makes us learn from our mistakes in the past. With history, it gives us all the times that we have succeeded and failed in life. We can learn what to do next to solve a problem and succeed with future actions. History teaches us how to go forward with decisions in life with our past mistakes and brings us a way of life in which we will do great with the things we know. With history, we know what to do in life to succeed and what may cause us to fail.
ReplyDeleteThe most compelling argument in this article for me is that, History is especially important for Americans. I agree with this statement the most because the argument for it reminds us that America is a very diverse place and there is not the one thing that brings us all together like language, race, or religion. One of the only things we all have is the history of America the country we call home. This argument not only gives the impression that history is important but also talks specifically about how its importance can help us from making the same horrible mistakes America has made in the past.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah because we all have to know were we came from in order to move forward together into the future.
DeleteI’m late in writing this but here’s my answer.
ReplyDeleteIn the article the author presents the claim that history is important to us because it’s our identity as a country. I strongly agree with this statement because our country is a mix of many cultures making it unique. If we look at other countries everyone shares the same background but people here come from all over and it’s important to know how all those cultures affected and affect our country’s history. Like take migrations to our country, it changed how things where because a new group of people had influence here. And as people come and go it helps build a unquestionably different identity.
I agree with you that history is important because there are many things that affect our country today and they have all been shaped by our past. To better understand our country, as well as the variables that helped pave the way for change, we should study history.
DeleteI'm sorry I didn't respond sooner.
ReplyDeleteIn the piece, "Why History?" the argument about the importance of studying history that I found most important was that "history is especially important for Americans." This is because America was built on different cultures, and immigration is one of the things it is best known for. For instance, Ellis Island is the place where millions of people from all around the world came to find a better home. This needs to be taught in school because it is part of who we are as a country. Almost all Americans have ancestors who migrated here, and more people continue to come to the U.S. today, changing America's history. It would be different if most Americans had a similar appearance or the same background, like in some other nations. However, America is known for having an incredible amount of diversity. Since America is made up of different cultures, it will continue to change and make more history to learn about through new people who have come here. Isn't it important to learn all the different types of people there are around you?
I agree because since America is a nation of many peoples, and since a whole is just the sum of its parts, it is important to understand these parts to understand what we are as a nation
DeleteIn "Why History" the author talks about the importance of history and learning from our mistakes. History is especially in the USA, because we are a democracy and we have to learn from the past in order to improve the future. Otherwise, we are doomed to repeat the past. That is the point of the article that I most agreed with and I was most compelled by. Another thing that I liked was the authors encouragement of debate and for anyone who disagreed wit their ideas to challenge them, thereby promoting free speech, one of the main values of this great nation.- Luke Hoppa
ReplyDeleteIn "why history" the cause for studying history is because we should study it so we do not repeat the mistakes people in the past have made.By learning from our mistakes we can improve and look forward to a brighter future.In addition, we should learn about history to learn about our country and the rights we have as citizens. By doing this, we can learn about the progress and change our country went through and how we got some of our rights.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I agreed with about the book was "The United States isn't perfect". We all know this and many of us probably even hate the U.S. The book is saying this so that we know never to repeat these mistakes that we have made and to keep striving to correct America.
ReplyDeleteI didn't notice I wasn't signed it here, my bad.
DeleteOne of the things I agreed with about the book was "The United States isn't perfect". We all know this and many of us probably even hate the U.S. The book is saying this so that we know never to repeat these mistakes that we have made and to keep striving to correct America.
ReplyDeleteHistory helps us. It is important. We can learn from our mistakes in the past. In the U.S especially, paying attention to our mistakes in the past helps our future. The U.S is a very very diverse place full of different cultures, languages and religions. This diversity has had a very big role in the U.S history and it is still making an impact. But the difference is that we are aware of the diversity and the mistakes we have made with that diversity in the past. We can learn from our mistakes in the past and make a better future.
ReplyDelete