“What is a historical account?” (Explanation)
Historians study historical sources to interpret and draw conclusions about events that happened in the past. Examples of events: ‘The Russian Revolution,’ ‘The Cold War,’ and ‘The Cuban Missile Crisis.’ From their study of the sources, historians analyze facts that questions how or why things happened in the past. Through this analysis, they write accounts by reconstructing the events they interpret. These reconstructions are not fictional accounts but are based on the careful study of events that happened in the past.
“What is a historical account – perspective thinking?” (Explanation)
Different historians may have different interpretations of the same event. It is because their perspectives are shaped by the way they select, use and interpret the evidence. This is often influenced by their respective backgrounds, beliefs, experiences and professional practice. As a result, historical accounts may differ as historians ask different questions when they study the past, and that they adopt different arguments to explain it.
“Why is it important to study historical accounts?” (Explanation)
As students, you will understand how to study different perspectives from the past and the present. You will understand how views are a product of their time and shaped by changing ideas and ideals. It is important as history students to develop a level of original thinking. This is a key piece of doing history—understanding that there are multiple perspectives and multiple stories that surround historical phenomena. You can learn to ask, whose voices are we not hearing? What perspective is not represented? What alternative stories are told about these events? Did participants in these events agree on their meaning? What might account for these differences in perspective? History includes multiple stories and perspectives, which can prepare you for future history classes and academic work. But, more significantly, it is critical for you to understand that your perspective can be partial and does not represent all peoples—it can help you develop empathy and be more skeptical of the single account as the one true answer in our complex world.
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