Challenges to Studying History

Challenges to Studying History

• Perception: how we see things is specific to our view, and no two people will see the same situation in the same way, making it harder to study history.
• Distortion: when senses are fooled, and we are made to believe something that may not be true or real, making it harder to track timelines and gain information on events.
• Fragmentation: limited information can lead to false ideas on events that occurred, especially in the past.

Bias in History

• Bias: prejudice in favor or against one thing, person, or group compared with another in a way that is unfair.
• Examples of bias:
  • Older generations have bias towards newer traditions and customs.
  • Political party bias.
  • Society's bias towards people who are more conventionally attractive.

The Real Christopher Columbus

• Columbus never set foot on North American shores or unfurled the Spanish flag there; he landed on the Bahamas shores.
• Millions of people had already been living in North America, and Leif Eriksson was the first European there, nearly 5 centuries ago.
• Columbus had a contract with the Spanish monarch, naming him the admiral, viceroy, and governor of any land he found.
• He forced the natives on Hispaniola, the Taino, into slavery and punished them with the loss of limb or death.
• The Taino population was essentially killed off by the torture and infectious diseases brought by Europeans.
• Columbus was arrested by Spanish monarchs when they found out about his mistreatment and was stripped of his governor title.

Fact vs. Opinion

• Facts: exact and specific things that happened that can be proved to be true again and again.
• Opinions: views, impressions, or feelings that are not exact and can't be fully proved.

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• Primary source: a direct source of information about an event, person, or thing (e.g., trench letter).
• Secondary source: an indirect source of information about an event, person, or thing (e.g., history textbook).

Canadian Origins

National Policy of John A. MacDonald

• Way to unify the nation and solidify Canada as a place on the continent.
• Complete railroad to link Toronto to the west coast – was promised to BC for joining.
• Use railway to settle the west and encourage immigration.
• Put in taxes and tariffs to protect Canada's young businesses.

Clifford Sifton

• Minister of the Interior under Laurier.
• In charge of enticing people to come to western Canada.

WASP Model

• White Anglo-Saxon Protestants.

Explore the difficulties in studying history, including perception, distortion, and fragmentation, which can affect our understanding of past events.