Don’t blame Sarah Palin for lack of U.S. history - Leonard Pitts Jr. - MiamiHerald.com
In this column Mr. Pitts laments that Americans just don't know enough about history. But I think he is being a bit hard on his fellow countrymen. You might think that people would know what the import of the Gettysburg Address, Valley Forge and Paul Revere were; but they probably remember facts about subjects more meaningful to them like chemistry, physics, literature or business administration. Details of historic events are hard to remember if you don't use them every day, day in and day out for years. I still use lecture notes for my US since 1877 course which I teach once or twice a year, but not so much for my World History course, which I teach at least three times a semester.
Pitts rightly points that those with a weak grip on history rely on myth and suggests that this is a bad thing. However, myth is often more important than history because myth is can be true without being factual. Myths and epics, like the Epic of Gilgamesh or the Arthurian legends, relate what is important to the cultures from which they come. Where history becomes increasingly helpful is when myths prevent us from living with each other in the present.
In the last segment of the article, Pitt, himself, falls prey to stereotype and myth when he states that Europeans left Europe in order to be free. Well, that is not entirely accurate and actually says more about the discourse of freedom in America than it does about the actual migrants who came here.
Many Europeans did come here to seek religious freedom or to escape oppressive governments. But some British immigrants came here as convicts to serve out terms of indentured servitude; this sentence was often offered as alternative to execution. Other European emigrants simply came here for a job or to join family who were already here; their migration had nothing to do with "freedom." It is estimated that about one-third of immigrants to these shores returned to Europe. Many did so earning enough money to buy land in their countries of origin. If they were so unfree in their homelands, why did they go back?
Many Europeans did come here to seek religious freedom or to escape oppressive governments. But some British immigrants came here as convicts to serve out terms of indentured servitude; this sentence was often offered as alternative to execution. Other European emigrants simply came here for a job or to join family who were already here; their migration had nothing to do with "freedom." It is estimated that about one-third of immigrants to these shores returned to Europe. Many did so earning enough money to buy land in their countries of origin. If they were so unfree in their homelands, why did they go back?
That's the trouble with history - it is complex, complicated and it is never black-and-white. Would Pitts' column have had the same punch if had to detail the entirety of American immigration history? Myths are easier to remember and more meaningful. Furthermore, it takes quite some time (if ever) for the work of historians to reach the public and help shape newer versions of the the nation's historical memory.
The take away for genealogists and family historians? The next time you hear a family myth, don't discount it right away. Think about why that particular myth would have meaning for your family. Then do your job as a historian and debunk the myth if required; but don't feel bad if nobody believes your evidence or if they ignore it and continue telling the old tales. The old tale, in a sense, is part of who they are and to change the tale would be to change that. Perhaps, if you are lucky, the next generation will incorporate your research into a new and improved family myth.
The take away for genealogists and family historians? The next time you hear a family myth, don't discount it right away. Think about why that particular myth would have meaning for your family. Then do your job as a historian and debunk the myth if required; but don't feel bad if nobody believes your evidence or if they ignore it and continue telling the old tales. The old tale, in a sense, is part of who they are and to change the tale would be to change that. Perhaps, if you are lucky, the next generation will incorporate your research into a new and improved family myth.
(Pitts' column appeared in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sunday, 12 June and was originally published by the Miami Herald on Tuesday, 7 June.)
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