Historical Thinking Concepts and “Revisionism” In Media

We are going to work on fighting misinformation we see in media. All over Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, and other media sources are people fighting for dominance of their point of view or
understanding of history. Unfortunately, not everyone can be correct. How do we, as historians,
work to fight against “exclusion” or “revision” in history? Listen to the podcast I created for you
and answer these questions.

1. In your opinion, what is considered “significant” or “important” in US History? As we go

through US History we will be bringing up more themes. We’ve already talked about
Nationalism and Greed. Keep those two themes in mind to figure out what can be
“significant”.

2. We’ve talked about the importance of primary sources. List 5 different types of primary
sources we can use to help fight against “exclusion” in history seen in media

3. How can we find “continuity and change” in history? What tools can we use to help paint
a bigger picture of the past?

4. When historians look at a big event in history they look at the “Who” and “Why” of that
event. Based on what we’ve learned already, give an example of a “Who” and “Why” a
certain event happened (for example: Shays’ Rebellion, The Boston Massacre, The
Boston Tea Party). How can this help us fight against “exclusion” in the media?

5. When we look at “​perspectives​” in history, we want to understand a larger picture.

Sometimes in media, people only take one person’s ​perspective ​to make a point in the
current time. Is this fair? What more can that person do to give a better idea of what
happened in the past?

6. Is it more important to learn from the past by understanding WHY people did the things
they did, or is it more important to criticize actions that happened in the past based on
what we know today? Is there a way to do both of those things? Use this statement as
an example to blend both of those approaches together:

“Back then slavery wasn’t a big deal because people didn’t know any better. It’s just the
way things were. Why should I be told to feel bad for something I had no control over?”