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Lesson Four Lecture: Historical Accuracy

1066. 1492. 1612. 1776. 1812. 1932.

William the Conqueror. Christopher Columbus. Plymouth Rock. The American Revolution. The War of 1812. The Great Depression.

“History” as many of us have come to understand it, exists as a collection of facts, numbers, names, and places. It is a dry recitation of sterile details that is to be memorized and placed in a mental filing cabinet, most likely never to provide any future value.

However, real history is the collective memory of the people involved. When we gather with friends, family members and colleagues and tell stories of the past, we are discussing history. The rich texture of these stories sets them apart from formal “history” because we have emotional attachments to them.

In some cases, of course, we also have emotional attachments to large historical events that happen outside our immediate sphere. John F. Kennedy’s assassination, the Challenger Space Shuttle explosion, and the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 all have an emotional component for anyone who was exposed to them, even from a distance.

Even historical events that are not necessarily emotionally moving are filled with facts, details, and various forms of drama. In addition, the detail of the events often has a great impact on the future.

Commonly, the historian has to distill historical detail in order to make the history fit the object in which it will be presented. Whether it is a 15 week American History class, a 7 part documentary, or a 1 page magazine article, any history is necessarily an excerpt.

So the historian’s task is to extract enough detail to tell the story and to choose the details that will be important to the future. These things become the texture of the past.

Embedded in that task is the responsibility to tell the story accurately. Current and future observers will rely on the historian’s accuracy for their understanding of the past. The most observant among them will rely on the historian’s accuracy to absorb the lessons of the past.

Learning from the past is about more than dates and places and troop movements. It is about decisions and motivations, about “sowing” and “reaping.” Great history brings people and events from another age to life. It adds a human dimension to matters otherwise populated by “mere facts.”

The historian, and those of us who would pass on lessons from our own past, are responsible to use historical tools to tell stories as accurately as possible. We should do all we can to avoid the common errors that taint accurate history.

Misinterpretation
Sometimes historical data are merely misinterpreted as a matter of honest mistake. The science of archaeology is especially notable for helping us improve our understanding of history by reinterpreting conclusions in the face of better facts.

Hoax
Sometimes historical data are intentionally created or fabricated. The case of the Loch Ness Monster, recently unveiled as a massive hoax, stands as one such case.

Cover-up
Sometimes, historical data are hidden, disguised, destroyed, or otherwise concealed. Usually this is done for either personal gain or because it has been decided that covering up an historical truth will offer a form of protection to public or private observers.

The premise seems to be that if the information were released, the observers would be unable to handle it.  The many conspiracy theories surrounding high profile deaths, such as John F. Kennedy, Princess Diana of Wales, and now John F. Kennedy, Jr. are examples of alleged cover-ups.

Discussion Questions:
Please review the following questions and post your responses here by pressing “add a reply.”

1. There is a popular movement right now to “family histories,” in which historians research families and their stories, publishing the findings in manuscripts. Why, in your view, are “family history” projects becoming popular?

2. Other than those mentioned here, what are your favorite historical misinterpretations, hoaxes, or cover-ups and why?