Fea, John. Why Study History? Reflecting on the Importance of the Past. Grand
Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013. ix + 182 ppg.
Why it is
important to study history may be the most difficult question a history teacher
faces every semester. To the teacher it is obvious, yet trying to prove why is
not so easy, especially when you have to convince a roomful of students that
history has a purpose beyond taking up their time. John Fea, history department
chair at Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania answers the question with
this well thought out exploration of the reasons why history is so important
and worthy of study by all people. John is no stranger to discussing this
subject. He has operated his blog, The Way of Improvement Leads Home at
philipvickersfithian.com for several years and has been talking about the
importance of history every day for his audience. In fact, his blog seems to
have helped him articulate about the subject so much that he was able to take
what he had learned from it and put it in a book.
The result
is a very compact, extremely thoughtful, and amazingly deep look at why history
is important to everyone. No one reading this should be surprised to understand
we live in the middle of a large culture war where the events of the past are
used in many ways, mostly incorrectly, in order for people or groups to present
their opinions and beliefs to the public. John does not shy away from this
fact. He uses it to its utmost effect in demonstrating just why the public
should know their history. He gives several examples of people who try to pass
themselves off as historians who then deliberately distort history in presenting
their own beliefs. Fea doesn’t shy from naming the worst offenders either which
makes the statements he delivers ring home. David Barton and Glenn Beck are
presented exactly as they are, individuals who are mangling history to give
legitimacy to their ideologies and beliefs.
Fea is a
devout Christian teaching at a Christian college. He does not shy away from
making that announcement either. The fact that Fea is calling out other
Christians for their distortions of the past establishes Fea as a man who believes the means have
to justify the end. As a historian, Fea recognizes the importance of truth in
any message, truth which is extremely important in any religion if anyone
expects faith to be anything but shallow. He explores this in the book and
explains why historical accuracy is critical for evangelical faiths. Fea isn’t
calling on a liberal interpretation of history either. He constantly points out
the importance of truth and accuracy for all historians as well as anyone who
seeks to use history in explaining their beliefs and opinions.
This book
is written for students taking their first history courses, but it has a great
deal of meaning for anyone and any historian. It is usable at all levels of
academia as well which should be refreshing for graduate students who are in
historiography courses grappling with the question of why history is important.
Each chapter explores a facet of historical study and does so in a clear and
rational manner. Chapter Six, History for a Civil Society, is a very moving
chapter. John lays out the importance history has for everyone in American
society. He follows that with Chapter Seven, The Power to Transform. These
chapters form a one-two punch that literally crushes those that would distort
the past to their own ends.
In the process,
John answers why history is so important. He uses examples of actual students
who struggled with the questions history presented to them and how they let the
facts speak for themselves. The truth revealed by the facts allowed the
students to make decisions based upon the facts which in turn deepened their
appreciation of the past and allowed them to see things through a different
lens. Instead of manipulating the past to reach a desired outcome that fit in
with their beliefs, these students learned that the people of the past did
things for their reasons, expectations, and beliefs which are in many ways
incompatible with ours today. The results made the students look at themselves
as well. The realization that they were as flawed as the people of the past
were was a maturing process.
All in all,
as an instructor who teaches the beginning American History survey courses, I
found this book to be an outstanding resource. Fea’s sources are cited
throughout the book. He cites historians and educators and their works which
have had an impact on him. This is a valuable resource for instructors seeking
to explain why the study of history is so important to their students.
Considering the fact that we live in a culture war where history is used to
mislead people for many reasons, accurate historical knowledge helps arm people
against those that would mislead the public for their own gain. I would be
quite happy to make this required reading in my courses.
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