History
Fact or Fiction?
Kelly, J. D. (1895-1900). Champlain on Georgian Bay
What is the purpose of History?
Archival Approach Moralist Approach
• An account of past events, • A source of lessons
people, ideas, technologies, • Mistakes to learn from
cultures. • Triumphs to inspire
• Historians must “record with • What the past means for
fidelity what actually present tasks and future
happened.” –Polybius prospects.
Microsoft 365, 2024 Microsoft 365, 2024
What is
the
purpose
of this
history?
Historical
Objectivity
Facts are Facts
1. A Pawtuxet man named Tisquantum
(Squanto) taught English settlers how
to farm maize (corn).
2. At harvest, the settlers invited
Indigenous people to feast with them.
These facts must be objectively true, even
if people interpret their significance
differently (subjective interpretations).
Right?
Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, 1912-1915
Historical Objectivity
Perspectives
Subjective Facts Subjective Facts
1. Tisquantum was kidnapped 1. Squanto joined the English on
and enslaved by English sailors an adventure to Europe before
for years. returning home.
2. To avoid further English 2. Squanto compassionately
violence, Tisquantum agreed taught the English to farm for
to help them farm. their survival.
The purpose and perspective of the historian affects which facts are chosen and
how they are presented.
Objectivity is an essential goal of historiography, but it is never perfect.
The Limits of Historiography
1. There is too little evidence.
2. There is too much evidence.
3. History is fluid – always being constructed and reconstructed.
4. Historians are limited by the narrative forms available to them.
Penney & Sears,
2020
A history can never be truthfully represented, because it is
created by people using limited or incomplete evidence.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND
A Blend of Science,
Craft, and Art
• Science: an organized body of knowledge
acquired through research carried out according
to generally agreed methods, presented in
published reports, and subject to peer review.
• Craft: Practitioners learn on the job how to
handle their materials and wield the tools of
their trade.
• Art: In skillful hands it can be presented in a
literary form and language that achieves
comparability with other literary works of art.
Richard Evans, 2000
Historians use facts to craft narratives
representing the past.
History thus finds itself somewhere in between
fact and fiction. Microsoft 365, 2024
Crafting the
Narrative
• History does not seek to determine if something
happened.
• History seeks to determine what certain events
mean for a given group, according to:
• Their identity
• Their current tasks
• Their goals for the future
• The historian decides where to start and end the
story.
• A history must have evidence to be believed, but
historians select which evidence to include.
Penney & Sears,
2020
Historical narratives thus have massive
power to influence who we are and what
we want.
Microsoft 365, 2024
The Power of
Education
• Nation-states use civics education to
construct the identity of their populace,
e.g., What does it mean to be a good
Canadian?
• Narratives of loyalty, exceptionalism,
pride, valor, and violence make citizens
eager to do what the state requires.
Students of Social Studies must always
question the purpose of national
narratives and the perspectives of their
authors.
Educational
Purpose
Recall why people write histories:
1. Archival – to compile a record of past
events YOU TRY IT!
2. Moralist On the next page, see if
a) Inspire people with past triumphs you can determine the
b) Warn about past failures moralist purpose of a
c) Honour past heroes and historical document.
achievements
d) Connect the past to current tasks
and future prospects
Social Studies courses in New Brunswick have various moralist purposes. Archival
details are secondary to the moral lessons students experience.
What is the purpose of this
Valour Road
historical video?
Setting: WWI,
the Battle of the
Somme, 1916
Audience: Children
Purpose: (many
possible)
• Teach kids to honour the
heroism and bravery of
Canadian soldiers.
• Show how much
Canadians value each
others’ lives.
Historiography
(Your Task)
• Claim: Having viewed a First World War film,
make a claim about soldiers’ experiences of the
war.
• Evidence: Research the web to find a PRIMARY
SOURCE that corroborates (backs up) your claim.
• https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/educ
ation/resources/letters-first-world-war-191
5/
• https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar
/objects-and-photos/
• Purpose – what moral lesson do you have for
your reader?
• Tell the History: Write a purposeful paragraph
using your claim and evidence. This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC
