What is History Essay - 792 Words

What is History? The definition of history, is a question which has sparked international debate for centuries between the writers, readers, and the makers of history. In the words of acclaimed historian Edward Gibbon, History is indeed little more than the register of the crimes, follies and misfortunes of mankind. A more romantic view on the subject was taken by Cicero. He said, History is the witness that testifies the passing of time. It illuminates reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance of daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity History, described in the simplest of terms, can be seen as a record of events that have occurred in the past that the historian has taken the trouble to document. It is the†¦show more content†¦There is of course the argument, that even primary source evidence can be somewhat tainted. Propaganda by rulers and governments has been used a major tool to promote popularity amongst their people. For example, in Russia at the turn of the century w riters who wrote critically about the internal affairs of government were censured, persecuted and sometimes imprisoned or executed. In 1537 to 1574, The massive censorship exercised by Cosimo I de’ Medici of Florence precipitated a decline in historiography in Florence. The extreme wealth and power of the Medici family extended even further into the art of the Renaissance period and their depiction was prevalent as saintly figures in the works of these artists. Fear of persecution could drive an otherwise intelligent scholar to be biased and one sided. Even today bias and prejudice is apparent in the accounting of daily events in newspapers and television. The events revealed to the public are those which the editor or director chooses to be relevant. The Daily Telegraph for example, is widely perceived as being supportive of the Tories. In the world of films we never read ‘this is a true story’ in the credits but that it is ‘based on a true storyâ⠂¬â„¢. The director, has used artistic licence to inject either a romantic orShow MoreRelatedWhat Is History?3198 Words   |  13 Pagesat pagsama-samahin ito para makabuo ng tala ng kasaysayan. Si Thucydides naman ay nagsasagawa ng mga panayam sa mga taong may kinalaman sa pangyayari. Ngayon, para pag-aralan ang kasaysayan, ang historyador ay naghahanap ng ebidensya ukol sa history, pag-aaralan and ebidensya na ito, unawain ang epekto ng ebidensya na ito sa kasaysayan ng pinag-aaralan. 4. Kailan naging disiplina ang kasaysayan? Noong panahon nila Herodotus, historyador and tawag sa kanila dahil ang pagsulat ng kasaysayanRead MoreWhat Is Social History?1504 Words   |  7 PagesWhat is Social History? Take 2 Social History is a vast term that very closely ties into the concept of history as a whole. The use of social history is necessary when it comes to fully understanding the past. Many nonfiction books and movies carry the essence of social history to give the viewers a deeper perspective of major issues. Social history is the use of personal stories that shed light on dominant issues by building public awareness. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson uses personalRead MoreWhat Is The History Of An Essay869 Words   |  4 Pagestopic that it is talking about. The website lists the important events from beginning to end and it includes more information about them as you continue to read. The larger site has a similar setup and it can be used to search many other similar history topics. They give a selection of topics starting in 1630 to some of the most recent historical events. Most of the content is going to be used to get information about a specific time period and learning about important information and details aboutRead MoreWhat Is The History Of Immigration, And What Type Of Challenges1680 Words   |  7 Pages What is the history of immigration, and what type of challenges are these immigrants currently facing regarding immigration laws, prejudice, and diversity; as well as what have these immigrants done to contribute to our society. Therefore, let’s begin with a bit of history about immigration, immigration began at a time in history called the colonial era, in the midst of the 1800’s through that of the mid 1920’s, these immigrants came to America in search for a better life for themselves and theirRead MoreWhat to Do with a Ba in History1395 Words   |  6 Pagesthe word â€Å"college†, what comes to mind? For most of you, you probably immediately think of partying, drinking, and meeting new people. Those who choose to go to college will have the opportunity to experience the social life, but what you choose to study can control your future. In â€Å"How to Get a Real Education at College† by Scott Adams and â€Å"What Do You Do with a B.A. in His tory† by Ken Saxon, they agree that college is worth going to but they have different outlooks on what to do with that collegeRead MoreWhat Is Your History With Journalism?1008 Words   |  5 PagesQ To begin with, what is your history with journalism? A I began working on my high school newspaper 2 or 3 years before graduation. I was a journalism major as an undergraduate in college. I worked for a couple of newspaper during my college years. I went into the Navy after I graduated from college. Most of my time spent in the Navy was working on All Hands Magazine, which is the Navy’s personal publication. And I was freelancing for different newspapers at that point. When I got out of the NavyRead MoreWhat Is The History Of Vietnamese Migration?960 Words   |  4 PagesSGP Draft 1 What is the history of Vietnamese migration? The migration of Vietnamese to Australia is relatively recent and has occurred in the last 40 years. The migration can be categorized into three periods: 1. Pre-1975 2. Refugee resettlement during 1975-1985 3. Family reunion Before 1975, not many Vietnamese migrated to Australia. In 1958, due to the Colombo Plan, Vietnamese students started to arrive in Australia to study at universities. However, after finishing their courses, most of theRead MoreWhat Is The History Of Folk Medicine?1204 Words   |  5 PagesHistory: Nepal’s history of folk medicine that are based in supernatural causes of illnesses like demons and evil spirits hampered the development of a proper health care delivery network. Most often, a medicine man or jhankri is the sole source of medical care available. Since the 1980s Nepal progressed in health care,but facilities are inadequate in meeting the population’s needs (â€Å"Nepal Health Care Facilities,† n.d.). In addition, the unavailability of modern health care and a general lack ofRead MoreWhat Is History In Making Essay1107 Words   |  5 Pages History In the Making In my relatively few years of living on this planet, I have learned plenty. How to walk, talk, read, skate, water ski, drive and the list continues to grow and evolve. But, I know this is nothing compared to the amount I will one day know and I often forget this when taking on new challenges and opportunities. Even now, I sometimes finding myself wishing I could go back and tell myself what I know now. Growing up is part and parcel of learning, but what I learnedRead MoreWhat Has Changed World History1724 Words   |  7 PagesWhat has changed world history the most? Agriculture, the ancient Greeks, social inequality? None of these come close to the thing that has changed human history the most. Humans drove Neanderthals to their extinction, which contributed to the rise of human hegemony. Anything that has happened in human history was allowed to happen because of Neanderthal extinction. Humans have been around since about 200,000 years ago, and so have Neanderthals. But, humans were made differently than Neanderthals