Module 1: Doing the Work of an Historian
Introduction
We are all Historians, whether formally or informally. Each of us carries a family and community history with us, stories passed down from elders and experiences shared with peers. Each of our stories contributes to the whole.
I really enjoy exploring my own family history, so much so, that it contributed to my interest in more formal study. In college, I studied the history of larger groups by collected interviews and exploring the oral histories of Latinas who crossed the border with Mexico in search of jobs. I also collected extensive personal family interviews that I continue research on today. I am also very interested in the counter-narrative – all of those stories that do not necessarily fit into the standard Eurocentric explanation of events. As such, I am a social historian. But I also believe that money matters. It is always important to take into account the resources available to different people in different places across time, and to gauge the economic impact of changes. A great deal of history can be better understood by knowing the economic forces at work.
As you move through this course, you will notice that different sources will present an era and draw different conclusions, assign different date ranges, or identify different important people or ideas than other sources. This is OK. All of the sources used to create this online course are qualified, peer reviewed sources. Differences encountered represent the debates that take place in the telling of history, the discovery of new information, or simply different perspectives.
You will want to take notes on all of the required material presented in this module and all of the modules in this course. Focus on the important people, places, ideas, and events. Knowing the specific date an event occurred is less important than understanding that history is the study of change. Prior events shape the next development. One event causes another. Mistakes are made. People disagree. Sometimes luck is involved, or one person can make a big difference. Most of the time people have to work hard together, find their common ground, and create positive ways to respond to the world around us. It is a good idea to scroll ahead through each of the sections of this module and read through the instructions for the activities you will be asked to engage in. Knowing in advance what you will need to do, will help guide your study and preparations as you read though content summaries or watch videos.
This course is made up of a curated collection of videos, an online textbook, select primary sources, online lectures, and a narrative that weaves them all together in to a cohesive unit.
I use publicly available Khan Academy videos to enhance the presentation of materials in this course. This way you can watch a visual summary of highlights about an era that supports greater understanding when reading the corresponding textbook chapter. Here is what Khan Academy has to say about itself:
Introducing Khan Academy
Thinking Like A Historian (Khan Academy)
The following video provides advice on how to use the methods of history to draw conclusions about the past:
How to Read a Document Part 1
Documents are one of the important sources of evidence we have for the past. Historians also work alongside archaeologist, anthropologists, sociologists, linguists, and biologists. The inclusion of artifacts such as pottery sherds, buildings, and monuments add to linguistic records to build stronger timelines of events. Both linguistic and genetic evidence are used to explore human migration and cross-cultural sharing. We rely on a variety of materials in this course, including written primary sources.
How to Read a Document Part 2: Analyzing Historical Text
You will have the opportunity multiple times during this course to analyze historical texts and draw your own conclusions.
Always take notes as you go.
Avoiding Common Mistakes in Historical Essays
Your History Notebook will also support your written analyses throughout the course. History is about change and understanding cause and effect over time. You will be asked to write on themes that span several course modules. A well developed History Notebook will be essential for success.
The Importance of Seeking Out Different Perspectives
Human societies across time and space share innumerable qualities. But no two individuals’ experiences are exactly alike. In order to better understand our past, we have to be able to see things from many perspectives. Sometimes the hardest task is to question our own assumptions and make room for others. The following video is a good example of how assumptions can get in the way of understanding.
Introduction to Big History
All peoples have told their histories, whether through oral stories passed from generation to generation or by writing them down once writing developed. As societies grew and interacted with others, histories grew as well. People were interested in the similarities and differences between different societies. They included information about others in the telling of their own stories, even if it was just to point out what they thought was inferior about other groups. The telling of history has changed substantially since the first more modern efforts of Herodotus or Sima Qian. Histories of peoples became histories of states, then continents. Today one of the fastest growing areas of study is Big History (this goes by other names as well). Big History attempts to look across the globe, often in a comparative fashion, to discover the story of humanity across boundaries.
Collective Learning
By thinking of ourselves as a network of information, we can share experiences and learn from each other in ways that other species cannot. In this course, our weekly discussions will help us connect with each other, share different perspectives, support each of our learning goals, and carry away a greater appreciation for the extent to which we rely on each to thrive.
You Are Already an Historian
You and your family are a part of the history we are making today. This is exciting! Not only because your and your family have played an important role in contributing to our past, but because by understanding that past, you have the opportunity to choose how you will shape our future. I am looking forward to getting to know you better and to learning about how you want to create tomorrow’s history!
Overviews of the Economic, Technological, and Social Circumstances of the Gilded Age
The Gilded Age Part 1
The following video describes how the Gilded Age was named, based on a book by Mark Twain. The defining elements of the age included the accumulation of vast wealth by industrial leaders such as Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and John D. Rockefeller. A great deal of corruption facilitated the accumulation of immense fortunes. Immigrants crowded into low paying factory jobs and tenement housing.
The Gilded Age Part 2
The following video describes how the Second Industrial Revolution contributed to the Gilded Age. Key features of the Second Industrial Revolution were mass production of new products, improved transportation, and communications. The Bessemer steel process made an improved version of steel, twenty times stronger, and 75% cheaper to produce. The availability of improved, inexpensive steel, contributed to the massive development of rail lines throughout the United States and the development of taller buildings in cities. New inventions include the elevator, the telephone, refrigeration, the standardization of time, and electrification.
Module 3: Optional: University Lecture by H. W. Brands on How the Rich Got Rich
Engaging with the Big Ideas
I love history lectures. And I am a history geek at heart. This means that not only do I know how important a sound knowledge of history is to guide our future, but I also know how rewarding it can be to listen to the ideas of key thinkers on historical development. These are people who have spent their careers exploring important events and eras in history. The best of these lecturers are particularly good at explaining why things happened the way they did and why it is important to understand those past developments. I will be sharing optional lecture videos of prominent thinkers with you for your viewing pleasure. I hope you partake and enjoy!
This is the introduction to the video: “H. W. Brands, the Dixon, Allen, Anderson Centennial Professor of History and Government at The University of Texas at Austin (UT), delivers a talk on the Gilded Age on June 5, 2011, at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library in Austin, Texas. Brands’ presentation was the keynote address of “The Making of Modern America,” a teacher institute cosponsored by Humanities Texas, UT’s College of Liberal Arts, and the LBJ Library. To learn more about Humanities Texas education programs,” visit Humanities Texas onlineLinks to an external site. . Yes, go there and listen to more lectures!
The following video is not appropriately closed-captioned. It is not required for this course. However, I do encourage all students to find additional lectures about big ideas that play a role in the development of United States History and that help us attempt to solve some of the problems, big and small, that we face today.
W.E.B. DuBois Speaks! Socialism and the American Negro (Full)
The Legacy of Jane Addams and Hull House
Formal and Informal Empire in the 19th Century – Professor Richard Evans
Africa: States of independence – the scramble for Africa
The age of empire | Rise to world power (1890-1945) | US History | Khan Academy
Darwinism vs. Social Darwinism part 1 | US History | Khan Academy
Darwinism vs. Social Darwinism part 2 | US History | Khan Academy
The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote
