Jack of All Trades: American History

In college, I had to take six hours of Humanities. I decided to take a two course sequence in American History. Since I had taken two year-long courses in it before, once during eighth grade and once when I was a junior in high school, I felt that it would be an easy set of courses that would allow me to focus on my “more important” courses — my computing classes. I did not realize that these courses would awaken a passion for studying history.

Why does American History pique my interest so? History is the study of mankind’s past but, more importantly, it is the story of individuals. For me, understanding the thoughts and rationals of pivotal figures from America’s past is the key to understanding the behaviors of our public representatives and the current political climate. For that reason, I spend a lot of time reading biographies of the great leaders of our country — your Washington, Lincoln, FDR, plus non-presidential characters like Frederick Douglas, Benjamin Franklin, etc.

Of all of the leaders I study, Lincoln and how he handled the Civil War keep drawing my attention time and time again. Compared to holding the Union together, the problems we face today must be, well not trivial, but less significant. Although Lincoln has been gone for 145 years, perhaps understanding him better can give us insight into how he might have solved the deep political divide facing our nation.

Coming up in my American History studies is completing Democracy in America and the Federalist in addition to reading biographies of Truman, John Adams, and Teddy Roosevelt. Additionally, I want to hit up some of the classics such as Plutarch’s Lives and the Histories of Herodotus. While further removed from the modern day, these have been studied by leaders the world over for centuries — there is a reason they are so highly renown and I mean to find out.

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