Is History a Bigot?
They say history is written by the winners.
However, my favorite word while growing up was and still is, “No.” So, no, I don’t accept that as the truth.
Clio, the Muse of history
Lovely Clio is the Muse for historians. You can usually find her sitting around on plump pillows with a boob hanging out–because why not, you know?–and with paper, pen, and a trumpet or some sort of horn. Why the horn? Because she’s so eager to blast us with history. She wants all of us to know the past.
But does she want us to know only certain aspects of the past, for instance only the winner’s version of events? Does she whisper into the historian’s ear only what she wants us to know?
Psh. Of course not! Clio has long loved history, and wants to make every aspect of it famous. I know that, because that’s what her name means literally—to make famous or to celebrate. Clio has long wanted historians to rejoice ALL aspects of the past, and she’s ready to trumpet out whatever the historian has researched.
Wait! Whoa. Isn’t that revisionist history? And revisionist history is horrible, right?
Well, let’s break it down. What is revisionist history in the first place? Cristen Conger in her informative article, “How Revisionist History Works?” states that there are three perspectives of revisionist history:
Social or theoretical perspective to re-examine the past through different lenses
Fact-checking perspective to correct the record of past events
And negative perspective that views revisionism as an intentional effort to falsify or skew past events for specific motives.
It’s this last theory that has led many to believe that revisionist history is not real history. However, Ms. Conger points out rather elegantly that for hundreds of years there were whispers that Thomas Jefferson had had children with his slave, Sally Hemings. Until the 1990s this was considered a fowl rumor, but then by DNA evidence it was declared as truth. This is revisionist history at its best—discovering an unbiased truth.
Being a woman I am especially fond of revisionist history. Until after WWII, historians hardly noted that women were even in history. Yet somehow the human species propagated itself. Hmm . . . wonder how that happened? Well, because women were around! In my own research I’ve found that not only were women there, making clothes and food for the men, but they took part in battles. And not just cooking for soldiers. I’m not talking about Molly Pitcher here. I’m talking women, and there are multiple sources of this, have been fighting in battles for hundreds and hundreds of years.
Granted, revisionist history can be a bit jarring. When you think you know something, then are told you don’t, it’s not just frustrating, but sometimes it can lead to massive changes within one’s core values. But here’s the amazing thing about history, it is alive. Just stay with me for a moment, because some of you thought history was in the past, hence it’s dead, right? But with pursuing an unbiased truth—a more truth, as I call it—one can find that history changes. She opens her eyes and is only too glad that we’re finally discovering another layer to her mystery.
Lastly, if you aren’t too sure of something, take a cue from me. Just say, “Um, no.” Then look it up for yourself. Question everything, and Clio and myself will thank you for it.
