The Lessons of History

Over the last few weeks we discovered the role the transcontinental rail route played in the run-up to the civil war. My historical recollection of the Kansas Missouri border conflict is framed around John Brown and the abolition issue. That’s what most of us were taught in school. I don’t remember the Pacific rail route playing a part in the dispute. Serious historians undoubtedly made the connection, but for most of us it appears our history classes overlooked that particular lesson. Imagine that. Part of our history got lost on the way to our classrooms. What happened? I don’t know. For whatever reason the route selection controversy was overlooked or understated in the classes most of us took. Were we damaged by the omission? Not much. Nevertheless it happened for a great many of us. There’s a history lesson there in more ways than one.

George Santayana authored the observation: Those who ignore the lessons of history are destined to repeat them. I hear echoes of his warning in today’s controversy over federal education standards known as Common Core. Taken at face value, education standards seem perfectly reasonable; and they may be, so long as we all agree on what those standards should be. Therein lies the devil in the details. As you may recall from the ‘Popular Sovereignty’ provision of Senator Douglas’ Kansas Nebraska Act, ‘Perfectly reasonable’ public policy in the wrong hands can result in mischief and abuse.

Local control over curriculum is at the root of the Common Core controversy. Curriculum embraces math, science, language, social studies and a whole host of subject matter over which I have no credentials. Some may argue I have no credential in any of this discussion; but when it comes to history, I’ve studied enough to have earned an opinion. My opinion on this issue is a concern.

We don’t teach much history in school anymore. The history that is taught is selective and quite often slanted toward a preferred belief system. Put that in the wrong hands and we risk losing our heritage and values to some imposter we didn’t choose.

George Orwell famously said “Who controls the past controls the future.” In significant measure our future depends on learning the lessons of history. We entrust our schools to pass our heritage and culture on to our kids; and through them to future generations. We can ill-afford to risk our heritage in the name of ‘Perfectly reasonable’ foolishness determined by some federal edu-crat. If we do, we risk losing culture and our country.

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Ride easy,
Paul