Interpreting History

Interpreting History

08/14/26 Social Studies 7

Based on Lesson 4

Spielvogel, Jackson J. World History. Columbus: McGraw Hill, 2016.​ HT17-HT22

Open Ended

What do you see in this piece of art?

Guiding Question:

​Why do historians draw different conclusions about events in the past?

What a historian does

Historians use their KNOWLEDGE and RESEARCH to choose FACTS, give them MEANING, put them in ORDER, and draw CONCLUSIONS.

​Knowledge and Research

​Facts

​Meaning

​Order

​Conclusions

Multiple Select

Historians seek to connect historical people and events to central issues. Which of these might be considered a central issue? (you may select more than one answer)

• war

• culture

• Napoleon's height

• oppression

Multiple Select

Research about central issues can be guided by compelling questions as we learned yesterday. Which of these would probably be a compelling question about culture? (you may select more than one answer)

• How did the invention of the wheel affect different cultures?

• How does social status influence life experiences of people in a cultural group?

• How tall are the cultural leaders in every culture?

• What is your favorite culture?

​Understanding Time and Place

Historians seek to make connections between events and people in a certain time or place. They look for central issues [main ideas or patterns] such as economics, culture, issues of power, war and peace. One way of connecting these events is through cause and effect.

Open Ended

Share an example of two historical events that most likely have a cause and effect relationship.

​Cause and Effect

Events don't just happen all by themselves. One event often produces another event. Cause-and-effect relationships seek to explain why an event happened. But remember: an event can have more than one cause and more than one effect. Sometimes the relationship between events is unclear. Therefore, it is up to the historian's interpretation.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is most likely an effect that would happen after a civil war?

• The people of that country would rebuild and repair damage caused by the war.

• The people would be richer and the economy would grow exponentially.

• The leaders of that country would write a song about their constitution.

• The war would be immediately forgotten and people would act like it never happened.

​Changes and Patterns

Historians look for change. Some changes happen quickly, some slowly.

​They also look for unbroken patterns in history. These patterns seem to happen again and again.

Fill in the Blanks

"While looking at historical changes, historians also search for

or the unbroken patterns in history."

Multiple Choice

Which of these best shows us a pattern of continuity across history?

• Most cultures develop legal systems to establish what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior in that society.

• The Laws of Hammurabi were carved on a stone slab called a stela.

• Hanfeizi was a Legalist philosopher in the 200s BC.

• God gave Moses the 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai.

​Error and Chance

Some events appear to happen by error or chance. Historians interpret these events as having no cause and effect relationship.

Multiple Choice

Where did Columbus believe he had landed when he arrived in the Caribbean in 1492?

• Portugal

• The East Indies

• South Africa

• The Caribbean

Multiple Choice

According to the Christian worldview, was God surprised that Columbus "discovered" the New World?

• Yes, God was surprised.

• No, God knows everything.

​Nothings happens by chance

In contrast to what is written in the textbook, the Christian worldview upholds all history as orchestrated by God and nothing happens simply by chance. We humans may be surprised, but God is not surprised. God made the world and knew exactly what would happen.

​Bias and Personal Beliefs

When we study history we have to consider our own points of view, our frame of reference as a group, and biases that we or the authors of the sources of what we are reading may have.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is the best example of a point of view?

• 35% of Americans approve of the war between the US and Iran.

• Mrs. Hsia thinks wars are sad because they cause so much damage and loss of life.

• Many people in Sudan have been dsiplaced because of civil war since 2003.

• Russia and the Ukraine have been at war since 2022.

Multiple Choice

Which of these is the best example of a frame of reference?

• The people of Egypt believed the pharaoh was both decendant of their gods and their king.

• Mrs. Hsia was baptized when she was 13 years old.

• Jackson Spielvogel is the author of our textbook.

• Jewish people met in synagogues every week on the Sabbath.

​Ancient History and Values

​Historians also have different values and beliefs that may affect their thinking. A historian must be careful not to use modern values to evaluate history.

Open Ended

What is the problem with a historian saying, "Kings and rulers during the Middle Ages were horrible male supremacists because they did not advocate for equal rights for women! They should have known better."

Different Interpretations

​History is sometimes called an on-going discussion about the past. Some events are ambiguous, they can be understood in multiple ways. As a result, historians will have different explanations for why an event happened or what it means.

​Wrap it up!