This raises the question: If historians can’t remember these things, why do we require 18- year-olds to know them? These tests stress small bits of information that are impossible to remember in the long term. Historians know something deeper. They know how to evaluate historical documents, how to look at conflicting sources and come to a reasoned judgment—in other words, how to be a citizen in a cacophonous democracy. That is the value-added of studying history and that is what we give short shrift to in our high school history classes.
David Hilton on 24 Jul 09An innovative and useful site. It presents historical events as news stories with a depth of information that is impressive. Written in a lively manner, this would be suitable for high school class activities or even student research. They provide their references.
