Opening Question – What is the difference between “the past” and “history”?
History can be re-written! History is in fact retold and retold and changes as people are talking. Consider that. (My story of a prof who told me about Erik Erikson…)
This is why you must always think critically and ask questions about historical writing. History is being re-written right now.
It can be biased in any direction – it can be too politically correct , too conservative, too liberal, too Euro-centered, too _________ (insert any group here) – centered: http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/does-high-school-textbook-have-islamic-bias.html
One way to avoid the trappings of bias in historical thinking is to use the Six Historical Thinking Concepts.
Your Task – take the photo or monument or historical painting… and…. use The Big SIx concepts in history to analyze. See handout.