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Question: What's the purpose of teaching History in school!?
What's the point of cramming all the dates, names and statistics when everything is written in easily accessible books just in case you need a reference!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
There's much more to it than dates and names and statistics!. You cannot know where you are without knowing where you have been!.
It is hard to understand a person's loves, hates, and tastes without grasping the movements which form personal background!. And the great movements DO make everyone who he or she IS!. History should be read and studies by everyone, all the time, every day,
because it establishes perspective in a way nothing else can!.
Harry Truman said it crudely, and I think this is the original, cleaned
up a bit: "The only reason history repeats itself is because so
many d***** s***ts don't read all the history that already exists!"
And he was correct!.


Tell you what, though!. History is EVERYTHING, and that
makes it the broadest and most interesting subject
of all!. But I can understand why kids hate it!. There are many
ROTTEN history teachers, who discuss it in a way that makes tests easy to write!. And that's a corrupt and demented teaching strategy, and it really turns kids off!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

There is not much point in "cramming all the dates, names, and statistics!." History needs to be taught in general with a broad overview of the hows and whys and the outcomes!.
The saying that history repeats itself is true in the fact that those that forget are doomed to make the same mistakes!.
Overall we need to know what worked, what did not work, why certain things happened, and what led up to them happening!.
A current situation is the economic crisis in the US right now!. Our government is bailing out banks and other financial institutions to try to avoid another "crash" like in 1929!. Will it work!? We don't know yet, because it really hasn't been tried yet, but doing nothing would cause banks to lose everything, which in turn would cause panic, which in turn would cause !.!.!.!.!.!.!.
Get it yet!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

The problem is, that you first need to know, that there is something to look up in the first place!. Everybody knows, you won't keep all that data memorized past your test, but you will keep enough info, to be able to recall, where to look it up later!.
Bush and McSame forgot to do that, you can see the devastating results!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

history repeats itself!.!.
and it is important to know about our country's past!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It is a question that I keep asking myself
When we aren't going to me any of these people then why study about them!.
ShraddhaWww@QuestionHome@Com

so you know how to deal with certain problems and that the wolrd dosen't make the same mistakesWww@QuestionHome@Com

those who do not know history are bound to repeat it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

i really agree with ?Zach?Www@QuestionHome@Com