Is American history a legitimate field of study in Academia?

V

Vader

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Or for that matter ANY history. Isn't history WRITTEN by the conqueror within any given situation. A Conservative historian would not write about the Iraq war the same way a Liberal one would. So really, what are you studying when you study hisory? Are you studying lies? A Nazi historian would not write about Hitler the same way a Jewish one would

History is the exact opposite of science, the only other academic field i can think of that bullsh__'s more than history in academia is religion
 
Yes. But a reputable historian would write about history fairly. Besides, historians do more than write about history, they also research.

BTW, for years in this country, the losing side was left to write the history of the south, the civil war, and slavery which did indeed lead to some really, shall we say, interesting views. Then other historians came and challenged their conclusions - which is pretty much what the Academy is all about. A free exchange and debate of ideas.

But if you only look at the world as conqueror and conquered that is all you are gonna see.
 
Part of the reason that history is studied and debated is that anything written or told in history must be analyzed in the context of the author. It is sometimes difficult to get an accurate picture of a historical event without determining the bias of the author first.

History is much the same as science. Science starts with a theory of what is happening and then attempts to prove that theory. Many principles that are taught as fact in science by the academics is in fact a theory. These include evolution and global warming. History is the same. It tries to take the accepted history and either prove it as truth or refute it as myth.
 
Yes. A good, reputable historian relies on as many primary documents as possible. There is always room for interpretation but a good researcher compares the facts, the interpretations, the analyses and the evidence supporting the facts. It is absolutely essential that history be taught in our schools. After spending some time on Yahoo Answers I am appalled at the amount of ignorance of history that is displayed in some of the questions and answers.
 
That's why it's a _humanity_, like literature and creative writing.

People are taught it with the idea that there are different degrees of confidence in the testimony, and that such a thing as The Truth does not exist in history.
 
American history as taught in the schools has been rewritten by the left wing ideologues to cast the founding fathers as slaveholding captialist monsters... cool, huh?
 
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