WHAT IS HISTORY?
History is the study of the past – DEFINE HISTORY CITE YOUR SOURCE?
specifically, the people, societies, events and
problems of the past – and our attempts to
understand them. It is a pursuit common to all
human societies. History can be a tremendous
story, a rolling narrative filled with great
personalities and tales of turmoil and triumph. Each
passing generation adds its own chapters to our
history while reinterpreting and finding new things
in those chapters already written.
History gives us a sense of identity. By
understanding where we have come from, we can
better understand who we are.
History provides a sense of context for our lives
and our existence. It helps us to understand the
way things are and ways that we might approach
the future.
History teaches us what it means to be human,
highlighting the great achievements and disastrous
errors of the human race.
History is the study of the human past as it
is described in written documents left behind by
humans. The past, with all of its complicated
choices and events, participants dead and history
told, is what the general public perceives to be the
immutable bedrock on which historians
and archaeologists stand.
But as purveyors of the past, historians recognize
that the bedrock is really quicksand, that bits of
each story are yet untold, and that what has been
told is colored by the conditions of today. While
not untrue to say that history is the study of the
past, here is a collection of much more clear and
accurate descriptions.
https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-history-
collection-of-definitions-171282
WHO IS THE HISTORIAN? HOW DOES HE
WORK?
A historian is a person who studies and writes
about the past, and is regarded as an authority on
it. Historians are concerned with the continuous,
methodical narrative and research of past events
as relating to the human race; as well as the study
of all history in time. If the individual is concerned
with events preceding written history, the
individual is a historian of prehistory. Some
historians are recognized by publications or
training and experience. "Historian" became a
professional occupation in the late nineteenth
century as research universities were emerging in
Germany and elsewhere.
WHY HISTORY IS SCIENCE? A SOCIAL
SCIENCE?
The social sciences include the study of how and
why people behave in a particular (a very
simplistic term). The “science” part comes from
the ability to hypothesize and predict human
behaviors according to the particular social
science lens that one is using, in this case,
History. In History, there are a number of ways
that this is done: contextualization,
periodization, causation, and many more. In
contextualization, for example, we look at the
people, space, and place surrounding a particular
event in order to explain why the event
happened. That way we can make comparisons of
the people, space, and place in another context
to say why something may or may not occur in the
same way. It goes back to the adage—history
repeats itself—to say why that is true or not. As
another example, a political historian looks at
what is happening today (war, population,
globalization) as trends to determine the
outcome of the current election.
WHAT IS THE HISTORICAL METHOD OF
RESEARCH? WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT
STEPS INVOLVE?
Step 1: Developing a paperwork management system
Organization is a key factor in successful research. Decide
where you are going to put papers you copy or notes you
take.
Step 2: Selecting a Topic Select a topic related to the
annual theme. Brainstorming ideas or looking through the
history textbook are great ways to begin thinking about
potential topics.
Step 3: Background Reading for Historical Context No
topic exists in a vacuum. Students need to understand the
context in which an issue took place in order to understand
why it took place.
Step 4: Narrowing Your Topic Selecting a National
History Day topic is a process of gradually narrowing the
area of history (period or event) that interests the students.
Step 5: Gathering and Recording Information To be
responsible researchers, students must credit sources from
which they gathered information.
Step 6: Analyzing and Interpreting Sources and the
Topic's Significance in History Historians do more than
describe events. They analyze and interpret information
gathered from their sources to draw conclusions about a
topic's significance in history.
Step 7: Developing a thesis NHD projects should do more
than just tell a story. Every exhibit, performance,
documentary, paper and web site should make a point about
its topic.
Step 8: Finalizing an NHD research project When
research is completed and ready to present to an audience,
ask students to review whether their work includes:
Analysis and interpretation
Significance and impact
In depth research
Historical accuracy
Historical context
Adherence to the theme
WHY DO WE STUDY HISTORY?

There are many different reasons to study

history, as it is a fantastic combination of all the
other school subjects.

History helps you develop critical thinking skills

to look beyond the headlines, to ask questions
properly, and to express your own opinions.

History helps you understand the origins of

modern political and social problems.

History inspires us through bravery and courage

of our forefathers. History teaches us that a
single individual with great convictions or a
committed group can change the world.

History is the analysis and interpretation of the

human past that enables us to study continuity
and change over time. It is an act of both
investigation and imagination that seeks to
explain how people have changed over time.
Historians use all forms of evidence to examine,
interpret, revisit, and reinterpret the past.