History

Welcome to my HISTORY page! I believe history is one of the fundamental subjects that every school child should learn, yet in our modern age it’s been reduced to “social studies,” revision, and half-truths.

History is not just a subject in school; it’s the story of our world, full of heroes and villains, battles and conquerors, beautiful ladies and love stories, castles, kings, peasants, martyrs, music, art, science and more. There is no end to what you could study and what you will learn by reading history, and yet it seems to be the most abhorred subject among school kids. I think it’s because it’s been watered down until it’s presented as a series of unconnected paragraphs that tell about a king here, a conqueror there, and a political upheaval now and then.

{ See my full list of links at the bottom of this page. }

But a story that is told in entirety, in the context of world events, about the real lives of real people, their homes, families, food, clothes, culture, and their accomplishments is a story that makes you want to know more. It makes you want to know what happened next. It makes you want to know what their descendants did, and why. And since we have the hindsight of 6,000 years of history, we have the advantage of seeing the connections between people, countries, politics, economies, inventions, and civilizations.

The most important thing about knowing world history is being able to feel that we are a part of an ongoing story. We realize that there is nothing new under the sun, and that we are not alone. Mothers have been raising children for thousands of years; fathers have been working in one form or another to provide for their families; young men and women have been falling in love; Christians have experienced persecution over and over throughout the world; children have always played games; families have always gathered around a hot meal; mothers cried when their sons went off to war.

Without the long view of history, what courage can we muster? What hope do we have when history repeats itself? Because it will. If we were to find ourselves in the threatened with martyrdom for our faith, would we cower and bow, or would we draw strength from knowing that we join a host of thousands — from the first century church to the modern day Christians under communist and Muslim rule? Even children are inspired to be courageous when they know what their ancestors did! Read this great poem “When Mother Reads Aloud.”

If our sons grow up and find themselves in a position to risk their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honors for the freedom of the next generation, would they be more likely to risk it all knowing they follow in the footsteps of courageous men of history — like William Wallace or Patrick Henry?

Knowing what got us to this point makes an astounding difference in how we see our current circumstances. Americans are much more likely to uphold our founding principles when they have read about the struggle, the tears, the anger, the risks, and the blood spilled to give us this nation. Christians are inspired to look beyond the moment and declare their lives are God’s when they remember that Christians down through the ages have withstood ridicule, expulsion, and death for the sake of the Kingdom.

When we meet the people who made history, understand their core convictions, read the words they put down, and understand the age they lived in, we not only understand why they did their deeds, but we want to make sure it was worth it. We don’t want their lives to be for nothing.

A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.

-Marcus Garvey

I have this passion for history because I have spent my life reading about the lives of people through the centuries, and have learned to understand what drove them. I read historical novels and understood the times of war and revolution. I read biographies and learned what made the great men and women. I read journals and diaries and saw the heart of the everyday man and woman. It has never been boring because real history is not boring! Textbooks are boring. The real story is anything but.

So, this page is dedicated to helping everyone love the real story of history in a way that changes their perspective on the past, the present, and the future. It will be constantly updated. I will share the stories I love and the books I recommend.

I am no expert, but I am passionate. I hope that will count for something!

My History Posts

The History Lover’s Gift Guide

How the Protestant Reformation Gave us the United States of America

The Christianity of George Washington

The History of the Declaration of Indepdencence

Reclaiming History From Revisionists: The Pilgrims

The Pilgrims Leave England

What the Pilgrims Did

McGuffey 1848 “High School” Lesson: Character of the Puritan Fathers of New England

History and Sacrifice

Brexit and the American Revolution

Setting up a Family History Museum at Home

Knowledge Keepers

 

Books I Recommend

My BOOKS page and KNOWLEDGE KEEPERS page have every book recommendation I could possibly give!

Teaching History to Your Children

Making History Fun

Teaching History with Games

Create Your Own History Curriculum

Beric the Briton – Free Study Guide

The Dragon and the Raven – Free Study Guide

Christopher Columbus

Free Rembrandt Study

17th Century World History Curriculum

The Incredible Faith of Mary Rowlandson

Exploring Pirates in World History

Isaac Newton – Study Guide

American History Through the Eyes of George Washington

The Culper Spy Ring

French Revolution Study

Texas History

The Adventures of Rush Revere

 

 

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