Author and columnist Peggy Noonan wrote a terrific piece in the Wall Street Journal recently about the importance of knowing history. She was reviewing a collection of essays, interviews and speeches by the late historian David McCullough called History Matters (pre-orders available here).
Noonan made an interesting observation about our understanding of history. She writes, “You can’t be dreamy about the past and say, ‘It was nice then.’ It was never nice, it was made by human beings. You can’t say, ‘People were better then.’ They weren’t.”
It’s true, we do tend to romanticize the past. We like our heroes strong and resolute, our villains dastardly. On a recent trip to Philadelphia, I realized how strong a gravitational pull nostalgia exerts. Like most Americans, I delight in the stories and characters of our founding. Paul Revere’s midnight ride. Betsy Ross stitching the first American flag. General Washington leading the Continental Army into battle against the Redcoats.
The problem with nostalgia is that it oversimplifies. It amplifies the “dreamy” and glosses over the unsavory bits. To really honor and learn from the American story (or any historical account for that matter) requires more than sentimentality. We need the unvarnished version. Which is what makes Rick Atkinson’s book The British are Coming such an irresistible read.
Continue reading “Unvarnished and Irresistible History”