History is a forever changing view on the events of the past, that is influenced by a variety of different factors. In the first chapter of Canadian History: Pre Confederation, there are four main sections. In each section, the author discusses a way that our view on history is influenced and changed. The different ways discussed are: new evidence, new sources, as well as our own viewpoints changing the way we view the history already written.
In the first section of this chapter, the author explains what history actually is:
“Although it may be simplistic, perhaps too simplistic, you may find it helpful to think about the study of history as a combination of the “what” and the “how.” That is, what happened and how we know it happened” 1
This statement gives the reader a good understanding of what the chapter is going to be about, and begins to lay the basis of why history changes. We all know that history is a recollection of “what” happened, but the introduction of “how” leads us to understand that viewing the reason behind the actions of the past can change how we see the past.
The second section focuses mainly on why history is always being revised.2 The examples given are: ideological matters, new evidence, and evolving methodological approaches. The fact that new evidence can be found is a big factor of how history can be revised, because a new piece of writing or a new artifact could be from someone who experienced an event differently than the ways already studied. This means that the historians can have a more complex understanding of said event. This section also discussed how examining different ideologies and “isms” can change an outlook of an event.
The third section of this chapter discussed the use of primary and secondary sources. The author explained the difference between primary and secondary sources, explaining how both are useful in the study of history. An interesting point was made that some sources can be both, with the example given being a history about New France written in 1800.
“It’s a secondary source that made use of primary documents, but it is simultaneously itself a primary source, in that it is evidence of how people thought in 1800.” 3
Finally, the last section discussed how our changing ways change how we view the past. Examples given were Nationalist Histories, the generation gap, and History Wars.4 Each of these changes in the way we thought, changed the way different historians looked at history. These changes began the research into the different classes of each period, as well as examining different races and looking into the lives of women.
This chapter of the textbook is intended to give the reader a glimpse into how history is written, and how it is always being revised. The different points made help the reader understand the reasons behind our ever-changing viewpoint of the past.
1Belshaw, John. D. Canadian History: Pre-Confederation (When Was Canada). Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. (page 2)
2Belshaw. Canadian History: Pre-Confederation. (page 3-8)
3Belshaw. Canadian History: Pre-Confederation. (page 14)
4Belshaw. Canadian History: Pre-Confederation. (page 17-20)