Throughout the semester there have been many lessons and assignments that have contributed to my overall understanding of what is history and how we do it. The first reading log assignment that stuck with me in were the pieces on the Beothuk people. The specific study into this tribe of First Nations people who did their own thing and did not follow the steps of the other First Nations people demonstrated how certain aspects of history tend to be generalized and how history is constantly being re-evaluated and changed. The Beothuk were originally considered to be passive in the process of their extinction but when specific historic events were analyzed in depth conclusions were able to be made that they were aware of what they were doing and were not simply running away from the European settlers. These findings that were different from the originally facts displays how history is constantly be re-made and re-examined.
History is the constant re-examination of historical events as it is crucial in understanding and shaping our past, present and future. As our thinking develops it in turn changes how we may interpret the past and therefore changes and develops new perspectives on historical events. As we analyze history we become more capable to make informed and educated decisions surrounding our lives in both the present and future. By looking into historical documents such as primary sources, we’re able to come to conclusions about the past that can demonstrate multiple perspectives. History is in fact the study of the past but the main aspect that I was not originally aware of is that events can be seen from multiple perspectives that were otherwise brushed to the side. A lot of history tends to be one sided and generalized due to the fact that the majority of it was written by European settlers which was only one party involved. History tries to shed light on all perspectives of historical events which allows for past events to be changed and for them to shape our future.