Portfolio Reflection

Many students wonder growing up, why do we have to study history? Whats the point
of it? How is it going to help us in the future? After taking this class, I finally feel like there is a
purpose to learning history and that it does make a difference in our lives today and for the
future. We should never forget about the things that have happened to us, no matter if theyre
good or bad. I think history is a great example of that statement. So many negative things
happened throughout the 20th century, but they made America what it is today, and it could be
completely different if those things wouldnt have happened. Looking back and appreciating
everything that has happened in Americas history, allows us to be better individuals personally
and in society.
The theme that I chose that significantly influences an individual from 20th century
America to act responsibly is education. I chose this topic because for me personally, education
is what influences me the most to be the most positive and responsible person I can be. What we
have learned throughout our school years prepares us for adulthood and the real world.
Without it, I dont think people could really contribute to society effectively, or in the best way
they could if they were to have an education. An example to support my theme that I learned
this semester is the harsh racism that lasted through out the 1900s and is still somewhat relevant
in the world today. We werent born to hate another race, its educated into us by things like
social media, religion, and maybe even our own families. But being taught about history allows
us to see that our similarities and differences shouldnt be looked at as a negative thing, but more
as a way for everyone to accept people for who they are. In the article, Why Study History?
(1985), William H. McNeill talks about how important it is to learn about different types of

people. He quotes Broadening our humanity and extending our sensibilities by recognizing
sameness and difference throughout the recorded past is therefore an important reason for
studying history, and especially the history of peoples far away and long ago. (McNeill) Not
everyone is going to like everyone whether it be a racial thing or not, but hopefully someday
soon people will stop trying to make everything about race and just focus on the individual.
Another example for why I think education is a significant influence is because of things
like Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Earth Day. Without learning about who MLK was and what
specifically happened to make a day dedicated to these things, it seems to me that they would be
pretty pointless. They were made to celebrate something that happened in our nations history,
and people should know about it. In the article, What Can History Teach Us Today? Michael
Postma states, It [history] allows us to think critically about narratives that have developed over
time and, in doing so, provides us with a format to develop the meaningful interpretations
necessary to examine the events that shape modern society. (Postma) Everything that happened
in the past has made America and the world what it is today, and society is shaped by the things
that they learned from it.
Furthermore, throughout history we see people struggling and fighting to get an
education. For example, the time when women and blacks werent even allowed to go to school.
I see this connected to today because there are people who are still struggling to get a proper
education. Of course this is not because of gender or race, but because of financial problems.
There are many people that arent able to further there learning because they simply cannot
afford to go to college. Knowing this is the main reason why I chose education as my topic.
Knowing that so many people out there who are so mentally capable of doing great things for

society but cannot because of money, pushes me to want to do something great. You never know
what could be trapped inside someones mind if they have no way to express it and share it with
the world. In Blair Hodges essay she talks a lot about philosophers and how they have created
the foundation for where we are today. By better understanding the ways various thinkers have
appealed to history in their respective philosophical projects we might better realize how such an
exercise might be undertaken with the most fruitful results. (Hodges) The way I interpreted this
quote is that learning from previous scholars and philosophers before us, allows us to help
broaden our understanding of what we are trying to accomplish today which ultimately will
better the outcome.
Neither my parents nor my grandparents went to college, so having the opportunity to go
is extremely important to me. The education that teachers bring to students sets us up for so
many great successes for our futures. We are becoming the future leaders of America and that is
a huge responsibility for our society. Its scary and amazing to think about at the same time.
Education influences my sense of responsibility because it has pushed me to become a smarter
individual, not only in a textbook or on paper, but in my society. I dont want anything to get in
the way of my education and my chance of becoming something great in this world, and I know
that drive will become even stronger when I have children of my own and they start getting their
own education. I want to live in a world that brings hope to future generations; hope that they
can become anything they set their mind to. That sounds clich but its true. Education allows
young adults to find out a lot about themselves and become something that they believe will be a
betterment to our society today and for future ones too.

Annotated Bibliography
Hodges, Blair. Final Essay- On Rhetorical Uses of History to Understand the Present.
Academia. 7 May. 2012. Web. 23 April. 2016.
Hodges article talks about many philosophers and how they felt the past was a way to
understand the present and predict the future. This essay was a little harder for me to
comprehend than the others, but what I took from it was relevant to my topic of
education. Hodges talked about how these men felt that the future should be a certain way
because of things that happened in the past. I do believe that things are the way they are
now because of everything that happened in the past, and learning about those things has
shaped society today.
McNeill H. William. Why Study History? (1985). American Historical Association. 1985.
Web. 23 April. 2016.
Williams article talks all about education and how it is important to learn about the many
different kinds of history. He explains what each one can teach an individual and how it
affects us in the world today. Williams also talks about individuals memory, and how an
ignorance of history deprives people in their actions. That sentence in his article alone
explains how relevant education is for 20th century historians.
Postma, Michael. What Can History Teach Us Today?. ASCD. n.d. Web. 23 April. 2016.
Postmas short, but significant article explains why history is so important to learn. He
talks about how history allows individuals to think critically and opens up our
perspectives of those who have different views than we do. He also explains the lessons
that history teaches us and how being educated about history helps create a better future.