Why History Is a Point of View

We tend to think of history as a list of solid, unbreakable facts.

But history is never just ‘what happened’; it is also 

the story of who wrote it down. If twelve people watch the same event, 

they will often come away with twelve somewhat different accounts, 

based on where they were standing and what they were paying attention 

to. Teaching a child that history involves point of view is one of the great

gifts you can give them. It builds empathy and critical thinking, and the 

understanding that there are often multiple sides to a story. Let’s teach 

them how to think like careful historians.