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Thinking like a historian | The historian's toolkit | US History | Khan Academy

Khan Academy・6 minutes read

Historians approach history as a combination of storytelling, science, and law by developing theories supported by evidence, emphasizing the importance of continuous research and analysis. The narrative of history is driven by cause and effect, shaped by people's choices and actions, with interpretations evolving as new evidence comes to light.

Insights

  • History is not just a collection of facts but a narrative shaped by people's decisions and actions, emphasizing cause and effect relationships.
  • Historians employ a combination of storytelling, scientific analysis, and legal argumentation to construct theories about the past, highlighting the dynamic and evolving nature of historical understanding based on new evidence.

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Recent questions

  • How do historians approach the study of history?

    By combining storytelling and scientific methods.

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Summary

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Historians: Storytellers, Scientists, Lawyers of the Past

  • Thinking like a historian involves combining storytelling and scientific approaches, akin to being a storyteller, scientist, and lawyer.
  • In storytelling, history is not a mere list of events but a narrative of cause and effect driven by people's choices and actions.
  • Historians develop theories about the past, supported by evidence gathered through research, such as analyzing letters or documents from the time period.
  • Understanding history is always based on theories that can evolve with new evidence, emphasizing the importance of continuous research and analysis.
  • Historians, like lawyers, make arguments based on evidence, with interpretations of historical events changing over time as new evidence emerges.
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