Eric Foner on Understanding Our History | Big Think
Eric Foner on Understanding Our History
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The author says it is in our best interest to be well-acquainted with our history and outlines a few ways to achieve this in our schools.
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Eric Foner:
Eric Foner, DeWitt Clinton Professor of American History at Columbia University, is the author of numerous works on American history, including Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party Before the Civil War; Tom Paine and Revolutionary America; and The Story of American Freedom, and Our Lincoln. He has served as president of both the Organization of American Historians and the American Historical Association, and has been named Scholar of the Year by the New York Council for the Humanities.
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TRANSCRIPT:
Question: What’s the proper role of history in society?
Foner: We historians always feel the people don’t know enough history. That’s part of our occupational definition, that we need to teach more history. We’re in a funny position now socially in terms of our concept or understanding of history. On the one hand, history is fairly popular, in a way. There are history books on the bestseller list, people like Doris Goodwin, David McCullough, James McPherson, they write books which are widely read outside the academic world, and that’s of course all to the good. People watch the History Channel on TV. They go to historical battlefield sites and museums. On the other hand, those, the popular interest in history seems to be in a very narrow part of American history. The Civil War, the American Revolution, great figures of history, and there seems to be a disconnect, in a sense, between the way history’s being written in the academic world, which tends to focus nowadays on ordinary Americans, on groups which have tended to be neglected in the past, African-Americans, women, Hispanics. You don’t see books about Hispanic migrant workers on the bestseller list, although historians are studying them. You don’t see books about women’s struggle for the vote on the bestseller list. You see books about great political white leaders, you see books about Civil War battles, you know. So, there’s nothing wrong with that, but I think it creates a rater limited view of the broad sweep of American history and a very diverse cast of characters in American History. Knowing history doesn’t tell you what you should do in the present. You can study the history of immigration, as we should, and immigration policy. That doesn’t tell you what our policy about immigration ought to be in the year 2008 or 2009, but if you don’t know that history, you are in a great disadvantage in thinking about the present. You don’t know what has been tried in the past, what has worked, what hasn’t worked. You’re like a person with amnesia. You can go along your life with amnesia, but what kind of life is that? You have no idea where you’ve been, where you’re coming from. So, as a society, we have a certain amnesia about many parts of our history, and I don’t think that’s necessarily good.
Question: What educational steps can be taken to give history a makeover?
Foner: One of the numerous unfortunate results of the “No Child Left Behind” Law is that it has forced schools to put all their emphasis on reading and [math] and writing and math tests, because that’s how they judge. Now, I certainly believe young people ought to be able to read and write and know math, but I speak to teachers from around the country, I lecture to them, and history teachers are always saying history is becoming more and more of a luxury in schools because schools are tested and judged and funded on the basis of these tests that have nothing to do with history. So, if you teach history, you’re kind of taking time away from these other subjects which are, which is where your standing is going to come from. So, in a way, it’s the more elite schools that are spending the time teaching history, the private schools, the really upscale public schools, whereas the schools where many lower class students are, schools in trouble find that history is something they can’t even afford to spend time on. So, that, I think is very unfortunate. There’s less history being taught in schools now than there used to be, and that is really something I think that needs to be reversed.
Question: What are the greatest misconceptions Americans have about their history?
Read the full transcript at https://bigthink.com/videos/eric-foner-on-understanding-our-history/
@joemahony4198
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
Perhaps The Ukraine prefers to be ruled by Russia, rule, who are we to say.
@joemahony4198
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
Why do professional historians neglect Thomas Sowell, is it because he is black?
@larbibilal7350
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
I strongly agree
@streetartmusicpublishing8386
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
Eric Foner, Yes!
@librosdejoaquine.brotonsbr7753
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
A mi me parece bien lo que dice este profesor. Imperio de la libertad es auto contradictorio y la abolición de la esclavitud acabó con eso. La grandeza indudable de Estados Unidos reside precisamente en que no es un imperio.
@JackE.Johnson322
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
@2:02
fatality!
@onetwoxplore
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
The proper deconstruction of Bald Eagle myths. Bravo.
@kathleensmith3536
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
I sat in on an 8th grade American History class and it is disturbing what these children are taught – the teachers are so ignorant that they spew this sanitized view of our history without ever asking their students to critically look at how corporate text books present the story of America. Teacher thought that the musical Hamilton (which is full of myths, half truths, and lies of omission) was a brilliant way to teach the children about the constitution — never once did she question the lyrics of the songs and she was treating Hamilton as a god. Absolutely scary — it is no wonder why so many people don't understand what is happening in this country.
@mariasmith2198
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
Well, if we were not exceptional, then liberals wouldn't have to work so damn hard to break us, would they? They have been working hard to make sure Americans don't have exceptional healthcare, That Americans don't have exceptional security. That we don't have exceptional individual rights and freedom. I have to admit, liberals have certainly done a good job of turning America into a third world country, but I think they missed it. Its not going to take that long for us to make this country exceptional again.
@mariasmith2198
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
This is such crap. The only thing keeping teachers honest is those tests. My nephew said that they were reading some hip hop poetry in their English class, and only stopped to study sentence structure because it would be on the test. My friend's 8 yr old daughter cried after the election, thinking that she would be killed. Both her parents are Trump supporters. Guess who told her that she would be in danger if he was elected? Her teachers. Our teachers politicize and brainwash kids for their own benefit, and they can not be allowed to simply police themselves. They need to be accountable.
@martinjoe1325
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
I accuse you sir, of Leftism. We cannot learn anything of value from France Germany or Japan because our systems defeated theirs. The American system won over their's because it was and is superior. We won a total war against them . We took Berlin,and Tokyo after liberating Paris. Most leftists regret that fact because inherent to the philosophy, is a rejection of America's founding principles.You sir, have forgotten that "American Exceptionalism" is a term coined by our enemies out of admiration. ,
@lakitagw
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
The purpose of history in not to inspire! It is to tell the truth about what happened durring a specific time. Now, with that being said, you may be inspired by the point of view by which a historical event happened or you may be disgusted. I was once the recipient of the Patrick Henry Award, who was once quoted as saying, "give me liberty for give me death!" I know millions of people have been inspired by this fiery speech and I graciously acceptd the award and thanked them for their consideration. However, I actually read history, unlike 98% of Americans. As inspriring as those words are, I happen to know Patrick Henry was a hypocrite because he was also quoted saying, "I've been known to be a Christian man but this (refering to slavery) is not Christian." He goes on to say that he just can't bring himself to free his slaves because, in essence, the profits are too good and he can't see himself doing all that hard labor. So to you my friend, these words are inspiring – and they are, as prose. But to others of us . . . it wreeks of hypocrisy where you demand liberty for yourself while at the same time denying it to numerous others. John Brown, ironically, is more true to his words, yet the American textbooks vilify him. The bottom line is . . . . . stop drinking the American mythology kook-aid and actually read more books!
@offwiththehats
April 25, 2026 at 8:43 pm
3:50 kills it.
Comments are closed.