Loving History

History is the ultimate reality series. Forget Kim and Kanye; they are mere copycats. I love history because it is a real life adventure; it is our story. However, as in our own lives, some people stand out, some events are life-changing and others are just rather mundane—but they all are intertwined to create our lives. That is history! If teachers would teach history as the story that it is rather than a series of isolated facts, students would be much more interested and engaged. If students would view historical figures as real life human beings, they would find them exciting.

Before any of the Real Housewives shows, we had interesting wives who had power, personality and drive—without the cursing and fighting. Everyone can speak about George Washington and his great military genius, but how many people realize that Martha not only took excellent care of their home and their finances while the General was away for long periods of time, but also traveled to be with her husband at his headquarters every winter for eight years. She was even at Valley Forge where she did everything in her power to encourage the soldiers and care for her husband. Moving forward to the 20th century, one only needs to look at the incredible impact of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt—a true visionary and a champion of civil rights who worked tirelessly on behalf of women, Blacks and the persecuted all over the world during one of the most difficult periods in the history of the United States. However, even when her husband, Franklin, died in 1945 she did not retire from public life but rather became even more active and vocal in speaking up on behalf of those who were disenfranchised. Before it was the norm for women to be so out-spoken, Eleanor wrote a newspaper column, traveled all over the world meeting with heads of state, sat on the board of the NAACP, was a United Nations representative and was responsible for getting the Army Nurse Corps to admit black nurses to their ranks. Former first Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke of Eleanor Roosevelt as her inspiration and in 2008 Mrs. Clinton became the first woman to be a serious contender for the presidential nomination of a major political party. Prior to her first attempt for the presidency, she served as a Senator from New York State and Secretary of State during President Obama’s first term. Regardless of one’s feelings or political leanings regarding these women, it cannot be denied that they have carved out a place in history despite the challenges that come with being a woman in a field that has been and continues to be dominated by men.

Adultery, affairs and gossip—history is full of this—look no further than at Rachel Jackson, the second wife of President Andrew Jackson. When Rachel was seventeen, she married Lewis Robards who proved to be extremely jealous and distrustful of his beautiful and social wife. He believed that there was more than a simple friendship between her and Jackson, and he was right. Robards threatened Jackson and wanted to settle the matter with a duel. Rachel and Jackson fled to her sister’s home in Natchez, which was a Spanish colony at that time. When Robards realized that Rachel would never come back to him, he filed for divorce. In 1791, Rachel married Jackson and for two years they lived in Nashville, Tennessee. Unfortunately, the newlyweds did not know that the divorce had never been finalized thereby making Rachel, in the public’s opinion a bigamist and an adulteress. They remarried after the divorce was finalized and Jackson’s

presidential opponents attempted to use this scandal to their advantage—to no avail.

Marriage, scandal, politics—The 20th and 21st centuries are filled with these issues. President Warren G. Harding was famous for his parties in the White House—during

Prohibition! President John Kennedy and his alleged multiple affairs while occupying the White House was the subject of numerous books and exposes. President Bill Clinton and his roving eye became a liability and fodder for the tabloids and political opponents to this day.

These examples are just the very tip of the ice-berg named humanity. These human beings

are what make history interesting, exciting, provocative and repetitive! Why? Because ultimately history is just the story of people—with the same flaws, weaknesses, strengths and dreams. Once we truly understand that, we can learn from the people who came before us and build on their successes and no longer repeat their mistakes.

Which do you prefer?

• Watching Reality TV
• Learning about history
• Googling random facts