Names and Dates

[originally published on History Survey on 6/25/07]

History is all about names and dates, right? For me the answer is a big "No" and a small "Yes." You do not need to memorize names and dates for their own sakes, but you must figure out what events, personalities, cultural achievements, social structures, and modes of thought and behavior were historically significant. You must also consider how these various things were related to one another. Once you begin this process, you will find yourself constructing a historical narrative. In so doing, you will want to put names on people, things, and concepts, and you will need to know that some things happened before or after other things. As you reconstruct the past (thereby making it your own), you will learn which names matter to you and why. You will also have a fair idea of which dates matter and how precise they need to be.

I suggest that you focus not on memorizing names and dates, but instead on constructing one or more narratives of the past based on key themes revealed in the course. In the process, many names and dates will fall into place. A quick review of the textbook and your notes will reveal if there is anything important that you have left out. On the other hand, if you focus exclusively on names and dates, you will accumulate a jumble of information in your head that you will probably not be able to make sense of.