My feelings toward history were less than amicable before taking History 222. In high school, I had a history teacher who made me resent history instead of appreciate it, and those feelings had not yet been resolved. I understood how being knowledgeable in the field of history contributes to our development as citizens but struggled to find motivation to actually study history. During HIST 222, my outlook on history changed and I was finally able to embrace history in a more present and active way. One of the assignments we were tasked was writing a review on a debated historical issue. These assignments presented history in such a way that it was revealed how fluid, dynamic, and foundational history truly is. I started to appreciate and understand how to know where we can go, we must first know where we came from. Looking back on historical topics in this manner demonstrated to me how vital it is to be informed and invested in current events as we are truly living history.
Below is a review of the issue “Was President Truman Responsible for the Cold War?”. At the beginning of the semester, it proved challenging to evaluate historical events from two contrasting views, compared to merely taking a textbooks word for how events unfolded. I found that while challenging, these reviews offered an opportunity to immerse myself in history in such a way more than merely memorizing a timeline of events. Moving forward, I want to continue to learn history from a more personal perspective alongside pursuing a sense of civic duty.