People ask me why I chose history to be my second major. They ask me questions like: "Why do you want to study something that's already happened?" or "You must like to read." or "What's the point?" That last question is the one that gets me every time. And it's usually the one that people have the hardest time understanding. Contrary to popular belief, the study of history is not always dragging around old textbooks.
As a historian, I choose a general field to study. For me, that field is American History. When I tell people that, they are like, "Paul Revere, British Are Coming, Boston Tea Party, Constitution, Blah, Blah, Blah." But, there is so much more. Dr. Joshua Guthman here at Berea College (and a role model of mine in relation to the study of history) just finished a book about the Primitive Baptists. I have a friend who is an archaeologist and has traveled all over the world. I, myself, have been researching President John F. Kennedy for about three and a half years. There are so many facts and ideas and events that people do not know anything about. And what is so satisfying about studying history is that you can be a historian of literally ANYTHING. You can be a Media Historian, Presidential Historian, Aviation Historian - I am a Masonic Historian (I study the history of Freemasonry) - anything you are interested in. Choose something you are passionate about, and if you don't like what you are studying, study something else. There is so much freedom in history as opposed to other fields.
But the main reason to study history is so we do not repeat it. The world's greatest leaders, visionaries, lawmakers, and writers have all studied history in one way or another. By examining the past, we can not only predict the future, but protect the future. Mold it. Shape it. Rearrange it into whatever kind of future we, as humans, strive for. We can see those people who have done such inhumane things to such wonderful people and see the signs and stop such things from ever happening again or, at least, give it a run for its money.
I promise you, whatever you study, someone somewhere, some time is going to find your work and you have that ability to take the passion that you have for the subject and instill it in someone else. History changes lives. It changes outlooks. It changes people, places, countries, and the world. So that's why I study history. Because it's not just to examine the past, it's to make a way for a future that is the best future it can be.
