The notion that we must study history lest we should repeat it is too often disregarded as a mere platitude. Students question when they will ever use the contents of their social studies courses. They eschew advanced courses in the subject in favor of higher level math and science. The social studies are relegated to a backseat behind STEM initiatives. After all, these are the tools of progress, are they not? However; the road to a better future is not so simple.
This is not to say that the study of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics lacks value. It is immensely valuable. The study of STEM fields allows us to innovate, to create, to understand. It provides an invaluable tool for building and improving our surroundings. But it is not all there is.
A worldview based solely on technological advancement as the ultimate path of humanity lacks scope and perspective, and lends itself to creating a young population at once well educated and ignorant to the world around them. Raising the social studies to a position of import is vital to balancing such a worldview, and more important still to offer the context necessary for students to grow into responsible, active, and informed citizens. America prides itself on both democracy and progress, one perpetuating the other, yet the spirit of both is threatened when the populace lacks a well rounded education in civics and history. Furthermore, the inclusion of social studies not only lend context to current affairs but to any other subject in which a student is educated. History encompasses math, science, art, music, language; to do without it is to cheapen all else. The study of social studies is the most effective tool for progress and knowledge. They have a singularly unique impact on current events and the continuing state of affairs locally and around the world. Politics are history made flesh and history is politics set into stone. Together, they form the very fabric of the world itself. I can think of nothing more vital to the future than their study and application on any and all scales.
