Cameron Carpenter

US History

6/1/18

Importance of History

Many students dislike history classes. They think the content in the classes will be

useless to them after they graduate. They don’t realize that the purpose of history is to learn

about the past, so society does not repeat the terrible events that occurred; it needs to try to

learn from the progress that was made and continue in it. Specifically, the social, technological,

and economical impacts throughout American history are important to look at.

For example, the Civil War caused major social issues between the North and the South;

the North judged the South for having slaves. The importance of the Civil War became the

realization that slavery was a terrible mark on American history that caused many unnecessary

deaths. It is important to remember the Civil War so it is not repeated. The Civil Rights

Movement is also important in relation to social impacts. The Civil Rights Movement was a

combination of African Americans wanting equal rights and acting accordingly along with the

government actually starting to condone their actions. It is important to remember because it

shows us how unnecessary the hate crimes and prejudice was against the African Americans

and that society needs to keep moving into acceptance and recognition that we all deserve

equal rights.

Furthermore, the technological advances throughout history share importance. The

Industrial Revolution for example, allowed for faster processes and more efficient uses of

materials. The steam engine drill, electric light, and telegraph are just some examples. The drill

allowed for a faster process to collect oil, the electric light was less expensive than gas and

safer to use, and the telegraph allows people to communicate over long distances in just a few
seconds. These historical, technological advances allowed people to use their time and

resources on more important activities, like human relationships, by not having to worry about

the troublesome realities and work required just to survive. The Cold War also had one major

technological advancement, the nuclear bomb. This weapon brought the extinction of many

traditional wars, especially against the Soviet Union. Nuclear bombs are important to remember

because they put countries at a standstill, and people didn’t have to fight directly. In summary,

the nuclear bomb saved American lives, despite the criticism they received.

Lastly, the economical progressions in World War II and throughout the 1990’s helped

America prosper. The production boom of WWII pulled the US out of the Great Depression. This

fact shows that war is sometimes encouraged because it can be profitable, but that doesn’t

justify putting human lives at risk. On the other hand, the economic boom in the 90’s did not

really have any negative effects. The GDP increased for almost ten years, it created jobs, and

there was low inflation. The federal government even ended up billions of dollars in surplus.

This progression is important to remember because society can look back at it today and try to

recreate the success in the economy again.

Clearly, history is important to learn in many different aspects including the social,

technological, and economical impacts. They allow society to reflect on the past to ensure that

the horrendous events in history are never repeated and to allow the great events to continue.

The importance of history does not lie in the past, but rather in the future.