Be Inspired by History Part III: Talk to the Elders

06/14/15 • 11 min

Hello History Friends and welcome back to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making history!

This is Robin and I’m so glad to see you here again to continue with our great and groundbreaking and amazingly inspirational series called “6 Fun and Easy Ways to be inspired by History”. Yes, this is a great and groundbreaking series because many people will discuss history and why history is so important but they often forget one thing: They forget that history can be amazingly inspirational. Many people forget (or they just don’t realize) that history is about people—their stories, their experiences, their successes, their failures, their lives. Our lives. Yes, that’s why I repeat that we are remembering history but we’re also making history—every day.

In the past two parts of this series, we have discussed different ways to learn and find history. In Part I, we discussed how books about history can be amazingly inspirational. Books that tell stories about people like biographies and autobiographies, narratives like the slave narratives that I read from and, of course, the non-fiction novels that bring history to life. I remember reading the book, The Summer of 1787 by David O. Stewart. That brought the constitutional convention (when the U.S. Constitution was being drafted) to life. I really felt like I was sitting in that sweltering and sticky room in Philadelphia listening to Alexander Hamilton lobby for greater federal power over the states, watching James Madison scribbling in the corner, writing down everything that was said in the room, and seeing George Washington sitting in front of the room, presiding over the convention.

This book was so vivid that I felt, at times, that I was actually sitting in the pub with the delegates during the evening as they discussed issues from poetry to slavery. That inspired me. Yes, I actually learned to love history and was inspired by history by way of books. But it’s not the same for everyone. I get that!

In Part II, we discussed great movies about historical events and people that can also be amazingly inspirational. Some movies are based on actual events in history like Lincoln, Men of Honor and Amistad. Others were fictionalized works with an historical basis like The Color Purple, Saving Private Ryan and Beloved. All of these movies were incredible and, as I said, amazingly inspirational. Movies are a great way to access history and to be inspired by the stories, events and the people. I briefly mentioned documentaries are purely non-fiction and can also inspire the viewer. Please don’t overlook them; they are often well made and well researched and tell the stories beautifully.

Well, that’s brings us to Part III of “6 Fun and Easy ways to be inspired by history.”!

Talk to the elders

What do I mean? Great question. I mean that you should talk to your parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, or anyone whom you trust that is older than you; they are your elders. They could be teachers, neighbors, or even the elderly lady at the coffee shop. Ask them about historical events, people from history or anything from the past. Some of them might have been alive during a certain period or event like the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, or during the growth dotcom bubble. I have a story that I want to share with you about this method of being inspired by history, about talking to your elders.

I try not to have many regrets but one of my biggest regrets is that I didn’t spend more time talking with (or rather listening to) my great-grandmother whom we affectionately called Big Mama. She was born after slavery but had a depth of knowledge about slavery. She also knew about the Reconstruction Era, sharecropping and about life for African Americans in the early part of the 20th century—when slavery was over but Blacks were working to establish themselves as Americans with all the rights and liberties afforded in the Constitution. How did she know about these things? She was there; she was a witness to the triumphs and tribulations experienced during that time. I was 12 years old when she died in the 1970s. I never took the opportunity to talk with her about these historical events. I am not making the same mistake. Today, I ask questions to my parents who were part of the civil rights movement. I ask questions of all the elders that I meet about their life experiences and their thoughts about the history that I’m searching for in books.

Learning from our elders is a tradition that is deeply rooted in African culture. They give us the lessons and give us the background. From them, we get the “big picture.” From them, we get the nuances that are not found in the textbooks or are edited out of the movies. From our elders, we get our history as a people and the history of our family. We get the history of us. And they love to te...

Hello History Friends and welcome back to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making history!

Well, that’s brings us to Part III of “6 Fun and Easy ways to be inspired by history.”!

Talk to the elders

Previous Episode

Be inspired by history, Part II: Watch Great Movies

Hello History Friends and welcome back to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making history. I’m glad that you have returned for this fantastic, trailblazing and incredibly amazing series called “6 Fun and Easy Ways to be inspired by history”! And I believe this series really is all those things. Why? Because anything that can help to inspire us in so many different ways (and to such great heights) must be fantastic, trailblazing and incredibly amazing-or at least just incredibly amazing!

What have we learned so far? In Part I, we discovered that you can be inspired by books about history. I’m not talking about the 800 or 1,000-page history textbooks from high school and college though some people could be inspired by them. But I am talking about history as great literature. I mentioned the “non-fiction novel” that was first used by Truman Capote when he wrote In Cold Blood. Then I also mentioned the Pulitzer prize-winning book, The Devil in the Grove, written by Gilbert King that brought the setting and players of the early civil rights movement to life. Definitely get that book!

I discussed and read excerpts from slave narratives and from Frederick Douglass’s autobiography, which presented history directly from the people involved. In short, we discovered that books about history can be amazingly inspirational when they are works of real literature that tell stories rather than feed us names, dates and death counts. As David McCullough said, “No harm is done to history by making it something that someone would want to read.” I have many inspirational books about history in the bookstore at rememberinghistory.com. So, I hope that you’ll look there and find something for you. Remember that I have personally read and vetted these sources so you can trust them. Or you can hold me accountable if you don’t like them.

Today (in Part II), we will examine another way to be inspired by history.

Watch Great Movies

I understand that there are lots of people who just prefer not to read. Or they have to read all day so they don’t want to spend their evenings and weekends reading too. I get that! And I don’t make any judgments.

There are fantastic movies that bring history to life and are amazingly inspirational too. Just like books, movies walk the line between fiction and nonfiction. Here are some examples: Amistad (about the transatlantic slave trade and a group of captured Africans who demand to be returned home). Twelve Years a Slave (about the experience of Solomon Northrup who was a free black man, captured and sold into slavery for 12 years), Glory (about a black army troop during the Civil War), Schlinder’s List (about the Jewish holocaust and the rescue of Jews during WWII), Saving Private Ryan (follows a marine troop during World War II), Lincoln (about the passage of the 13th Amendment), Selma (about the civil rights movement, including the marches and protests to demand voting rights) and many other movies immersed audiences in great historical events or the lives and experiences of people from the past. (By the way, I just want to mention that most of these movies are based on books, nonfiction novels—they are great reads!) These movies could be called big screen equivalents of Capote’s nonfiction novel. Still, these types of movies are firmly based in fact but they present as stories. In movies, this means that there is some creative license to “fill in details” or make slight changes to the truth, the true story, in order to make the story flow well and connect on the screen.

Other movies are purely works of fiction but are so well researched and presented that they also cross the line into inspirational works of true history. Remember The Color Purple showed life in the 1920s American south for Celie who endured racism, sexism and abuse before she discovered her own power and self-worth. Beloved by Toni Morrison which shows the horrors of slavery and the aftermath—emotional, physical and psychological effects—of that terrible practice. Other movies brought painful stories to life but also inspired us to overcome our own challenges and hardships. Personally, I will never forget the film, Men of Honor, with Cuba Gooding, Jr. Who could fail to be inspired by that movie? I could go on and on (you know that I can) about the different movies and how they can be so inspirational but I promised to keep it wiki (remember that’s Hawaiian for quick) so I won’t mention any more of them but I will encourage to follow the link (if you’re reading the blog) or go to the Remembering History Podcast page on Facebook for a great list and discussion of these movies. And remember that you can purchase them in the Books & Stuff store on the website.

On a slightly different note, leaving the nonfiction novel-type of movie, I want to mention documentaries. No sighs or rolling eyes please! Documentaries usually delve deeply i...

Next Episode

Be Inspired by History, Part IV: Visit Great Historic Sites

Note: This is a transcript from the podcast series called "6 Fun & Easy ways to be inspired by history!"

Hello history friends and welcome back to rememberinghistory.com where we are remembering history and we’re making history!

This is Robin and I’m really glad that you have come back to hear Part IV in this great and groundbreaking wiki history podcast series called “6 Fun & Easy ways to be inspired by history”! Today, we will explore the fourth way to be inspired, but before I reveal this amazingly inspirational way to be inspired by history, I just want to briefly review the past three ways.

In Part I, we found ways to be amazingly inspired by books about history. Okay, textbooks can be kinda boring so we focused on “nonfiction novels” that are true stories, written as a novel (as piece of fiction). I have read many nonfiction novels that bring history to life and are without a doubt, amazingly inspirational. We also examined autobiographies (like Frederick Douglass’s narrative) and slave narratives—we actually read excerpts from each of these sources—and discovered that, while they can be heartbreaking works, they also show how people have triumphed over terrible odds, in short, they can be amazingly inspirational.

In Part II, we examined movies about history. We discovered that many movies (following the format of the nonfiction novel) can be amazingly inspirational by showing how good people can triumph over evil. Remember we mentioned Men of Honor (with Cuba Gooding, Jr.), Amistad and Glory. And we mentioned other movies not based on true events but still based in history like The Color Purple. Very interesting in that these movies are based on books. And I absolutely don’t want to forget—or want you to forget—that documentaries can also be inspirational. Amazingly inspirational, in fact, because they tell stories and bring history to life.

In the previous section, Part III, we showed that we don’t need to read books about history or watch movies about history though these are great ways to be inspired. But we can talk to people—or listen to people—who actually lived through historic events. Imagine talking to someone who actually worked as a freedom rider in the 1960s, helping to register people to vote in the American south or talking to a person who actually attended a segregated school. Remember we can—and should—talk to the elders and hear their stories. We can learn so much from them. But remember that they will not be around forever—no one is---so take the time today to hear their stories and experiences. Talk to your elders—you’ll be glad that you did.

Today’s podcast takes us to the 4th way to be inspired by history.

Visit historical sites

If pictures speak 1,000 words, then actually visiting the place amounts to 10,000 words! There are so many great places to visit. Visiting an historic site is amazingly inspirational and moving. Battlefields, cemeteries, museums, historic homes like the Frederick Douglass (I discussed it in a previous podcast), historic churches, monuments, old towns to name just a few historic sites can bring history to life. In another previous podcast (okay, I know it’s a shameless plug), I discussed Harper’s Ferry in West Virginia where John Brown and his provisional army launched one of the largest slave revolts in U.S. history. It is an incredible place—fully restored—where this historic raid actually occurred, walk through a real and restored 19th century Antebellum southern town, bake bread in real beehive ovens and visit the Storer’s College where newly-freed slaves received an education. Last year, I visited the slave quarters at Mount Vernon (George Washington’s plantation home).

I will never forget this experience because I was actually able to see how the enslaved people lived and learn about their life on the plantation of the first president. As much I had read about slavery and slave life, I could not have guessed how slaves actually lived, the room, the floor, the feeling in the room. I have also witnessed the haunting and heartbreaking concentration camps in Poland and Germany, the stormy beaches and high cliffs at Normandy, the small village of Pompeii that still sits in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, which decimated the city almost 2,000 years ago. Yes, the bodies are still there, frozen in time, some in sleeping positions like people have slept every night since that fateful eruption. Closer to home, I remember visiting the restored old town of Sacramento which brought the old west to life. Visiting these historical sites changed me and educated me about the reality of these places, events and situations to life. I know that this is a very short list; there are so many places to visit, so much to learn, so much inspiration just waiting for us to visit.

I return to David McCullough who presented the question: Is life not infinitely more enjoyable when you can stan...