The problem with history classes is…well, actually, there are several. First, most classes are taught chronologically–I agree that it’s nice and orderly to learn that way, but the timeline seems to be more important than the actual events then. Secondly, context is usually missing, and as we all should know, context is everything.  Third, many of us seem to prefer a washed out, sanitized version of history. Our great leaders have no flaws. America is always right, or at least not really really wrong. This is palpably not true. I personally find it easier to admire historical figures who do have ethical conflicts, who weren’t perfect. And it’s difficult to see the whole picture if you’re only given part of the story.

History is sometimes seen as a domain of elites and, well, wankers. Sure, it can be fun to discuss the apotheosis of Alexander the Great, but anybody can talk about how he got people to worship him as a god.  History doesn’t have to be as dry as the dust of centuries. You may not like all eras of history in all countries equally and that’s ok. What’s important is that you understand that history is not just political history: presidents elected, monarchs succeeding to the throne, this battle fought with these tactics and strategy and this outcome. Everything has a history. You can study jazz history or baseball history or the history of diseases. The study of a nation includes not only its elections and wars, but the history of the people. Why did President X win the election? What were the social repercussions of World War I, and how did they differ from those of World War II? Is it really a shame that our current national leaders aren’t the great orators that our Founding Fathers were, and why aren’t they? You can ask all kinds of questions about histories of movements and peoples: describe the societal impact of the successful suffragette movement and make an argument how feminism did or did not grow out of it. History isn’t a snoozefest unless it’s taught like that; it can be endlessly entertaining, fun, inspiring, and useful.

Everybody’s heard the old saw that those who don’t understand history are doomed to repeat it. Yes and no. Nothing ever plays out exactly as it did the first time, but it can be damned instructive to pay attention to the past. Case in point: the Versailles Treaty. Germany was crushed following World War I by the allies, and we all know what that led to: World War II. The mistakes of the Versailles Treaty were not made again; the leaders of Germany were punished in Nuremberg (victors’ justice? That’s for another day) , but the countries savaged by war were helped out by the Marshall Plan. The past really is prologue; study the past.

So. Answer this series of questions correctly based on your current knowledge and you’re excused from class with a guaranteed A.

1. Who were the first successful colonists in America?

2. How did disease help the European conquest of the New World?

3.  What role did the French play during the Revolutionary War?

4. Why did Lee decide to invade Maryland during the Civil War and what were the consequences?

5. Why did the French surrender so quickly in World War II, and what were the consequences for the Allies?