This is particularly a problem with local history. The young and middle-agers sometimes enjoy national and international history, colorfully portrayed in history channel documentaries, described in popular historical novels, and made exciting in movies. Local history has no such advantages.
So what can be done to make local history exciting and attractive to more than just those of us on Social Security?
One way might be to approach local high school and university classes in history and government. Enthusiastic and charasmatic historical society volunteers could perhaps recruit some students as interns or assign them to special projects for their classes. Many curricula even include credits under “special projects,” “field research,” “senior projects,” or “independent study.” My local historical society hosts field trips for third-graders. Other ideas?
Maybe some amateur archival work. Maybe interviews of old-timers to capture what might be lost. Maybe researching the history of individual local governments. Maybe the evolution of specific areas, covering ecology, Native Americans, and settlers.
And not just old history, but the recent (100-year) history of local civics, as well. Maybe researching the Ohio Revised Code with respect to local elections, ordnances, levies and petitions. Maybe looking into the evolution of local policing, differences between county sheriffs, village and city police departments, and the state. Maybe local school system evolution and determination of school districts.
Local history and civics seems not to be taught overmuch in high schools, possibly because limited teaching time is focused on state-level mandated curricula and testing. And college curricula seldom mention them. Yet every young adult is directly affected. Evolution from farming to suburbia, changing demographics, local effects of national policy, natural resources, forms of municipal government, annexation and incorporation history, voting history, evolution of local governmental forms, infrastructure growth — we all live with these things and should know not only the basics, but how they came about and how they are continually changing.
Things didn’t just happen; all these evolved and had history. There were reasons. There were people. When we learn about our national government we learn its history as well; we cannot fully understand what we have unless we know how it came about. We cannot separate what we have from how we got it, else we will never improve.
And it would be great to get the younger two generations interested and involved at a local level. All history is local, at least in effect, and now is tomorrow's history.
Things didn’t just happen; all these evolved and had history. There were reasons. There were people. When we learn about our national government we learn its history as well; we cannot fully understand what we have unless we know how it came about.
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