Revision of History

“History is written by the victors.” – Winston Churchill

When I read about history, I want to be presented with a complete view of the event or person. I never enjoy it when someone presents history skewed to their perspective. Yet, I enjoy reading history when something is presented in a new light.

If you are going to report on something historically, I believe that you need to be neutral on all aspects to it, never lean towards one side or another. This might seem naive on my part, but I think if you do this, then you present a clear picture of what happened. The outcome will remain the same, but with accurate facts.

Currently I am reading Grant by Jean Edward Smith, which is about Ulysses S. Grant. On the back of the book it states ’... today Grant is remembered as a brilliant general but a failed president’. In the preface the following statements are made:

In the White House, he dominated the country’s political scene for eight years, providing the stability that steadied the nation after years of war and upheaval. Yet his president has been denounced by most historians…”

… attributed the denigration of Grant’s presidency to the fact that his enemies wrote better than his friends.

In this book, the author is trying to present Grant in a new viewpoint. He reporting Grant’s life, without the bias that turned our perspective on him. How history has treated Grant, supports Winston Churchill when he said that history is written by the victors. Even if the person is not the victor, history can still alter the perspective of the person. This is a great example of presenting someone in a new light, without being biased.

For another example, what do you first remember about Custer’s Last Stand when growing up? Do you remember him as a valiant warrior standing up against the Indians? Or is it from high school when you learned how he foolishly attacked a stronger force then his? The story of Custer’s Last Stand shows how history can create a hero, yet over time the truth comes out, showing a more accurate viewpoint of him. In this case, it was due to the efforts of his wife that led to him being remembered as a valiant hero. It was only after her death that people started to review what actually happened. The way Custer is remembered is due to someone skewing the perspective of an event towards their own goals.

Naturally there are times when new information is discovered that leads to viewing a historical event, or person, in a new light. The release of sealed records or other unknown documents can alter our view point. There are still times, when we may not know what happened and an assumption needs to be made. Should an assumption have to be made, it should reflect an accurate possibility, instead of a biased possibility.

Recently, I saw that there is some speculation on James Buchanan being the first homosexual president. This speculation stems from the 15 years he lived with William King, Franklin Pierce’s vice-president. There is no clear information about this relationship, so I question how accurate is it? Any letters between the two men were destroyed by other people. So where does the person gather the information from to make the assumption? Is it an accurate assumption or is it biased towards someone’s own goals? Yes, there are times when assumptions have to be made regarding history, but the person making that assumption needs to make an accurate possibility based on limited information.

An example of trying to make an accurate possibility is The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. He admits that the scenes he writes about H.H. Holmes murdering his victims, only Holmes and the victims knew what happened. He tries to make it accurate based upon limited information. It is presented in a manner where you believe it that it could have happened that way.

History does need to be studied, learned from, and understood. It is possible for history to be reevaluated with new information or looking at it in a new light. But if we start changing history to suit our own needs and ends, then we alter what has come before us. An open mind should be kept when researching or studying history. If an assumption has to be made, then the best care needs to be done in presenting an accurate possibility.