History can help inform today’s debates

It is easy to dismiss some groups in society as just plain ridiculous. However, when we learn history, we often become more tolerant of these groups. History can inform us that today’s struggles share many of the same characteristics with struggles from long ago. When we know that the mindset of the people involved in today’s political, economic, and social struggles is not a mindset unique to our time, we are less likely to dismiss their opinions outright.

I find that knowing some history helps me think differently about the people resisting the removal of statues of Civil War generals. The argument in favor of bringing down these statues is that the war was fought over slavery and that keeping the statues in place is deeply offensive to African Americans. The counter argument is that the South has regional pride and these statues are just a manifestation of this pride.

I have to admit, I do not identify myself with a town or a state. I was born and raised in New Jersey, and I can tell you that people in this state do not view themselves as Jerseyites (to coin a new word); rather, they view themselves as Americans. During the Civil War, my ancestors were in Ireland trying to harvest enough potatoes to survive. I never grew up with stories of how my family members fought in the Great War, so my family never led me to identify with one side or another side. To me, the Civil War was just another war to read about.

Given my background, and since I identify myself as a member of a nation, not as a member of a locality, it would have been easy to dismiss local identification as a story people tell to hide darker motives. However, a reading of history suggests that local identification is a real and powerful force in the lives of people throughout history. Without the benefit of reading history, I would have been left assuming everyone identified their self on a national level, like I did.

Here is a historical example of history that I find helpful when thinking about the statue debate. In Medieval and Renaissance times, Italy did not exist. People identified with their town of origin. A Florentine would have been offended to be lumped in with people from Luca or Pisa, even though these cities are all in the same providence (Tuscany). They would have been even more horrified to be lumped in with the “barbarians’ in Naples or Sicily. People outside of Florence would have had similar pride in their own cities. Of course, Italy did unify, at least mostly, by 1871. However, even today in Italy people identify themselves as being from their local area, not from the country.

Joe mcgarrity

Seeing a mindset exist in a different place and in a different time can make all of us more tolerant of that mindset when we see it today. It is comforting to know that the some viewpoints have consistently been held throughout history. By knowing that these viewpoints have such a long track record, we can all find it more difficult to dismiss these ideas as unworthy of consideration.

Joe McGarrity is a professor of economics at the University of Central Arkansas. Contact him by email at joem@uca.edu.