9. Explain the fifth reason why history is an interpretation according to Edwin Fenton.

From SJS Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search

Return to History 8 Historiography Manual Assignments

Explain the fifth reason why history is an interpretation according to Edwin Fenton.

According to Edwin Fenton, the path of history is majorly changed by selecting certain facts to tell, and leaving out others. Simply leaving out a detail that does not seem important enough to the historian compiling the data, may change others' interpretation of history. At a point point, historians must make a choice to tell one fact and not the other, because if historians were to tell all of the facts, it would be to specific and no humans could comprehend them all. Overall, as expressed by Edwin Fenton, every historian has their own interpretation of history due to choosing what facts are important, and what are not.

-Scotty Malcolm

fenton.jpg

Sources (Picture) Our History-The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute - Carnegie Mellon University." Our History-The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute - Carnegie Mellon University. Accessed August 21, 2015.

"History as Interpretation" Origins. Comp. Rosie Beniretto. Ed. Ganesa Collins. Houston, Texas: St. John's School, 2015-2016. chapter page numbers. Print

For more information on Edwin Fenton go to http://www.history.cmu.edu/faculty/fenton.html