When I was first asked the question “What is History and How do you do it?” I didn’t know where to begin to answer it. 
This course has not only helped me answer that question, but it has also helped me develop historical thinking skills. History is a diverse and broad subject. What I like about history is that is teaches us abount real events of the past which can be understood in a multitude of ways. You can turn history into whatever you want it to be with enough evidence to back up your perspective.
Throughout this course we covered a variety of events that led to the confederation of Canada. These historic events lead to what Canada is today. Each event of the past still has some influence on us today, as the events of the past are the building blocks for the future. Historical events are recorded and taught to us. It is up to the learner to interpret these events. With my historical thinking skills I have learned to look at historical events with a unbiased opinion, as well as to look at each event from different views. Throughout the course I have learned how to think historically.
Throughout this course we learned about many significant events and topics that lead to the confederation of Canada. Some topics that I found very interesting were the significance of indigenous people in pre confederation Canada, British Colonization, and the American Revolution. The indigenous people were already present when the Europeans started to explore Canada. The indigenous peoples ways of life were not understood by the British. This lead to the attempted assimilation of the indigenous people, this created a massive loss of traditions, religion and culture. I also felt that the colonization of the British which lead to the American Revolution was also a significant event. The American Revolution was the beginning of Canada becoming a independent nation, as people were revolting the British rule. Although multiple events lead to the confederation of Canada, Canadian history should be looked at as a whole to fully understand the significance of the events.
Throughout the term we read a variety of documents and we wrote about the documents from a historians point of view. We learned how to think historically. Thinking historically means asking questions about the documents that you are analyzing such as “Why is this significant for Canadian history?”, “Is this an accurate or credible source?”, or “What lead to this event?”. My first reading log was not my best work throughout the course. As the course went on I learned to ask questions about the document I was analyzing. I also started to use in text citations to support my arguments, (see my other reading logs for support with my arguments).
When you are analyzing a historical document you get to interpret it into your understanding and create an argument to depict what you are taking away from the document. It is also important to take the date of the event into considerations as that influences the society and context of that time period, which varies throughout history. Understanding history requires more than just researching some documents, reading some articles, and composing a paper. To fully understand an event that happened in the past you must acknowledge the time and place that it happened. You also have to consider who the author of the document is to realize any underlying bias. Society influences the writer and the documents. For example the European Jesuits were influenced by religion to start teaching others of the ways of their god to save people from damnation. Although in today’s society religion is not as prominent, things such as social media influence people today. When you are assessing historical events it is important to understand the point of view from the time period that you are studying.
When I use my historical thinking skills in everyday life it has helped me to expand my worldview. I use an unbiased opinion when I am learning about new things as it helps me create a more broad understanding of the topic. It is important to look at all of the facts. It is important to not look at historical events with a one sided view as many historical events were recorded by many different groups of people. The author of the historical document changes the view the event was documented in. History has helped shaped the world into what is today, it is important to educate people on events of the past, as historical events are the building blocks for the future.