Laconia Human Relations Committee: Why is history important to our democracy?

“If you want to understand today ... you have to search yesterday.” — Pearl S. Buck

History is the foundation to understanding the past and shaping the future of our families, our communities and our nation.

As individuals, knowing our family history gives us a sense of identity, culture, traditions, connection, and self-empowerment. For example, knowing your family’s health history is vitally important for making good personal health choices.

As community members, knowing our community history extends and strengthens the family-to-family connections. It deepens our sense of belonging, empowerment, and resiliency within the community. For example, our schools are tasked with educating students to promote the skills necessary for living and working within a diverse community.

As citizens of the United States, we recognize our nation is a blend of various cultural identities which need to be bound together to maintain our democratic society. Knowing our country’s history is a key to belonging and contributing to a more perfect union. For example, knowing our nation’s history unifies, connects, empowers, and protects all the citizens, as it does with family and community.

Indeed, history is an ever-evolving tapestry of facts, interpretations, and understandings of who we are, where we have been and where we are going. As citizens, knowing the history of our country enriches our participation in the democratic process which is essential to our nation’s well-being.

It is most imperative for citizens who value the democratic union of our society to know our history as well as to recognize the many different, sometimes conflicting perspectives from which it is told. Hence, we have a moral and civic responsibility to respect the value of our national history.

•••

This is part of a series of essays on the topic "Toward a More Perfect Union." The Laconia Human Relations Committee envisions a world where everyone is treated with dignity, fairness, respect, and kindness.