Congrats to my PLP 12 class! We recently did our English 12 provincial exam, and now that English is over it’s time to move on to history. Before we start studying 20th century history our class was tasked with figuring out: What is history? We were split into groups and then given some time to find 3 definitions of history per group. Each group was then tasked with creating a sentence to define history and then present our findings to the class. These are the definitions we came up with:

1. History is a biography of humanity and our past chronicles made up of what we remember, not what we thought.

2. History is often the worst parts of the past that we are able to recognize in the present.

3. History is a study of the past looked at by a new perspective, often written by the victors

4. History is a collection of interpreted, undefined events that gives purpose to our lives and our future

5. The study of history tells a story of past events based on knowledgeable investigation

6. History is a study of the past through a narration of events which in turn allows for a dialogue between the past and present, to further establish our knowledge of people and major events.

From these six definitions our class was able to get a better idea of what history can be defined as. To further our understanding each group was then assigned a historical lens which we had to learn how to apply. After becoming masters of using our specific lens (hopefully) we then had to teach the rest of the class our lens, and give them an example of how to apply it. By the end of the presentations the class had learned about all six lenses.

My group consisted of Luciano, Spencer and Jackson and we were focusing on ethical judgement. We then applied this lens to the Kent State shootings.

The other lenses that we learned about from the other groups’ presentations were Historical Significance, Evidence and Interpretation, continuity and change, cause and consequence and historical perspective. Through applying these six lenses we should be able to gain a better understanding of historical events. To explain these lenses to you I made little summaries of the six lenses. I used an app called Canva to edit pages of a booklet. This app was actually really cool and I enjoyed using it quite a bit. I’ve actually had it on my iPad for a while, so I’m not sure why I have’t used it until now. Anyways, I made pages of a book, but they’re just in picture form right now, so imagine they are pages of a booklet as you are reading them.

Now that we know about the six lenses it’s time to apply them! So in this post, I’m going to be practicing by using these lenses to gain a better understanding of the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941.

1. Historical Significance

The attack on Pearl Harbour was considered notable at the time of the event due to the fact U.S. wasn’t in the war until this attack. This event is what ended up causing U.S. to join the war, and they played a huge role in the rest of the war. This event is considered historically significant because of these consequences, and along with that, it has ended up being a patriotic symbol for the U.S.A.
After December 7th, 1941, Americans felt more like they were a part of their country and their sense of patriotism grew. They were all fighting for the same thing, and the attack on Pearl Harbour ended up uniting them.
The memorial for Pearl Harbour is visited by people all over the world who are hoping to remember, respect and learn about the events that took place during the attack. Americans look back on Pearl Harbour with both a sense of sadness and nationalism.

2. Evidence and Interpretation

Through looking into this event I have been mainly looking at secondary sources which have already put together the information from primary sources to explain what happened. When looking for secondary sources I have been careful to find trustworthy websites, rather than just blogs like this one. When looking for primary sources though, I found a gallery of front page newspaper articles from right after the attack on the Washington Post. These articles show the initial reactions of the public to the attacks which is interesting when getting an idea of the event. These articles are trustworthy because they are public newspapers. While there may be some bias and opinions in them, the facts should all be trustworthy.

3. Continuity and Change

While Pearl Harbour after the attack turned into a war zone, due to the natural beauty of the Hawaiian Islands, Oahu is a populatar tourist destination. Pearl Harbour has become a memorial for the attack, which always has tourists from all over the world going through it.
One lasting change after the attack is Japan ended up losing its oil source after China sided with the U.S.A., which is still in effect today. One major change we could consider from the attack, which made a turning point in history is the fact that this event caused the U.S.A. to join WWII. We will consider this change in the next lens, cause and consequence.

4. Cause and Consequence

Instead of thinking about why forcing U.S.A. joining the war wouldn’t be a good idea, Japan attacked Pearl Harbour, thinking of ways to destroy American fleets and conquer the Philippines and Malaya.
Instead, due to the attack, FDR officially declared war on Japan, joining WWII. Their entry into the war is a huge consequence of this event, due to how the war ended for Japan. If the U.S.A. hadn’t joined WWII, the atomic bombs likely wouldn’t have been dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. While Japan had intended to take out an American fleet, they hadn’t planned for the unintentional, long term consequences of the attack.

5. Historical Perspective

Due to the oil embargo Japan felt an attack on Pearl Harbour was necessary. The attack was part of a colonial conflict in Asia, not just an attack on the U.S.A. At the time, Japan felt the attack was something they had to do, and would be the right move which is why they did it. During war times critical decisions have to be made quickly, and this attack was one which they felt would be helpful to stage. Looking at what I know in the present, and the facts I have found from the past, it is clear that these attacks are what Japan thought would be best for their country.

6. Ethical Judgement

While what happened in Pearl Harbour on December 7th, 1941 deeply saddens me, I understand that it is what the Japanese felt would be the best move for their country at the time. The troops who attacked Pearl Harbour were only following orders, and during war times, unfortunately acts of violence are seen as a necessity to bring your country pride.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post on the six historical lenses, and my example of how to apply them to an event. Maybe next time when you’re learning about a historical event you can apply these same lenses!