Sometimes it feels like in our history classes, all we ever learn about is war. American History in particular is framed by war: Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Spanish American War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, then Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Iraqi Freedom. Even if you learn about periods of time that we weren't at war, they're typically framed as something that just happened to happen between wars: antebellum was recovery from a catastrophic war, the Great Depression ended when World War II happened, etc. (Not saying that's true, it's just something I vaguely remember from my 4th grade history class).
As human beings, war is very interesting sociologically speaking. Humans tend to segregate themselves, to see the world as "us" against "them" "them" being, essentially "not us". This has always been the case, with the romans calling anyone who didn't speak latin "barbarians." War has a place in our society, and as such, it has a place in public history. How many war memorials are there in Ohio do you think there are? In Dayton? There are probably more than you think. Just down the road from my apartment is a memorial park. It's literally just a median with a bench and a plaque. But its there in honor of fallen veterans. Why do we have such a fascination with war? Stay tuned....that's what my presentation is on!
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