Somewhere, between “woke” and “whitewashed”, is what really happened.
These terms are modern inventions, of course.
They reflect the feelings and perceptions of the generations who coined them. Future historians will barely acknowledge these terms, and one day, they will fade from existence altogether. The people who inhabit this land won’t relate to these perceptions, or understand these terms….if they take notice of them at all.
We will all just be a part of the nameless, ancient past. Like the people before and after us.
In the meantime, like everyone who has gone before us, we try to make sense of the past and our connection to it—and are limited by our own place on the human timeline:
We use words which make the most sense to our worldview.
We label historical figures as good or evil, depending upon our perspective.
We condemn and congratulate, naming the victors and the vanquished by a canon formed by our cultural, social, religious, and political positions.
We grant ourselves the authority to make judgments on people of the past because we’re so much more progressive and enlightened than they were, despite the fact that—one day—our turn is coming.
Our interpretation of the past is sometimes accurate, sometimes inaccurate, but always deeply personal.
Just like theirs was.
Somewhere, between historical fact (what really happened) and historical interpretation (how we explain what happened), is the truth.
And the truth is worth pursuing.
The Homeschool Historian 