Getting a Grip on History Generational History: A Personal Perspective on Teaching

By Guest Author, Steve McCarthy

The hardest thing about teaching history is trying to make it matter to kids who have no concept of the past and how it could possibly mean anything to them (let’s not fool ourselves, this is the vast majority of kids, always has been). Face it, when you’re fifteen, anything more than ten years ago is totally outside of your concept of time. The Vietnam War and the Thirty Years War were “back then.” Somewhere way back then. As lovers of history, we teachers have a tough time understanding that. Maybe, one percent of our students care. Maybe. It’s our job to make them care and make them see the connections.


This becomes painfully obvious when we consider that today’s students, from kindergarten to high school seniors were not even born when 9/11 happened. This gap was first brought home to me when I was doing my student teaching. It was 1973 and we were talking about the 60s. The 1960s. Naturally, the Kennedy assassination was a big topic to cover, and I made the point that everyone remembers exactly what they were doing when they heard the news. So, in my naiveté, I asked them to share what they were doing.  “Mr. McCarthy, we were only four years old.” Ugh. Feeling old at the age of 23.


So, how do we give the past perspective? How do we help students draw the comparisons? Over the years, I’ve used a concept I call “Generational History.” It’s not the years that have passed that matter. Anything out of one’s own lifetime is “a long time ago.” So, I needed a way to compress time. To bring the past into the present. Here’s how I do it to set it up. Others will have to figure some other personal connections to make for them.


The standard concept of a generation is twenty years. But generations overlap, they don't run end to end. So, when one considers the overlap, it makes it easier to understand how one person's "generation" can impinge on another's 146 years later. It's the understanding of how overlapping lifetimes compress history into manageable, relatable chunks that is important. If you think in terms of the overlap, then events such as the Civil War or WWII aren't really that long ago. Think perhaps in terms of that game "Seven Degrees of Separation," but instead of using Kevin Bacon, use an historical event. You'll find it's far fewer than seven degrees.

This idea of compressing history by using generations is one that works. It’s amazing to see the gears start to whirr as students make their own connections. It’s also fun to teach about Charlemagne and refer to him as “Gramps.” Yasee, some 38 people line up generationally to connect me to the first Holy Roman Emperor. That’s not really that long ago now, is it?
I can remember when I was very young, seeing a picture in Life magazine of a reunion of the last living Civil War veterans. They were all well over 100, and probably served as drummer boys in 1865 at the age of 10 or so. I never met them, but, given the right circumstances, I certainly could have. Civil War vets were alive in my lifetime. I first wrote about this in 2011. That meant that at the time, 146 years had passed since the Civil War. It also meant that there were people around today who could have met vets of that war. Certainly, my parents, then in their 80s would have seen them in 4th of July parades.


I can remember seeing a Spanish-American War Vet in a parade. My grandfather fought in WWI, my dad in WWII. As I write this today, there are still WWII vets around, as well as survivors of the Holocaust. They are getting fewer and fewer. High school students in 2021 will be among the last to be able to meet those people. They need to carry that legacy and pass it on. This is especially important when one reads of polls that show that some 22% of Americans either think the Holocaust never happened, or at best, was exaggerated.

My Grandfather Philip Ready and his WWI unit, ca 1917

My father, John McCarthy, ca 1944

Here are two specific historical events that can help students develop that historical perspective:


The Petition of Rights, 1628
We’re talking about Charles I and the lead-up to the English Civil War. Some 400 years ago. Dull, meaningless to today’s students. Wrong of course; the basic rights granted involved a promise by Charles that no taxes could be raised without the approval of Parliament, that troops could not be quartered in private homes (Chuckie had this neat trick of asking for “loans” from wealthy land owners, and if refused, forcing them to billet a regiment of troops on the estate, at the owner’s expense), and martial law could not be declared in time of peace. Cool.


Let’s go forward the same 146 years as we did for the US Civil War example. That puts us at 1774 or so. Ah, the light bulbs should be going on. What was the main slogan in our War for Independence? Why “No Taxation Without Representation.” The English wanted to raise the colonists’ taxes to help pay for their defense in the French and Indian Wars. Fair enough, but the colonists had no say in the matter (plus, they just didn’t want to pay). When the colonists protested, what happened? Why troops were quartered in private homes and martial law was declared in time of peace.


Here’s the big question: Would there be people in the colonies who knew people who were around for Chuck I and the English Civil War or knew people who were? Of course. How would they react to a clear cut abrogation of the guarantees of the Petition of Rights? The colonists protested further that all three were a violation of their rights as Englishmen, and Parliament essentially told them that they were mere colonists and not really English. So, do the events of 400+ years ago have a bearing on us today?

Execution of Charles I, ca. 1649

Boston Tea Party, ca. 1773

The Zimmerman Telegram
OK, this is more recent: WWI. Many know the story of the infamous note. It was a major reason why we got sucked into the Great War. England and France were desperate that we should, through our industrial weight and lots of bodies, jump into the bloodiest war ever (up to that point). The Germans were equally desperate that we not go over there. Up until the sinking of the Lusitania, US opinion was deeply divided. A large number were all for war to make the world safe for democracy, and honor our cultural ties to England. Another large number didn’t want any part of a European war.


The largest immigrant group in America at that time were Germans, who had left to escape struggles and whose motivations and loyalties were obvious. The next largest were Irish. The Irish wanted no part of helping the country that had subjugated them for hundreds of years, and wanted to support the German efforts. After all, Germany had been shipping arms to rebel groups in Ireland for years. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Lusitania of course changed public opinion. You know all this, I’m just setting things up.


Since it was an election year, Wilson refused to dive into war, running on a slogan “He Kept Us Out of War.” He won the 1916 election. He was inaugurated in March of 1917 and the US declared war in April. A record for breaking a campaign promise. What happened? Zimmerman happened. The idea was that Germany would offer assistance if Mexico invaded the US, tying up US forces and keeping us out of Europe. Why in the world would Germany think that Mexico would do such a stupid thing?


Two reasons:
First, Mexican-American relations were not very good to begin with in about 1915. Seems there was this bandito/revolutionary named Pancho Villa. Whenever he needed money to help his cause, he led raids into Texas and robbed banks. He’d flee back across the border, untouchable. Until the US government sent General Pershing (yes, that Pershing) to Texas. Villa led raids into Texas, and Pershing gave chase. Villa crossed the border and Pershing FOLLOWED him. Let’s see, what do you call it when your army enters another country without an invitation? This was all in 1915 or so.


Second, Go back some 70 years. What was happening to Mexican-American relations? Ah, the Mexican/American War, where the US grabbed about half of Mexico, and let’s be honest, we got the better half: California, Texas, Gold, Oil, and the best farm land. Would there be people in Mexico still angry? Heck, only 70 years? You betcha.


Zimmerman’s plan wasn’t such a half-baked idea after all. The Germans knew that the relations between the US and Mexico had a long and troubled history, but today, it’s hard for us to make these connections and see how they make sense.

Zimmerman Telegram, ca 1917

Just to give a further idea of how this new found understanding of historical perspective impacts us today, here is a list of statistics from over 100 years ago. Bear in mind, my grandparents were alive in 1907. My grandmother was born before humans could fly, and in her lifetime, she saw men walk on the Moon. Since in California, at least, high school United States history classes cover essentially the 20th Century, this may be of some help putting the world of 100 years ago into some kind of perspective. It obviously will be useful for all your classes, but most helpful in US classes. Have students look up what these stats would be today:


THE YEAR 1907
Here are some of the U.S. Statistics for the Year 1907: 

•  The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years old.
• Only 14% of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
• Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
• A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
• There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S. and only 144 miles of paved roads.
• The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
• Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California.
• With a mere 1.4 million people, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
• The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
• The average wage in the U.S. was 22 Cents per hour.
• The average U.S. worker made between $200 and $400  per year .
• A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year, a dentist made $2,500 per year, a veterinarian $1,500 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
• Ninety percent of all U.S. doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as "substandard."
• Sugar cost four cents a pound.
• Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
• Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
• Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
  
• Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
  
• Five leading causes of death in the U.S. were:
  
  •  Pneumonia and influenza
    
  • Tuberculosis
    
  • Diarrhea
    
  • Heart disease
    
  • Stroke
    
• The American flag had 45 stars.
  
• Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii, and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet.
  
• The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30.
  
• Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
  
• There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
  
• Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldn't read or write.
  
• Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
  
• Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores.
  
• Back then pharmacists said, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health." 
  
• There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE  U.S.A.
  

Submitted by Stephen McCarthy

Stephen McCarthy is a retired history teacher who, in his thirty years in the classroom, taught Advanced Placement European History, United States History, World History, Economics, and Psychology, while also serving as Department Chair for Social Studies in his last teaching assignment. In his career, he taught both high school and middle school students in co-ed, all-girls and all-boys environments.


Since his retirement, he has become an author of two travel books, Road Trippin’' and Road Trippin’-The Isles, and a series of spy thrillers set primarily in the 1970s, beginning with The Old Farts’ Spy Club. http://www.mccarthypix.com/


In addition, he has restored his two Road Trippin’ cars, a 1960 Triumph TR3 and a 1969 Citroen DS21 Safari wagon. He and his wife of 47 years organize group drives, exploring backroads, mom and pop diners, and funky motels. Along the way, they engage in their other passion, award-winning photography. All this, three daughters, and two granddaughters, and retirement is far busier than their working lives ever were.