The 4 Views of History

Historians have different ways of looking at history. By splitting it up into different categories, we can understand history better. In 6th grade Social Studies, we will be looking at history through 4 views: economic history, geographic history, political history, and social history.

Economic History

Economic history is the history about labor, money, and work. Examples of economic history are:

• The California Gold Rush
• The Stock Market Crash of 1929
• The Stamp Act during the Revolutionary War

Geographic History

Geographic history is the history of the Earth and its physical features. Examples of geographic history are:

• Colonists moving West in the 1800s for fertile land
• The devastating tsunami in 2004
• The Great Chicago Fire of 1871

Political History

Political history is the history of government and laws. Examples of political history are:

• The 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote
• The presidential election of 2004 when George W. Bush was elected to a second term
• The French Revolution, when the French peasants overthrew King Louis XVI and hiw queen, Marie Antoinette.

Social History

Social history is the history of people and cultures. Examples of social history are:

• Native Americans were forced off their lands as settlers moved West.
• The first colonists came to America because they were fleeing from King George III in England.
• Barack Obama is the third African American senator.

Timeline Assignment

• Take a sheet of notebook paper, and fold it into four squares.
• Label one square "Economic History," label one square "Geographic History," label one square "Political History," and label the last square "Social History."
• Under each label, write the definition of that view of history.
• Go to the timeline of United States history. It is organized by time period.
• Take 5 minutes to explore the websites and the different time periods.
• After 5 minutes, use the timeline to find 3 examples of each view of history. Write each example down in the appropriate square on your piece of notebook paper.
• When you are finished, turn your work into me.

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