Summary

Historians engage in detective work. They seek to understand the what's, when's, where's, who's, how's, and why's of the past. They attempt to be scientific by being objective and seeing the past on its own terms. They also follow rigorous procedures and standards for determining sources to be used and how to analyze them. They find data in all kinds of places, from documents in government offices to letters in archives, pictures in art galleries, and toys in museums. And they need pluck—especially their own tenacity in considering how to interpret and analyze the sources so that they can understand the past. But unlike with crime investigations, the case is never closed. Materials and documents surface to provide a new interpretation of an event. Other investigators bring different categories of analysis to the past or new ways of seeing it that change our understanding—sometimes simply by expanding our knowledge and other times by countering previously held views.

Historians, however, are not rogue detectives. They do follow standards of analysis and always judge their own interpretations in light of existing knowledge of the past. To help them, historians have organizations to serve as communities of scholars; journals to distribute new knowledge; and manuals to aid in teaching people how to engage in the historian's craft, or how to do history.

The best way to begin to think and act like a historian is to begin reading history books. Think of yourself as a detective reviewing another crime sleuth's report. Pay attention to how the scholar defines what is under investigation, who are the central historical actors, and how this study helps to expand our knowledge of the past. Also look at the sources used and even how the historian cites those materials in the footnotes. And, most significant, listen to hear the argument. Is the historian refuting previous scholarship? What is her view of history? How does he see the relationships among people and institutions in the work? Is this person writing a convincing argument by showing the evidence for his or her interpretation? Once you start reading history in this way, rather than as just an interesting story, you will begin to think and act like a historian.