Introduction to History: Form 1 History notes

25SCHOOLS FREE LEARNING NOTES FOR ZAMBIA FORM 1 Introduction to History History Lesson notes for learners · Competence-Based Curriculum Why we learn history Local history Types or branches of history Sources of history Using digital resources to learn about the past Check yourself INSIDE 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 25schools.com · Notes, quizzes and lesson plans for Zambian learners History is the study of past events and how they shaped the world we live in today. You meet it when an elder tells how your village began, when you ask why Zambia celebrates Independence Day on 24th October, and when you hear the story of Mosi-oa-Tunya, the Victoria Falls. AFTER THESE NOTES YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO Explain why we learn history and why past events matter today Describe and interpret the history of your own area Classify history into its types or branches Judge how far a source of historical information can be trusted Use digital resources such as websites and videos to learn about the past KEY WORDS History the study of past events and how people lived, worked and changed over time Local history the history of a small area such as a village, a town, a school or a chiefdom Source anything that gives us information about the past Primary source evidence made at the time of the event, or by someone who was there Secondary source an account written later by someone who was not there, using other evidence Oral tradition history passed by word of mouth from one generation to the next Credibility how far a source can be believed and trusted Bias favouring one side, so that the account is not fair 1 Why we learn history History helps us understand who we are. Zambia has its own government, flag and laws because of events in the past. Learning these events explains why things are as they are today. History also teaches lessons. When we study how people solved problems, or failed to solve them, we can make wiser choices. It builds identity and national pride, and it helps people of different groups understand one another and live in peace. It trains us to ask questions, weigh evidence and give reasons for what we say. • • • • • Form 1 History Lesson notes 25schools.com Page 2 of 7 2 Local history Local history is the history of the place where you live: a village, a town, a school, a church or a chiefdom. It answers questions such as: Who first settled here? How did this place get its name? Why was the school built here? To interpret local history means to find out what a local event or tradition meant and why it happened. Use evidence such as stories from elders, old buildings, photographs, school records and traditional ceremonies. For example, the Kuomboka ceremony of the Lozi people of Western Province tells us how the Lozi lived with the yearly flooding of the Zambezi plain. 3 Types or branches of history History is large, so it is divided into branches. Each branch looks at the past from a different side. To classify history means to place an event or study under the right branch. Political history studies governments, leaders and struggles for power, such as the fight for independence. Economic history studies how people earned a living and traded, such as copper mining. Social history studies how people lived: family, customs, health and education. Religious history studies beliefs and how they spread. One event can belong to more than one branch. Figure 1. Four branches of history and what each one studies History Political Governments Leaders Independence struggle Economic Trade Farming Copper mining Social Family life Customs Education Religious Beliefs Missions Ceremonies Form 1 History Lesson notes 25schools.com Page 3 of 7 WORKED EXAMPLE Under which branch of history would you place a study of how the Copperbelt mines changed people's jobs and incomes? The study is about jobs, incomes and mining. These concern how people earn a living and produce wealth. That is the concern of economic history. Answer: economic history. 4 Sources of history We know about the past only through sources. Primary sources come from the time …