History

History CurriculumHistory Resources

As with most things, C.S. Lewis had a unique view of history. For him, the really important bits were the stories—he makes a distinction between actual historical realities and the idealized versions of them handed down which make heroes and villains of mere men and women. It's not that the stories are completely false, but their value is for character-building, not as factual data.

The tales of George Washington's bravery in battle, coolness under pressure, rigorous truthfulness, and unflagging piety may accurately preserve the essence of his temperament and nobility, but not all of them are strictly historical. The point of these stories isn't to impart facts, however, it's to offer an example of goodness for the rest of us to emulate.

Getting the facts right is still important, though. As Christians, we can't afford to have a false understanding of "the old days." Mankind is fallen, and the story of his sojourn on Earth is filled with war, suffering, disease, unfaithfulness, pride and envy; a study of history that omits those elements is both false and useless. False, because it is incomplete, and useless, because it tells us nothing of the human condition or our current situation.

It's a bit of a mystery to us why non-Christians are motivated to study the past. For believers, the end goal isn't just acquisition of facts about events and cultures, it's the instillation of a thoroughly Christian worldview, an understanding of the course of the human endeavour as decreed and guided by God Himself.

The story of Jesus Christ is central. It is the only history story that fulfills the character-building element Lewis looked for, while remaining absolutely true in every detail. Man is fallen and he does struggle against God, but through Christ there is hope of redemption, a chance to connect heaven and earth through the Atonement. Christ is the ultimate example of God's providence.

In the Reformed tradition, God's sovereignty is a very big deal. According to the doctrine of divine decree, God has ordered all things that were, are and will come to be for His own good pleasure and glory. His hand is thus present everywhere, in the privatest private life and the most public and widespread crisis. God is in control, providentially guiding nations, men, and the entire cosmos.

This very doctrine is perhaps what best explains the humanist's interest in history (whether he be atheist, agnostic, pagan). Man's natural bent is to make himself the hero of the story, to show how people can sway the trajectory of all things. God's version is quite different, and the two are naturally in conflict. Resolution may only be found in Christ.

For, while God decrees and guides all things, He has also (paradoxically) decreed man's free will and personal responsibility. Men do change the course of kingdoms, but it is only through God's agency. A proper Christian study of history takes both truths into account, and tells the stories of good guys and bad guys through the light of everything God's Word says about human nature and divine control.

We encourage you to take great comfort and joy in your study of history. Read books, watch movies (carefully noting that a lot of the story is likely to be inaccurate in detail), go on fieldtrips to forts and battlefields and birthplaces. Most of all, talk about these things. The end goal, after all, isn't to know a bunch of trivia, but to understand what God has done and continues to do.

No one knows for sure what the end of history will look like, except that every knee in heaven and on earth will bow to the returned glorious Christ, who comes to judge the living and the dead. What we believe about Him will determine whether that culmination will be filled with joy or loathing (everyone will be terrified). He is the author of history, and its centerpiece; honor Him in your study of it.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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Stepping Stone: Totally True Adventures!
by Lori Haskins Houran
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Road Trip: National Parks
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Among the Plains Indians
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People of the Ancient World
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Art of the Spanish in the United States and Puerto Rico
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Athenians In the Classical Period
Life Long Ago
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Bad News for Outlaws
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Battle of Valcour Bay
Triangle Histories: The Revolutionary War
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Bears, Pirates and Silver Lace
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Ben Franklin
See and Read: Beginning to Read Biography
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Benjamin Franklin
Makers of America
by Ruth Cromer Weir, illustrated by Rus Anderson
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Benjamin Franklin: Printer, Scientist, Author, and Diplomat
Spirit of America: Our People
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Beorn the Proud
by Madeleine Polland, Illustrated by William Stobbs
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Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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Leaders of the American Revolution
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Black Hawk, Sac Rebel
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Black Ships Before Troy
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Greek Mythology for 3rd-8th grade
$21.24
Bonnie Prince Charlie
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Great Journeys
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By Pike and Dyke
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Historical Fiction for 6th-10th grade
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Castles
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Cave Man to Space Man
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Christmas on the Prairie
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Christopher Columbus and His Legacy
Opposing Viewpoints Series
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Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of the New World
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City! San Francisco
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Clara Barton: Civil War Nurse
Historical American Biographies
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Closer Look at Vikings
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Colonial People: The Silversmith
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Colonial Places
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Columbus
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Confederate Girl: The Diary of Carrie Berry, 1864
by Carrie Berry; edited by Christy Steele and Anne Todd
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Constitution
American Symbols and their Meanings
by Hal Marcovitz
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Coronado and His Captains
by Camilla Campbell, illustrated by Harve Stein
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Countries of the World: Sweden
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Creating the Constitution: 1787
Drama of American History
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Countries of the World
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Cultural History of Women in America: Finding an Identity
A Cultural History of Women in America: Volume 1
by Alex Woolf
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Women's History for 3rd-8th grade
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Dark Venture
by Audrey White Beyer, illustrated by Leo & Diane Dillon
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Day It Rained Forever
Once Upon America
by Virginia T. Gross, illustrated by Ronald Himler
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Dear Levi
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Destined for Space (Smithsonian)
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Diary of William Bircher: A Civil War Drummer
Fact Finders: First-Person Histories
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Discoverer: The Story of a Satellite
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Everyman's Library
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$28.00
Dragon and the Raven
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Early American Industrial Revolution
Let Freedom Ring
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Earthquake!
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Edgar Degas
Artists Through the Ages
by Alix Wood
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Egyptian Pyramid
Inside Story
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Eliza Pinckney
Weekly Reader Heroes of the Revolution
by Susan & John Lee
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Empire State Building
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Enchantment of America: New England Country
Enchantment of America: Regional Books of the United States
by Dorothy Wood, illustrated by Tom Dunnington
Second Printing from Children's Press
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Explorers of the Arctic and Antarctic
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Exploring the World of Archaeology
by P.E. Cleator, designed by Mary Gehr
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Fall of Constantinople
by Ruth Tenzer Feldman
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$20.00 (1 in stock)
Fast Forward Egyptian Mummies
by Henrietta McCall, illustrated by Dave Antram
from Franklin Watts
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Ferdinand Magellan
by Milton Meltzer
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Ferdinand Magellan and the First Voyage Around the World
by Jim Gallagher
from Chelsea House Publishing
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Fire at the Triangle Factory
by Holly Littlefield, illustrated by Mary O'Keefe Young
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First Families: The Jacksons
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First Families: The Lincolns
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First Families: The Madisons
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First Families: The Washingtons
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First Olympic Games
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Francisco Pizarro
Discover the Life of an Explorer
by Trish Kline
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Francisco Vasquez de Coronado
Latinos in American History
by Jim Whiting
from Mitchell Lane Publishers
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$4.80 (1 in stock)
Freedom's Fruit
by William H. Hooks
from Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.
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Future in Space
Isaac Asimov's Library of the Universe
by Isaac Asimov
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George Washington: Man and Monument
by Frank Freidel and Lonnelle Aikman
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Geronimo: Apache Freedom Fighter
Native American Biographies
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Glorious Days, Dreadful Days
Stories of America
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Going to School During the Civil War: The Confederacy
by Kerry A. Graves, consultant Melodie Andrews
from Blue Earth Books
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Going to School During the Civil War: The Union
by Kerry A. Graves, consultant Melodie Andrews
from Blue Earth Books
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Going to School in Colonial America
by Shelley Swanson Sateren, consultant Melodie Andrews
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Golden Coyote
by Eileen Thompson, illustrated by Richard Cuffari
from Simon and Schuster
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Good Women of a Well-Blessed Land
by Brandon Marie Miller
from Lerner Publishing Group
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Grand Papa and Ellen Aroon
by F. N. Monjo, illustrated by Richard Cuffari
1st edition from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
by Santana Hunt
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Guise of Every Graceless Heart
by Terrill Irwin Elniff
from Chalcedon / Ross House Books
for Adult
in Clearance: Christian Books (Location: XCLE)
$5.00
Hans Brinker
Windermere Readers #7
by Mary Mapes Dodge, illustrated by Milo Winter
1954 Edition, 2nd printing from Rand McNally
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$8.00 (2 in stock)
Harriet Tubman
Triangle Histories: The Civil War
by Lisa Halvorsen
from Blackbirch Press
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
Henry Hudson
Library of Explorers and Exploration
by Josepha Sherman
from Rosen Central
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Her Story, Her Words
by Frances E. Ruffin
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$3.20 (1 in stock)
History Beneath Your Feet: Ancient Rome
by Sean Sheehan
from Raintree Steck-Vaughn Publishing
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in Ancient Rome (Location: HISW-ANRO)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
History of Everyday Things: Middle Ages
by Giovanni Caselli
1st edition from Peter Bedrick Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
History of the World: Early Middle Ages
from Heinemann Educational Books
for 7th-9th grade
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
History of the World: Late Middle Ages
by Monica Dombrosio, Roberto Barbieri
from Steck-Vaughn Company
for 7th-9th grade
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$8.50 (1 in stock)
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