"Light" Weekend Reading

The Charge Of The Light Brigade and Other History Lessons We Need Now

For those of you fortunate enough to have watched the original cartoon, Mr. Peabody and Sherman as a youngster (the show aired from 1959-1965 as part of the Rocky and Bullwinkle series), or its decades of reruns, you might have become interested in history from the pair’s exploration and subsequent, comic mangling of important historical events. I still think the show is funny and clever, and in some small way shows that history is interesting and worthy of study. As a kid, I probably saw every episode — not necessarily for my keen interest in history but more for my love of Mr. Peabody, the smug, talking dog.

One of the funniest lines I remember from the show is from the “Charge of the Light Brigade” episode (shown in full in the video, above) where Mr. Peabody earnestly explains to his adopted, human son, Sherman, that this battle of the Crimean War was called the “Light Brigade” because only six soldiers and their horses were available for the “charge”. (See a brief history of the Light Brigade here. In fact, there were over 600 men who were part of that brigade—it was called “light” by the way, because both the soldiers and horses wore little armor to allow them to maneuver more easily). This failed British battle was of such historical importance that nearly 100 years later, Winston Churchill insisted on visiting the battlefield during the Yalta conference in 1945.¹

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I realize that if you are not a history teacher, professor or historian, you might see little need to immerse yourself in past events, but to me, the depth and breadth of your historical research is not what is important. It’s being aware of and maybe even understanding some historical context for what is happening in our world today.

For example, just a week ago, June 17, was the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in, which led to a years long investigation and the eventual resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. This was a scandal that rocked our country and challenged our democracy. The young newspaper reporters who broke the story for the Washington Post, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, remain journalistic legends for their years of investigations and writing that led to the downfall of a president.

Their book, All The Presidents’ Men, made into a movie of the same name, also is highly praised. The two recently wrote a new forward to their book to mark the 50th anniversary of the break-in, and have been on most major news program—but not just to tout the Watergate anniversary. Their analyses are vital to help today’s journalists and the public better understand our current presidential scandal and the importance of the hearings of the January 6 Committee to Investigate the President. How do the two scandals compare? Is one worse than the other in terms of the threat to the continued functioning of our democracy?

This is a recent clip of Woodward and Bernstein on CNN, putting the January 6 Committee hearings in historical perspective.

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Here are a few other opinions explaining exactly why we need to be aware of our past and use it to better understand today’s events.

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— This blog post published by the National Museum of American History in 2016, touts the role of history to help encourage participation in our country’s “participatory” democracy.

During election years, candidates and political parties try to simplify politics—they have set speeches, set language, set messages—but ultimately it's most important to understand the underlying issues in their great complexities and nuances. And the museum is a place where people can gain that understanding and benefit from that context.

https://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/using-history-inspire-americans-participate-democracy

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— This 2019 opinion piece from The Washington Post helps us understand why each of us is a part of history, and how our understanding of history influences what we can do individually and collectively to shape our future.

To survive and thrive, democracy needs a citizenry with an understanding of how economic, social and cultural forces have shaped our political institutions over time. Democracy also requires a citizenry confident that its own actions can make a difference.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/05/21/why-study-history-because-it-can-save-us-democratic-collapse/

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— And finally for today, enjoy Alfred Lord Tennyson’s poem: The
Charge of the Light Brigade

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45319/the-charge-of-the-light-brigade

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American history has often, and quite literally “whitewashed” events to bolster our country’s view of itself. Thankfully, we are still able to attempt a partial correction of these mistakes by finally discussing America’s horrific treatment of Native Americans and African Americans, and by finally including their own voices in our history.

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I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s post: Do we need to put current events into historical perspective to fully understand them? Don’t know much about history, but want to learn? Loved or hated Peabody and Sherman? Please share below!

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And please have a read…

I ask you to join me on our journey to understand the why behind the facts, so together we finally can find solutions to our most pressing economic issues and push to right the wrongs of our system. Each of us can thrive in this country, if we don’t allow ourselves to be beaten down by the very system we’re trying to make good in. One of the best ways to do this is to become an active member of your community and a participating citizen in our larger community.

And speaking of communities, you can also become a participating member of the Crime and Punishment community by signing up right now for a free or paid subscription. Thanks in advance for your support!

1. https://www.nato.int/nrdc-it/magazine/2009/0914/0914j.pdf