Heritage Soapbox

Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to that arrogant oligarchy who merely happen to be walking around.           —G. K. Chesterton

Most of the advice and opinions expressed on the Heritage Soapbox are at odds with modern notions, but they are by no means original.

As advocates of traditional juvenile history, we necessarily sympathize with the intentions of educators and historians who wrote for young people many years ago. Our own ideas regarding appropriate history instruction are therefore closer to those of our forefathers than they are to modern theories.

We point this out because the advice registered here is likely to contradict what passes for contemporary expertise; but is very much in line with what, one hundred years ago, passed for common sense.

The following collection of essays were based on a talk prepared for a homeschool audience and are primarily directed to parents and self-learners. They may not be directly applicable to classroom teachers who work under far more constraints than independent instructors. We hope, however, that at least some of the resources available on Heritage History will be useful to professional teachers, even if they are not free to embrace all of our wayward notions.

The essays begin with an overview of the uses of history, and the differences between modern and traditional history.

The middle sections feature general principles for teaching history in a way that retains the interest of young people, including both boys and girls. The essay on age-appropriate selections includes suggestions for motivating reluctant readers, and for providing encouragement to late-bloomers.

The final essays describe our own course of study from elementary grades through high school, and end with a final exhortion to keep History from becoming a chore.

The following essays cover a variety of history-related topics of possible concern to parents, teachers, and students. Most touch upon the theme of our strong preference for story-based, rather than analytical history, particularly for young people.