Patriot Day, holiday observed in the United States on September 11 to commemorate the lives of those who died in the 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Virginia and those who perished when the hijacked United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania.
“It was an attack on the freedom of this nation, an attack on who we are, and what we represent. The terrorists believed that they could destroy us, destroy our values, the values that bind this nation. And they were wrong.” They underestimated the will of the American people, Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, said. Sep 11, 2022
“Scholars say that teaching history to kids has many important benefits. History provides identity. Studying history improves our decision making and judgment. History shows us models of good and responsible citizenship. History also teaches us how to learn from the mistakes of others. History helps us understand change and societal development. History provides us a context from which to understand ourselves and others.” Stacia Deutsch
“The past causes the present, and so the future… Only through studying history can we grasp how things change; only through history can we begin to comprehend the factors that cause change; and only through history can we understand what elements of an institution or a society persist despite change. History well told is beautiful… reveals how people and societies have actually functioned, and they prompt thoughts about the human experience in other times and places. Studying the stories of individuals and situations in the past allows a student of history to test his or her own moral sense, to hone it against some of the real complexities individuals have faced in difficult settings. People who have weathered adversity not just in some work of fiction, but in real, historical circumstances can provide inspiration. “History teaching by example.” History provides data about the emergence of national institutions, problems, and values—it’s the only significant storehouse of such data available. It offers evidence also about how nations have interacted with other societies, providing international and comparative perspectives essential for responsible citizenship.” Peter N. Stearns, 2020
- The Ability to Assess Evidence
- The Ability to Assess Conflicting Interpretations
- Experience in Assessing Past Examples of Change
- History teaches us how to ask questions
- Teaches us how to seek truth
- History teaches empathy, compassion, rational reasoning, hope, prudence, and theological grounding
“History reminds us that we live in the shadow of those who have come before and that those who follow will, in turn, look back to us.” Tim Challies
