Don’t be boring.
History isn’t boring.
Write about more than kings and queens. Less than 0.00001% of people through history have been royalty, so why was so of my school curriculum about them?
Women make up more than half the population; there would be no history without them, share more of their stories.
If possible, experience history. Don’t just read about a battle in your living room if you can get outside and stand with the wind howling and cold seeping through your shoes.
Museums are not neutral.
LGBTQ+ people are not a 20th century invention.
Nothing is original. Cite your sources.
.
History is a vast early warning system
Norman Cousins.
What is a manifesto?
A public declaration of policy and aims. [1]
Does a blog need one?
Probably not. But you know how in school your teachers would tell you to make sure you answer the question that’s being asked not just write stuff because you know it? I don’t want this space to turn into a space about history that mainly focuses on the actions of rich, white men and the excuses they used to kill poor people across the pantone spectrum. History is about more than that. So, the manifesto is my way of staying on brand.
What’s wrong with rich white men?
Oh boy… Where to start?
Innately, nothing; in practise, much.
I have nothing against white men, 50% of my parents were white men, but in history books that’s the only kind of human that seems to exist, and I’m not a white man. A lot of people aren’t, so that’s a whole lot of history that gets missed out. There are so many stories we don’t hear about, so many chances to increase our understanding of one another that we don’t do because the deck is stacked to ensure we all learn how to make things easier for white men and I’d like to try and redress the balance a little bit.