McCullough says studying history asset to nation
David McCullough said education is vital to understanding our nation’s plights. He spoke Wednesday to a packed Ed Landreth Hall Auditorium.
By Bill Morrison
Staff Reporter

In order to understand the U.S. Constitution, David McCullough said it’s important to understand how much thought the founding fathers put forth in crafting the document.

“We have to read what they read,” he said. “We are what we read.”

McCullough, an award-winning author, was the featured speaker at the fifth annual Fogelson Honors Forum Wednesday at Ed Landreth Hall Auditorium.

Speaking to a packed auditorium, McCullough emphasized in his speech, “First Principles,” that knowledge of American history is important to understand how present day truths evolved.

“Past puts things into proportion,” he said. “Our history is a great enduring source of knowledge.”

In order to understand the meaning and implications of history, he argued people must understand what people were feeling and the lengths they took to make things happen.

For instance, McCullough said, when Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence, the phrase “pursuit of happiness” did not mean going on vacation in the Caribbean or winning the big game, but rather learning and education.

It’s misconceptions like this that have lead to the decline of American’s knowledge of history, he said. At a past lecture, he said, a woman thanked him for letting her know the original 13 colonies were on the East coast.

McCullough said education must start with children and that it is a myth that children don’t like to read as evidenced by the popularity of the “Harry Potter” books. He said today’s textbooks are boring and should be rewritten into material people want to read.

“History is about people and life,” he said. “We are doing a terrible job of teaching history to our children. We are putting our country in jeopardy by ignoring the past.”

Ramona Zoender, a sophomore social work major, said hearing McCullough speak about the lengths the founding fathers went to in insuring the foundation of our government makes her more appreciative of their plight.

“(McCullough) made me think about what our founders meant,” she said. “I never even thought about the difference between what we think and what they intended it to be.”

McCullough, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of “Truman” and “John Adams,” is the recipient of 31 honorary degrees.

He has lectured in all parts of the country and abroad, as well as at the White House, as part of the White House presidential lecture series. McCullough is one of the few private citizens to be asked to speak before a joint session of Congress.