Historian David McCullough stressed the importance of history in lecture at Missouri Theater

Historian and Pulitzer Prize winning David McCullough stressed the importance of a familiarity with history in a society plagued by ignorance at a lecture at the Missouri Theater Wednesday evening.

McCullough’s lecture, “The History You Don’t Know: Lessons from the American Founders,” stressed the impact that the Founding Fathers had on the American politics and society today.

At a recent university lecture, McCullough experienced the ignorance of young people firsthand. A student thanked him for teaching her in his speech that the original 13 colonies were all on the East Coast, which got some big laughs from the audience.

“We have a creeping amnesia among our young people today,” because of their lack of knowledge of history, said McCullough, though he said that this ignorance was not at the fault of the student.

McCullough emphasized the importance that parents have in shaping the values and beliefs of their children.

“Remember modesty?” McCullough questioned, getting a big laugh from the audience. McCullough said that values like loyalty, patriotism and modesty are all values that need to be learned from parents and developed at home.

Anna Webber appreciated the emphasis the McCullough put on the responsibility of parents to educate their children. As someone who works with college students, Webber encounters many instances of students who are misinformed about history.

Webber has found herself wanting to say, “This is not a new problem, girl” when students have questions about modern public policy issues. Webber valued the issues of education and reading that McCullough discussed in his speech.

Kim Shipman and Howard Hatler, who attended the lecture together, agreed with McCullough’s thoughts on educating younger generations.

“We need to know what’s going on,” Shipman said. She stressed the importance of being educated on contemporary issues in society.

“History is just what happened yesterday,” for youth today, said Hatler. He noted the need for young people to have more knowledge about history.

McCullough compared the youth of today to those of early generations in history. During the time of the Revolutionary War, much of what people achieved stemmed from how they were raised at home, said McCullough

“The things they were raised on at home were history and literature, the culture of their land, the culture of their country,” said McCullough, adding that there is much to learn about life from those who went before us.

McCullough said that a familiarity of history is essential. He admired the determination of people throughout history and that there is much to learn from their triumphs as well as their struggles.

“We are what we read,” said McCullough. He stressed the fact that most people don’t understand the history behind the society in which they are living in. People don’t realize that they are quoting authors like Cervantes in their everyday speech.

“We must appreciate what we have, how much we enjoy, how much we take for granted, that all happen because of those who went before us. Those who struggled, those who suffered, those who were treated badly, those who triumphed,” said McCullough. “And to take no interest in what they went though, to show no respect for what they achieved, is not just to be stupid. It’s a gross ingratitude on our parts.”

The event was hosted by the Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy. The Kinder Institute is devoted to fostering intellectual growth for students at MU. It helps students to gain a better understanding of constitutional principles that the country was founded on.

“Pay our teachers more,” said McCullough, urging the audience to give teachers more respect and appreciation. McCullough explained that, in order to become a more civil society, people have to start valuing teachers and education more, because teachers shape the people who will soon be leading the country.

McCullough also questioned the effectiveness of modern government in comparison to the early development of American politics by the Founding Fathers.

“If only we could bring that spirit back to Washington today,” McCullough said when reflecting on the joint efforts of the Founding Fathers in writing the Constitution, despite the level of contention in the group of men.

McCullough emphasized people working together in order to achieve a common goal.

Another modern political issue that McCullough discussed was the contention over Republican candidate Marco Rubio’s age. McCullough compared Rubio’s youth to that of the Founding Fathers, like Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and George Washington. McCullough said that the most important thing is a person’s dedication to the idea of individual citizens deciding the fate of the country’s future, not age.

McCullough, a twice Pulitzer Prize winner and National Book Award winner, drew examples from a few of his works, like “1776” and “John Adams,” as he discussed the founders of American democracy.

McCullough exposed a few misconceptions about history during his lecture. He showed John Trumbull’s painting, “Declaration of Independence,” noting that the scene never actually took place. He additionally said that most people were not even in favor of the American Revolution. In fact, he stated that only one third of the colonists supported the revolution.

“For free and self-governing people, something more than vague familiarity of history is essential if we are to hold onto and sustain our freedoms,” said McCullough.

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