What Makes History Come Alive (article) by Dave Tabler on AuthorsDen

AuthorsDen.com Join | Login

Where Authors and Readers come together!

SIGNED BOOKS AUTHORS BOOKS SAMPLE CHAPTERS AUDIOBOOKS eBOOKS STORIES ARTICLES POETRY BLOGS NEWS VIDEOS SUCCESS TESTIMONIALS

Featured Authors: Lisa DAnnolfo Levey, iMyra Darwish, iMartin Treon, iBetty Jo Tucker, iMiller Caldwell, iTracey Morait, iMary Lynn Plaisance, iRichard Cederberg, iDavid Arthur Walters, iOdin odin@aflx.com, i

Home > History > Articles > What Makes History Come Alive

Popular History Articles


1.		Recalling the Unforgettable 25 Years L
2.		A history of Soviet Project 651 (Julie
3.		A Brief History of the Leather Jacket
4.		Dogs in Space: The Soviet Canine Space
5.		ICAN Invitation
6.		Forward Facing the New South, a New De
7.		America 250: Benjamin Franklin
8.		The Gold and Azure Frontier
9.		Disposing of Luxuries
10.		How to Ruin a Poem in One Easy Step
11.		JFK and America in England
12.		Queen Liliuokalani's Fateful Constitu
13.		The Deep History of Pockets
14.		Osterville Historical Museum’s town sp
15.		A Brief History of the Mountaineering
16.		What Makes History Come Alive
17.		Last History Lesson
18.		The American Liberty League’s Stand Ag
19.		Delaware’s Anabaptists Balance Traditi
20.		Book Review: Every Stone is a Story by
21.		Shakespeare's Secret Messiah--Book Rev
22.		Red Ruffing’s Dover Chapter: From Mino
23.		And The Pope Visited Us
24.		Kennedy and Lincoln...
25.		From Wobbly Watts to Broadcast Brillia
26.		How Haiti Won Its Place in Black Histo
27.		American lawyers have lost their audie
28.		Thanatos
29.		Stories find us early!
30.		In the Garden of Beasts--Book Review
31.		A Century Of Memories In Ardoyne
32.		Gettysburg Address
33.		Mikhail Gorbachev
34.		Ohh Dear America
35.		Why did The Flintstones light up?
36.		The 1908 Lisbon Assassinations
37.		Phenomena--Book Review
38.		Still Looking For Bill Hill
39.		Electrification Efforts Elevate Everyd
40.		Herbert O. Morrison and the Hindenburg
41.		Rhode Read: Del's Lemonade - a RI Ori
42.		How GPT helps history writers
43.		The Federal Art Project’s Pinnacle in
44.		Harlem Renaissance Notebook on Nationa
45.		Writers in Hollywood 1915-1951--Book R
46.		Holly’s Journey from Native Remedy to
47.		Tucson's Cemeteries: Part II, Continui
48.		Spring 1972
49.		From Hen House to Poultry Powerhouse
50.		Profiles in Courage and Leadership
51.		No Refuge Could Save: Dr. Isaac Asimov
52.		Family Ingenuity and the Fabric of Inn
53.		The Song Taps , Written During The C
54.		1. Exercise in German History
55.		4th District Judge Kerry Meyer is a M
56.		The Lost Civilization Enigma -- Book R
57.		Dylan Goes Electric!--Book Review
58.		Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.
59.		The St Louis Ship is the WWII Quota Je
60.		SJU has dealt HAMline University Terri
61.		The Last of the Doolittle Raiders
62.		The Birth of America’s First Study Abr
63.		A Man and A Hoss
64.		STAR-SPANGLED SPECTACULAR
65.		Hotel Florida--Book Review
66.		BLACK HISTORY MONTH: REMEMBER ME
67.		10 Great Moments in African-American H
68.		Tucson's Cemeteries: Part I
69.		100 Days in Office
70.		Calhoun Building at Yale--Demolish it
71.		Delaware’s Housing Policies and the Le
72.		CIVIL RIGHTS MEMORIAL - CIVIL RIGHTS M
73.		Sam Houston Had his Wallet Baptised! T
74.		Guard What's Left
75.		Logos VII Benedictine Deconstruction
76.		Easy Pieces and Problems in American H
77.		Minnesota is facing Human Wave Attacks
78.		Delaware’s Rise as a Tourism Promoter
79.		Delaware Schools as a Crucible for Edu
80.		Mrs. General Jackson
81.		Let's Make a Slave (strong language)
82.		Barrett's Farm, Ground Zero for the A
83.		The Civil War Ending too Soon Guarante
84.		Eradicating Fear – Triumph Over Polio’
85.		Spain In Our Hearts--Book Review
86.		Ping Pong Murder or Suicide
87.		Killing Jesus--Book Review
88.		Flint, MI and Ferguson, MO have a comm
89.		Trinity
90.		The History of Captain Cook
91.		Death and Taxes
92.		A Black History Month Bibliography Fro
93.		Why We Still Need Black History Month
94.		Liberty Fried Absurdities
95.		Cultural Clash Over Delaware’s Arts Fu
96.		ETHEL
97.		Suffrage and the Equality State
98.		Pearl Harbor - 75 years ago
99.		History of the Future
100.		High Noon--Book Review

Top 100 History Articles:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100

What Makes History Come Alive
by Dave Tabler

Share Save Follow Me

History deserves passionate storytellers

I was thinking about the difference between passionate retelling and dutiful transcription - and how it applies to historical writing.

History isn't just dates and facts. It's easy to forget that history is the story of people once as alive as you and I. They had successes, failures, wins and losses. Their destiny was not at all clear to them as they were living it. And so, a good historian draws out the story in front of the reader's very eyes as it unfolds.

When I write about Delaware's past - whether it's Caesar Rodney's midnight ride through a thunderstorm or Swedish settlers bringing log cabins to America's shores - I'm not just transcribing records. I'm bringing these people back to life, making you feel the stakes they faced, the uncertainty of their moment.

The difference between a passionate retelling and a dutiful transcription? Both have their place, but only one makes you want to keep listening. History deserves storytellers, not just record-keepers.

Click here to post or read comments.