Why Study Social Studies?

Have you ever considered why we study social studies? There are as many important reasons to study social studies as there are applications for social studies in our daily lives. A lot of students dread social studies and history, thinking it is boring, or that it is just dates, names, times and numbers and will be of no use to them in their lives. However there are many reasons that our young people need to study and understand our country's past. As a people we need to know where we came from and how we were molded into the country we are today, we need to understand past mistakes, and students may even end up using their knowledge of social studies based on their future career choices. But probably the most important reason is that studying social studies can help young people sort out their lives a bit, grasp important ideals and define who they are as people.

We as humanity and as Americans need to know how we became the people we are today. It is not enough to just know the timeline of American history, we need to understand exactly what it is that we were fighting for, put ourselves in the places of our forefathers, and try to understand their ideas and thoughts at the time they were alive. I believe we came to be the unique nation that we are by the direct influences of our forefathers, and learning their history also gives us valuable insights to understanding ourselves.

Learning from past outcomes is also very important, so that we as a society do not make the same mistakes twice. When a mistake is made it is best to learn from it and to study the circumstances and choices that could have been made instead. How a leader handled a traitor, a fight between states, a law that the people are against, a decision that does not resound well with the nation, will help our current and future leaders make better decisions for our country today. When looking at social studies and really studying it, it becomes clear to us that our past is a part of our present and our future. If we know about our great past leaders; what inspired and motivated them, how they came to their methods of creatively solving world challenges then we can use and apply this to our nation today.

As they grow older, many teenagers of recent and present generations may choose a career which incorporates the travel industry, military or politics. They may choose to become archaeologists, anthropologists, curators of museums, public relations professionals or even ambassadors. They may even find that history and social studies is their passion and go on to teach it to young people in the coming generations. In any and all of these career paths it is vital that a person know about our country's history, and having that knowledge will help them advance within their careers. These are just a few of the many examples of social studies and it's use in daily life. Social studies is not just for those who choose these kinds of career paths though, social studies is important for every citizen to study, and as a person understands our country's history they can truly understand what America is, what makes us the great nation that we are today. Social studies is equally as important as math, science or English, not only to a person but to help them understand daily life, their country and better serve as a citizen of the world.