In schools and museums, at historic sites, and in the movies, the debate continues. All histories are provisional none will have the last word.Īs is clear from the outcry over history standards, the Smithsonian's The West as America exhibit and its more recent Enola Gay debacle, and films such as Oliver Stone's Nixon, history is controversial. Since no one can be certain that his or her explanations are definitively right, everyone must listen to other voices.
I would never claim, as a historian, to have the last word on anything.Įdward Linenthal, U.S. Now what you see is a writer's interpretation of fact, which is different. In the days when I studied history the text.was essentially a recitation of fact, leaving the reader to draw their own analysis. 'Any History is Someone's History'Listening to Multiple Voices from the Past Linda S.