View of History

However, as I began to study more recent history, records of times I had actually lived through, I started to question this. I began to see how much of what gets to be part of the textbooks depends on who is doing the writing. It also depends on how much time has passed. Already, the "truth" about Richard Nixon's effectiveness as a president has changed. The man who was universally vilified at the time of his resignation is now viewed in many quarters as a master of foreign policy who just happened to make some domestic blunders along the way. Journalists are already trying to decide how Bill Clinton's president will look to "history," as Kenneth Starr spends another million dollars of tax money trying to uncover "the truth."

The difficulty in all this lies in the fact that "the truth" is not some absolute thing. Truth is as much a matter of perspective as anything. My cousin Danny was always a bully. He seemed to take great pleasure in picking on me at family gatherings. When he broke the basement window at my grandmother's house during an impromptu baseball game, I was secretly delighted an

. . .
Some common words found in the essay are:
Bones Lou's, Kenneth Starr, , Richard Nixon's, Maybe Susan, Bill Clinton's, looked puzzled, danny evil, broken window, judge jury, guilty truth, susan truth, sitting table,
Approximate Word count = 1146
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

More Essays on View of History