History in the 19th century

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The 19th century was when the study of history began to grow and was recognized as a formal area of study, for that reason it underwent profound changes. Historians began  to write about more than just what occurred, they began think about the past critically. While some historians questioned why something occurred others  focused on writing in truthful way, meaning they had to use primary sources to deduce to their best ability what really occurred (Popkin 76).  Among other things, Leopold von Ranke was the first historian to successfully utilize primary sources; he also introduced the notion of the seminar which provoked discussion and critical thinking. As a whole, the study of history became more inclusive as it moved away from biographies of wealthy individuals and works praising a monarch to writings celebrating whole communities. Many nations found a new outlet to recount the history of their nation and take pride in the way in which their society had developed. This being said, the praise of one group of people came at the expense of other groups. For example, the new Nationalistic ways of thinking that arose from the Revolutions in America, France and other parts of Europe elevated certain cultures for looking forward but simultaneously suppressed minority groups like the Jewish (Popkin 82).  History also excluded  women because people believed that they were incapable of studying objectively, they believed they would let their feelings get in the way which would cloud their judgement (Popkin 90). I believe that this exclusion of certain groups and the female gender took away from the practice of history because it gave a slanted perception of what occurred. The arguments between historians were also pretty limited because most historians were males from similar backgrounds; ideas from different races and genders would’ve made the discussions more interesting. I think if historians wanted to change the way history was written they had to change their mindset, a point ngojoesph highlighted in his post.