Uh-oh.  Looks like there's been a fight on the playground.  Two of your best friends, Maddie and Rachel, are lying face down on the ground, backs to each other.  They both leap up and tell you the other girl punched her in the back of the head.  You have no clue what happened.  You weren't watching at the time.  The teacher is on his way across the yard to ask what happened.  Both Maddie and Rachel ask you to support her story, saying the other hit them.  You can't turn back the clock and watch what happened.  You have to determine what happened based on the information they tell you.  How can you tell which friend is right?  This is a problem that historians face every day.  What stories do we trust and which ones do we ignore and why? 
 

This is going to be hard.  You need to listen to two conflicting stories and choose which one is right.  Whoever you believe will end up looking innocent and whoever you don't believe will end up in a lot of trouble.  In history, a source is the place from which you hear (or read) a telling of what happened.  Right now, you have two sources: your two friends, Maddie and Rachel.  They both say that the other person struck them in the back of the head, making them fall over.  Sounds fishy to me.  Someone has to be lying.


When someone tells you a story, they can only tell you what happened from their view.  They're telling you what happened through their eyes . . . or they're lying and trying to make you believe something that is not true.  A perspective is a way of looking at something; it's a point of view.  Here we have two different perspectives: Maddie and Rachel.  Two knocks to the backs of their heads.  Each story tries to tell you the other kid did it.  These perspectives don't agree with each other, and they couldn't both be true, right?  You're lucky, because you can hear both stories from the outside by listening to what they both say.  I don't think you should trust either of their stories. 


There are two ways of telling a story.  Someone can tell you what they believe happened.  Or they can tell what they want you to believe happened.  If one of Maddie's good friends is asked by the teacher what happened, they will say it wasn't Maddie's fault.  They don't want Maddie to get in trouble; they want to be a good friend.  A bias is when someone prefers one version of a story over another, most of the time because it will help them.  Of course, right now, both of your friends have a bias: they both don't want to get in trouble.  


Maddie might be biased because she always gets into trouble and could be kicked out of school if she gets in trouble again.  Rachel might be biased because she's never been in trouble and wants to keep her perfect record.  So, observing your two friends' behavior, can you determine which one has a bias?  Do they both?  In history, the different sides of a war might tell the story in a way that makes them look like the hero.  Everyone wants to look good!  So . . . who's the hero here?


One of the most valuable things you can do as a listener is to ask questions.  One of the best questions you can ask yourself is, "What does each of your friends have to gain by lying?"  Will lying help Rachel or Maddie in some way?  Intent is the reason for doing something; it's why people do things.  Looking back on history, we can see many reasons for historians to lie.  First of all, the leaders are the ones who were paying the historians.  Secondly, the leaders want their people to believe that the country they're attacking is filled with sad, dirty people who can't take care of themselves.  But if you look closely, you'll see the leaders want to take the gold or oil from that country.  Even historians can lie.  What could your friends' reason for hitting each other be?  Is Maddie jealous of Rachel's school record?  Or was Rachel simply mad at Maddie for a second and knew because she had a perfect record she could get away with hitting her?  Who hit whom in the back of the head?!


The answer is . . . I did it.  Yes, the guy who wrote this article hit both of your friends in the backs of their heads . . .  But it was an accident.  I swear.  I was walking with this long pole when . . . BONK BONK!  I didn't want to get in trouble so I quickly ran away while they were on the ground and then came back at the perfect time to tell you all of this.  I was your source on this story, the person who told you everything that happened.  I gave you a perspective that only showed you Rachel and Maddie . . . and not me.  I did this because I was biased; I simply didn't want to get into trouble.  My intent for telling you all of this was to take the focus off of me and get one of your friends in trouble instead.  See how this works?  History can be tricky.  Be careful when trusting a source!  Be careful with what you read!  Oh, and . . . don't tell the teacher on me, okay?  


You have heard of Christopher Columbus.  Yes, that Christopher Columbus.  Do me a favor: list everything you know about him.  Here, I'll help:


He was Spanish.  
In 1492, he sailed the ocean blue.
He discovered America.  
There's a holiday named after him . . .  

So here's a question.  How much of this is true?  Who told you these stories?  And are there any parts missing, just like there were parts missing in the story you just read?  You think trying to figure out what happened with your friends arguing a few minutes ago is hard?  Try figure out what happened tens or even hundreds of years ago. 


Let's set aside the fact that Columbus WASN'T the first European to sail to America and that he was really Italian.  The little song you hear about his sailing the ocean blue is true, but it leaves out a lot of story, including the fact that Europeans landing in America brought about the deaths of millions of natives.  Even during his seven years as governor of Hispaniola, he used torture to rule over the people.  According to a report written to the royalty of Spain at the time, Columbus would have parts of natives cut off, including ears, noses, and even tongues if they said something he didn't like.  According to one person who knew him, up to three million people may have died under Columbus's rule due to slavery, mine work, and war.  How is he rewarded today?  With a holiday named after him.  When it comes to history, it's always good to read at least a few people's stories.  


Reference:

Middleweb.  "Teaching Students to Recognize Bias"  Middleweb, 2011.  <http://www.middleweb.com/12863/teaching-history-students-recognize-bias/>