Living History—Challenging Citizen Science and Youth Activism Through Historical Re-enacting

Abstract

In sixth grade, I told my teacher, Mr. Miller, that he was wrong. As a “good” student, this was unusual behavior for me. I normally remained very quiet and compliant in the classroom, following directions, accepting the daily dose of knowledge provided by the teacher. Mr. Miller’s lecture on the beginnings of the American Revolution, however, based on the traditional, clean narratives in our school history books, left out a number of what I felt were important details and information. Particularly of interest (to me anyway) was the story of George Washington’s rise to fame as a General and then President of this new country. Mr. Miller’s story told of Washington’s bravery in the French and Indian War, which then led to his role as a leader in our American history. As a child re-enactor of the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, I rejected that story because I had experienced a different one. I had “re-lived” the events of the French and Indian War. I had learned of Washington’s blunders that drove the colonies into the French and Indian War by re-enacting those events. As far as I was concerned Washington, although a revered leader, was also a flawed person who had made mistakes and the history books, and my teacher, were wrong.