State and Local History: A Future from the Past

Abstract

PERHAPS IT IS BECAUSE I am a historian by training, profession, and instinct that I cannot speak about the future without reference to both the past and present. This will not seem overly ill-advised to those who are familiar with the prophetic tradition in the JudeoChristian World. Indeed, if one looks closely at the prophetic tradition you will find that every great prophet found it useful in achieving his purpose to draw a sharp contrast between golden or downtrodden pasts, ascension or declension to the present, and the impending doom or glory of the future. One will also find that a prophet, while he might make extensive use of the past, never tried to be entirely faithful to the historical record. His chief purpose in recounting the past and in foreshadowing the future was to persuade his hearers that certain actions should be taken at once either to forestall doom or to assure glory. Quite different from the grandeur and mystery of the prophetic tradition is another useful image that comes from one of the most common and mundane fascinations of contemporary American society-the game football. There are likely few Americans who do not know that a football game is divided into four quarters, that the game is played between two teams, and that each of the