History

The Value of Dwelling on God’s Past Faithfulness 

19 Nov 2024

As parents, Thanksgiving provides the perfect opportunity to show our children the true hope and joy found in giving thanks—even in seasons when we don’t feel particularly thankful. We might not associate giving thanks with sacrifice, but the Bible and history provide ample instances when giving thanks was coupled with great tribulation and sacrifice. After a divisive election season and tragic natural disasters, it feels all the more appropriate to dig deeper into what genuine,

By Wilson Hill Academy | | In Word on the Hill | Read more

Independence Day

5 Jul 2016

Today is the 5th of July.  I hope your celebration of the 4th included ice cream, hot dogs, swimming pools, fireworks and many other common ways we celebrate “Independence Day.”  But as we celebrated yesterday, I also noticed that our culture seems far more focused on the three-day weekend celebration than on the liberties we often take for granted.  If Rip Van Winkle were to awake again two centuries after his “brief” two-decade nap, what

By Bob Donaldson | | In Academics, Word on the Hill | Read more

Is History Boring?

"You teach history? How do you make that interesting?" Every history or social science teacher hears that question at least once, and likely many times. But even a quick look at a typical "social studies" textbook, leaving aside the endless monotony of charts, diagrams, textboxes and the like, is enough to make one wonder the very apt question: How do you make that interesting? Perhaps the most direct answer to the question is that "making

By Wilson Hill | | In Word on the Hill | Read more

A Whole Class on the War for Independence?

Why would we spend an entire year on the War for Independence (or what many call the "American Revolution")? Wouldn't that simply be overkill? Good question. I suspect the line of thought implied in this question results from habit — a certain kind of academic habit in which we are used to thinking that the goal of a history (or, more commonly today, "social science") class is coverage. A very quick look at any typical

By Wilson Hill | | In Word on the Hill | Read more

Remembering the First Thanksgiving

25 Nov 2015

Earlier this semester in a Great Conversation 3 class, we discussed the common assumption that the Pilgrims founded America so that everyone could worship as they please. Something of this assumed religious pluralism seems even to color how many understand the first Thanksgiving. Natives and British settlers side by side, setting aside religious and cultural differences, simply to "be thankful." However, when we read William Bradford's journal, now known as Of Plymouth Plantation, we find

By Wilson Hill | | In Word on the Hill | Read more