Explains the idea of concepts in history

2. A CONCEPT IS….
•A GENERAL IDEA ABOUT A THING , OR GROUP OF THINGS,
THAT COMES FROM SPECIFIC INSTANCES. IT IS TIMELESS
IN NATURE.

3. LET’S THINK ABOUT A CONCEPT IN
AMERICAN HISTORY….
•ONE OF THE BIG CONCEPTS THAT WE WILL LOOK AT EARLY IN OUR COURSE IS THE
CONCEPT OF EXPLORATION. EXPLORATION IS A GENERAL IDEA. RIGHT? IT IS NOT
SPECIFIC, BUT GENERAL. IT IS ALSO “TIMELESS.” WE COULD DISCUSS EXPLORATION OF
THE AMERICAS IN THE 1500S. WE COULD DISCUSS EXPLORATION OF THE WEST IN THE
1800S. WE COULD DISCUSS EXPLORATION OF SPACE
IN THE 1960S.
•REMEMBER, A CONCEPT IS A “BIG IDEA” AND IS TIMELESS.
Image: United States Exploration; Franklin Bond, Public Domain via
Creative Commons

4. LOOK BELOW. WHICH ARE CONCEPTS?
•WAR
•POLITICS
•RELIGION
•WORLD WAR I
•DEMOCRATIC PARTY
•BAPTIST

5. LOOK BELOW. WHICH ARE CONCEPTS?
•WAR – √ CONCEPT
•POLITICS – √ CONCEPT
•RELIGION - √ CONCEPT
•WORLD WAR I – NOT A CONCEPT; IT’S A SPECIFIC EVENT AT A CERTAIN TIME.
•DEMOCRATIC PARTY – NOT A CONCEPT ; IT’S A SPECIFIC POLITICAL PARTY.
•BAPTIST – NOT A CONCEPT; IT’S A SPECIFIC EXAMPLE OF A RELIGION.

6. DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE?
•WAR, POLITICS, AND RELIGION ARE ALL BIG IDEAS THAT ARE TIMELESS IN NATURE.
FOR EXAMPLE, TAKE THE CONCEPT OF “WAR.” THERE ARE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF
THIS CONCEPT SUCH AS WORLD WAR I, THE GULF WAR, ETC. BUT WAR IN GENERAL,
IS A TIMELESS IDEA THAT IS NON-SPECIFIC.
•WORLD WAR I, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, AND THE BAPTISTS ARE ALL SPECIFIC IN
NATURE. ALTHOUGH WAR HAS BEEN AROUND FOREVER, WWI IS SET IN A SPECIFIC
TIME. THE IDEA OF RELIGION DATES BACK TO PREHISTORY. THE BAPTISTS ARE A
SPECIFIC EXAMPLE OF A RELIGION.

7. SO WHY ARE CONCEPTS IMPORTANT?
CONCEPTS ARE IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE WILL BE LOOKING AT BIG
IDEAS (SUCH AS EXPLORATION, WAR, RELIGION) AS WE STUDY
AMERICAN HISTORY. BEING ABLE TO UNDERSTAND THE BIG
CONCEPTS WILL BE HELPFUL IN LEARNING ABOUT THE DIFFERENT
EVENTS OF OUR HISTORY. A CONCEPT WILL GIVE YOU SOMETHING
TO HELP CONNECT ALL OF THE MANY INTERESTING EVENTS SO THAT
YOU CAN SEE RELATIONSHIP AND PATTERN.