The Importance of Oral History

Throughout the history of the world, many cultures have relied on oral history as a means of continuing heritage.  The first, and main culture, that pops out to me are the American Indians.  This is not to say that oral history is mainly prevalent in this culture, but as an American it is the culture that I am most familiar with.  Prior to the availability of paper, oral traditions were the only way that a culture could teach its history and traditions to a new generation.  But even as paper became more prevalent to these cultures, the oral history continues to reign supreme in importance.  Traditionally, this creates a bond between the teacher and the student, and it allows emphasis to be placed on certain stories.  While reading books are important, it is hard to identify with its author on a personal basis, however when someone is teaching you the past orally it is easier to interact and fully grasp the morals.

In the 1960s and 70s, oral tradition came into its own.  Affordable and portable tape recorders came on the marketplace and allowed for stories to be recorded.  This had a huge impact on history because stories from people such as the Black Panthers, Vietnam veterans, and Civil Rights activists were able to be recorded.  Some historians discredit the value of these recordings claiming that they are biased and unable to tell a full story, but when these recordings are combined I believe that they tell a complete story of what was happening during those decades.  History is often written by those that win, and I don't believe that any amount of book research can hold its own against the verbal testament of those that experienced things first hand.

In recent years, importance has begun to be placed on the "average citizen."  While many history books circle their main subject around someone of high value or stature, this is hardly an accurate representation of the times in which these individuals lived.  Many Civil War books based in the South describe sprawling plantations with a multitude of slaves, but much of the South consisted of poor white farmers that couldn't even afford one slave.  Many statistics are put out that vilify the South as bunch of slave owners, when in fact there were very few.  I wonder how these statistics would've been shown had the South won its independence from the North.

The 1960s and 70s were not the first time that first hand accounts were recorded.  Some anthropologists  in the late 19th century began collecting oral stories of American Indians and those that experienced the Civil War and slavery on phonograph cylinders.  These stories are of high value to us as a people because it adds validity and emotion to a time that is often seen in black and white, both in words on a paper and pictures.

**Project Update**
Dr. Shockley approached Matthew and I on a different project that could have a huge impact on a historic black farmers market on James Island in Charleston, SC.  We are currently reviewing the material to see if the completion of a website for the historic site could be of more value to the historic community.  I think that it would also give us more freedom to do things as we see fit.

-Jason