New Left Historiography Essay

Different forms of historiographies tend to emerge during eras of changing scholarly perspective, and the New Left historiography is no exception. It came into widespread use during the 60s and 70s, a time of social unrest, and provides an outlook on history based in present ideal values. This type of historiography allows for the opportunity to examine social change over time, to make value based judgements on the events of our past, and more, but it does fall prey to the inherent bias found in all forms of this study of history. New Left historians found footing in the U.S. during the 1960s, particularly in response to the Cold War, Vietnam War, and the Civil Rights Movement. They tend to base their judgement on history from a lens consisting of current social values. Talking points of interest from this lens often include the misuse of power, such as in undesired wars, foreign policy, and in social inequality. They base their judgement on events of the past on our current day standards regarding equality both under the law and in practice. This practice of judging the past with modern day values is often referred to as presentism, and is a key aspect of the New Left historiography.
He was an influential teacher in Oregon, who exposed students to his self-proclaimed radical ideas, lambasted foreign policy at the time, especially regarding our country’s role in Vietnam and the Cold War, and championed equality for all people. Most of his works revolve around critiques of American foreign policy and the nation’s history from the perspective of his New Left ideas, and he has received credit for his role in educating a new generation of students to use this type of interpretation in their