Change and Comparing Events

"Interpreting by comparing similar or different events and people" is the fourth way of knowing history (Hennings, 1993, p. 363). By examining similarities and differences between events, periods, and figures across time and space, historians and students of history consider the dynamic nature of history and the nature of historical change. Hennings' (1993) strategies for interpreting history by considering change and comparing events are outlined here.

Develop interpretations about historical change by asking the following questions:

• How is this event similar to another event that occurred in the same place but at a different time?
• How is this event different from another event that occurred in the same place but at a different time?
• How is this event similar to another event that occurred at the same time but in a different place?
• How is this event different from another event that occurred at the same time but in a different place?
• How was this person's life different from that person's life?
• How was this person's life similar to that person's life?
• How did this person's contributions differ from that person's?

Use organizational aids to summarize similarities and differences between people, events, and periods. Examples are given in the Information Organization section of this page.