Conflict and Compromise History Topics
History, like all human processes, includes both conflict and compromise. When studying the particulars of a historical moment, it's often helpful to consider the way that both conflict and compromise contribute to the final result. For certain historical topics, it is relatively easy to delineate those moments. When teaching students about the relationship between conflict and compromise, such topics can serve as useful examples and as points of departure for more in-depth study.
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Law
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Questions of law are replete with moments of conflict and compromise. For example, the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments of the U.S. Constitution, each pertaining to the status of formerly enslaved persons, constitute one of the most conflict-ridden discourses in American history. Laws about the nature of marriage, capital punishment and abortion also are highly contested. Individuals participating in a representative legislative process often compromise heavily on the wording and scope of laws that affect their constituencies.
Independence
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When colonies and territories fight for independence, individuals on both sides engage in intense conflict as well as compromise. Students can research the history of independence movements in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas to gain insight into the nature of historical conflict and compromises. Understanding these historical moments helps students to perceive their own continuity to the past. It also helps them to examine the ways that concepts of nationalism, patriotism and liberty have evolved over time.
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Territory
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Newly independent nations struggle with the degree of their own expansion, which was the case in the United States' westward expansion. As citizens of one nation interact with those of different national or cultural affiliations, they must determine the degree to which conflict and/or compromise shapes their relationships. Studying how people interact with those who are culturally distinct helps students think through their own relationships in culturally diverse environments. Allyson M. Poska, Ph.D., history professor at the University of Mary Washington, notes that it's important to teach students to empathize with historical actors and to understand them as "everyday people" who faced dilemmas similar to what people today face.
Economic Structure
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Each member of a national, geographic or cultural community may have strong beliefs about the appropriate economic system and structure. Determining an economic structure for any organization requires much time, effort and discussion among group members. The final structure that develops is often the result of an interplay between conflict and compromise. During revolutions and revolts over economic structures and conditions, conflict is often widespread and violent. At other times, conflict may be limited to heated discussions and debates.
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References
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