Essay Sample on Historical Lenses: Ideal Tools for Detailed Study of History

Introduction

Historical lenses are ideal tools which are usually applied in the studying of History in a more detailed way. The lenses aid in narrowing down the topic instead of using various articles, which may be unnecessary for the study. History is based on the tendency of repeating itself. Individuals indulge in the writing of reports which are filled with biasness and pass the information down to other people. Thus this results in people picking the biased reports and relying on them because of the lack of necessary information to aid them in preventing past mistakes from happening.

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Explanation of Topic

Over the past decades, the drafting of the constitution was a matter that used to be attended by specific individuals (Gluck & Ballou, 2014). However, this aspect has seized with time resulting in the drafting to be a process that is open and participatory. The various ways in which nations have indulged in the drafting process comprises of the use of national dialogues, consultation of experts as well as the engagement of the public (Gluck & Ballou, 2014). The implementation of these platforms is to enable citizens to have an impact on the identity, organization, nature, relationship as well as peaceful coexistence between themselves and groups. The paper will major in discussing the drafting of the constitution based on historical lenses and narratives as well as perceptions of other people.

Historical Lenses

Historical lenses have much impact on how individuals perceive different past events. The paper will major on the elaboration of social, political, and economic lenses in the drafting of the constitution.

Social

The use of social media has been ideal in the drafting of the constitution. For instance, the technologies aid the constitution-makers in engaging with the public resulting in them advocating for the various constitutional issues that affect them (Gluck & Ballou, 2014). Iceland is among the nations that have embraced the use of social media in the drafting of their constitution. In 2011, the constitutional committee of the country indulged in the posting of the draft provisions for comment online, which resulted in a debate that led to the committee embracing the views of individuals in coming up with the final copy (Gluck & Ballou, 2014).

The engagement of the public in the drafting of the constitution was ideal in that it resulted in the rise of several changes in the proposed constitution (Gluck & Ballou, 2014). The other impact is that it increases the transparency of the making of the constitution. The openness is increased based on the use of recordings and the ease in archiving the constitutional documents as well as different events in the virtual libraries (Gluck & Ballou, 2014). Thus this enhances the accessibility of these materials for illustrative and educational purposes as well as for future generations.

In as much as social media seems to be ideal in the drafting of the constitution, there still exist some shortcomings associated with it. For instance, the monitoring of the accuracy of the provided information tends to be difficult (Gluck & Ballou, 2014). Thus this results in difficulty in holding individuals accountable for the spread of misinformation. The use of social media also creates a channel for new forms of criminal acts such as harassment, intimidation as well as fraud, which tends to be hard to control. Therefore, there needs to be ideal considerations and strategies to aid in maximizing the benefits of technology.

Political

According to Gluck & Ballou (2014), the drafting of the constitution has and will always be a political exercise. For instance, the American political system is based on decentralization and local governance. Therefore this implies that the system is based on the limitation of the powers of the federal government. Thus most of the authority and control are based on the state government as well as individuals. The other crucial aspect in the drafting of the constitution is based on composition as well as the tasks of institutions that oversee the exercise of power by the political institutions (Abebe, 2017).

Based on the new modalities, the drafting of the constitutions is no longer an exclusive domain of the political institutions, actors, and experts (Abebe, 2017). The active participation of individuals is considered as the primary foundation for claims in the authorship of the constitutions. In various nations, the creation of the constitution is based on the form of constituent assemblies and the extensive scale consultation of the public. Kenya and South Africa are among the nations that have adopted this measure (Abebe, 2017). However, in other stable countries such as Chile, there have emerged new models of popular participation in the drafting of the constitution.

Economic

The economic aspects also pose much impact on the drafting of the constitution. The agreements are often instituted in nations that portray maturity in the formal institutions (Byiers, Vanheukelom & Kingombe, 2015). However, the countries that lack this form of sophistication are usually faced with many challenges. For instance, based on the ruling elite in Rwanda, the membership of the East African Community (EAC) posed a high policy for Tanzania compared to Rwanda that highly relies on the economic opportunities for the survival of development regime strategy (Byiers, Vanheukelom & Kingombe, 2015).

Historical Narrative

The social lens is based on the impacts of social media in the drafting of the constitution. The world of technology is filled with many revolutions. Thus this results in an effect in the formulation of the constitution. The effect is witnessed based on the implementation of various strategies in enhancing public participation in the formulation and the making of changes to the constitution. The political lens majors on the government system of a nation and actions, and influence that pose an impact in the drafting of the constitution. The drafting of the constitution has mostly been termed as a political exercise. Therefore, this implies that politics will always have an impact on its creation. The economic lens also impacts the drafting of the constitution, with the less privileged nations being exposed in many challenges compared to the developed ones.

Our Lives

The analysis of various lenses in the drafting of the constitution indicates much connection between History and the lives of individuals. The use of History has aided in understanding how the drafting of the constitution gets to be actualized. Thus this makes it easier for individuals to understand which measures are the most ideal in the structuring of their constitution.

History's Value

Personal Perceptions of History

Based on my perception of the value of History, there exists a high tendency of repetition in the unfolding of events. For instance, the drafting of the constitution is an aspect that is exposed to several biases, as noted in the paper, with social media posing much impact. Thus this results in individuals being filled with the thought that biased opinions tend to be the unaltered truth, which may not be the case. Therefore, this results in the repetition of past mistakes in the drafting of the constitution.

Perceptions on History from other Researchers

The reviews from other researchers indicate similarities in the use of lenses in viewing the past by different historians. The mostly applied lenses range from social, political, environmental as well as economic lenses. However, the aspect of the social lens tends to be much detailed compared to the others. Therefore this implies that the majority prefer this lens over the others. Perhaps this is because of the current revolution in the technological world, which has resulted in the individuals adopting the use of social media in their daily communication of vital information.

Obligations of Citizens in knowing about History

Citizens inhibit an obligation in the knowledge of History because it enhances their growth and strength based on past events (American Historical Association, 2018). History also aids individuals in learning what they can engage in to make the world be a better place for future generations. History also results in the rise of loyal citizens based on the memories of the experiences and aspirations that tend to be vital in patriotism (American Historical Association, 2018). History also results in the making of stable and well-rounded individuals because it grants them a start in understanding the different patterns of society from past reviews. History also gives out a perspective of permanence in the life of a nation.

References

Abebe, A.K. (2017). Constitution building in 2017 through the lens of Constitution Net's Voices from the Field. Retrieved from http://constitutionnet.org/news/constitution-building-2017-through-lens-constitutionnets-voices-field

American Historical Association. (2018). Chapter 2: Why Should Americans Know Their History? Retrieved from https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-archives/historical-archives/american-history-in-schools-and-colleges/chapter-2-why-should-americans-know-their-own-history

Byiers, B., Vanheukelom, J., & Kingombe, C. K. (2015). A five lenses framework for analyzing the political economy in regional integration. Africa Economic Brief, 6(3).

Gluck, J., & Ballou, B. (2014). New technologies in constitution-making. United States Institute of Peace.