To figure out how a single historical event like the battle of Puebla can lead to massive celebrations in another country, you have to go beyond the hype and look at history in a more analytical way. (Analytical comes from the word analyze, which means to take something apart in order to understand it better.) Analytical thinking is not something that advertisers encourage in their ads--it takes too much time, and you might decide that you disagree with their message.
Analysis (using analytical thinking) is a skill that you use all the time. Suppose you're riding a bicycle and you hear a pop followed by a hissing sound. Next the handlebars start to wobble, and suddenly you find it much harder to pedal. Do you throw the bike away and start walking? Probably not. Instead, you begin your analysis. You look down at the bike's tires and see that one of them looks different. You squeeze that tire to confirm that, yes, it no longer holds air. If you're lucky, you know how to fix the flat tire, and you have the tools to do it. If not, you broaden your analysis and begin to ask yourself questions: How far am I from home? Who can I call to come get me?
The way you use analysis in your daily life is not that different from the way you'll use it in this course. As you learn about historical events and their importance, you will look at parts of the historical record, such as documents, artifacts, pictures, and oral histories, in order to understand what happened. You will also ask yourself questions that help you understand the historical event and how it relates to the rest of history.
Question
What is the point of analysis?
