There are instances in history hinting that it was created by the people. For example, how would Abraham Lincoln have freed the slaves if the people had not had slaves, or the slaves had not existed? How would Hitler have done so much damage to Europe had there been no one to follow him; no Nazis? Also, how would the problems of World War II have been solved had the people not stepped in? The answer is simple: these events would cease to exist.
Abraham Lincoln, without the slaves, perhaps would not have been faced with a civil war on his hands. He may have been just another president, not one talked about today in schools everywhere. He would not have been recognized as such an amazing leader, and would not have passed the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Without the slaves, Abraham Lincoln, as well as history, would be very different.
Adolf Hitler, also would have been very affected had people decided not to follow him. Without his faithful group of followers, Hitler would have been just another European with many ideas but no power to put them into action. Face it, Hitler would have been completely weak and powerless without his Nazis.
Another point: what would have happened if the colonists had not ventured out of the safe haven of Europe? Would other people have ventured later on? Or would history have just continued on in Europe? In this event, one individual did not create this, al the colonists, the people, created this history. Not only were the colonists the people in this situation, but the rest of the Europeans, the royalty, and the commoners, created this history. If the Europeans had not let the colonists leave, what would have happened? Would Native Americans have lived in peace in the New World all along? The point is, all people played a part in this history, meaning that it was not just the individuals that created this history. This history would eventually lead to more history, meaning that the people created history that was the basis for much more history to come.
However, individuals are also a very important part of history. What would have happened to the slaves, had Abraham Lincoln not freed them? Would they have gone on to a lifetime of misery and servitude? Or would they have been freed soon after, by a different person? Would there have been such problems between the North and the South? Would there have even been a Civil War? An Emancipation Proclamation? How would the people have been affected? Would slaves still be legal today?
Also, without Hitler, would there have even been a Holocaust? Would World War II have ended differently? If that hadn’t happened, would the people have known better than to let it happen later? Would the German people have followed another leader, perhaps ending in a similar disaster?
All of these questions are posed on what would happen had these individuals had either not existed or acted differently. What would have happened in history, as we can well see from these questions depends very heavily on certain individuals. Abraham Lincoln, Adolf Hitler, both of these individuals created situations in history that people will never forget.
What about John Wilkes Booth? If he had not assassinated Abraham Lincoln, what would have happened then? Would Abraham Lincoln have gone on to accomplish more great things? Or would he have retired from office, and lived the rest of his life in a relaxed and laid-back way? How different would history have been if Abraham Lincoln had not been assassinated? This, if you think about it, is true about all assassinations. Martin Luther King Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy, each a great man making great strides in history, each killed by an individual who changed history. What could these great men have accomplished, had their lives not been tragically cut short? We have learned so much about these assassinations, it is tough to think about what history would be like, had they not happened. Each of these men is an individual who changed history, killed by another individual who changed history. Individuals can make a huge impact on history, whether in a positive way, like Abraham Lincoln and the slaves, Martin Luther King and segregation, or John F. Kennedy and all of his accomplishments, or in a negative way, such as John Wilkes Booth, James Earl Ray, or Lee Harvey Oswald.
As a whole, history is created by many different factors. The people, i.e. groups of people such as cultures, countries, or any other types of group, or the people in general, individuals, such as Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, Martin Luther King Jr., James Earl Ray, John F. Kennedy, or Lee Harvey Oswald, or even weather, animals, or many other factors can change history. History is easily changed. You, me, the neighbor down the street, or even a newborn baby could be destined to change history. History is always changing, by all the people of the world, and also by individuals themselves. We, as imperfect, unstable humans, learn from our mistakes, and history can be referred to as a record of past mistakes. Can you imagine something like the Holocaust happening today? Absolutely not! We would not let that happen again, and if somehow it did, it would absolutely not happen in the same place. The Holocaust was a very important historic event, and it is in remembering it that we may ensure that it does not happen again. The same thing is true about slaves. In the United States, we will never be able to own slaves again, it is illegal. The point is, the people and individuals created history, and will be responsible for the future.
Web Citations:
1. "Abraham Lincoln -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 19 Feb. 2010. .
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