“History is Objective” …. “It Does Matter”…

“History is Objective” …. “It Does Matter”…

Interview with the Canadian War Museum, featuring Dr. Peter MacLeod, Historian, Pre-Confederation

 

"Capturing the Essence …. Your Own Perspective …"

By Judi McWilliams, Ontario Visited

During a recent visit to Ottawa, Ontario Visited had the privilege of spending some time speaking with Dr. Peter MacLeod, Historian, Pre-Confederation with the Canadian War Museum.  “The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national, and international dimensions.”

Over the years, Ontario Visited has visited many “Live re-enactments”, “Living History Museums” and “Pioneer Villages & Museums”. During that period, I have been researching War of 1812 historical events. As a result, I interviewed many organizers and participants of these historical events, written articles about the “Characters of the War of 1812”, “The Importance of Living History”, “War of 1812 – Big in Canada”, “Controversial Topics”, “200 Years of Peace”, ”Authenticity” and more …

During our interview with Dr. Peter MacLeod, it became apparent that all of my efforts were formed from the research and information presented to me. At the beginning of my "Historical" journey, I thought ‘History” was boring. However, since then, I have found just how wrong I was. It is anything but boring. The interview with Dr. MacLeod crystallized just how many “perspectives” there are. The Canadian War Museum is perhaps the most amazing experience I have had in a long while. The spacious museum allows you the opportunity to travel through time, learn, observe, and formulate your own opinions, conclusions and perspectives. What I learned by visiting the Canadian War Museum is that there is a big difference between “Living History” and “Museums”.  “Historians are Historians” and “Re-enactors are re-enactors”. There is no failing, there is no right or wrong. This was especially true after Gary and I took the War of 1812 Exhibitions "perspective" survey. Even though our answers were much different then the general on-line consensus, Peter McLeod assured us that everyone's "perspective" was correct. It is just a matter of how History was perceived. There are opportunities to discover and explore our heritage and the Canadian War Museum – War of 1812 Exhibition helps fill in many details…. It was a wonderful experience that I encourage all to participate in.

(To Be Continued)