Doris Kearns Goodwin Meets Students

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When it comes to history, nobody could be more knowledgeable than Doris Kearns Goodwin.The one-time White House historian presented her insight on the current election and her past experiences to college students from Pace, Denver and George Mason Universites. 

Goodwin told students that history is one of the most important things for a person to know. She argues that there is a failure of schools to teach and excite students on history and that there is no reason for student to not love the topic.

“There is drama, excitement and a sense of knowing where you came from,” said Goodwin. 

When asked what made Goodwin want to be a historian she told a story of her father asking her to record the history of Brooklyn Dodgers games that he misses while he was at work.

“It made me feel like I was telling him a wonderful story,” Goodwin said, “like magic.” 

As for Goodwin’s opinion on the current presidential race, she had more to say on the group of candidates as a whole.  The Pulitzer Prize winning author labeled all candidates as “classy” individuals who would each bring a different quality to the presidential seat. She shined on Clinton and Obama as great examples no matter who wins.  A first in both aspects, in race and gender, would be of great historical significance for not only the United States, but the world as well. 

Goodwin expressed both candidates as “two very good people” with both political skill and oratorical strengths.  A student from Denver University asked “What do you think will be the lasting legacy of Bush?” Goodwin replied that there was a level of importance for getting Saddam Hussein out of power, but that it probably should have ended at that.  She believes that if Bush had gone in a different direction, perhaps focusing on strengthening democracy, then the United States might be in a different, and possibly, better position then it is in now.  She suggested, however, that in the future “historians may say later that it was worth it.” Who knows, if a historian says it might be now then maybe it will?