There is a feeling, often expressed, that we live in particularly tumultuous times. I often politely ask when we were not in “tumultuous times.” My argument is that “presentism” ie giving more weight to the present than the past makes the current situation seem far more important than it really is.

I often explain it as the “car window” effect. If you look out the side window of a moving car things appear to be moving very fast, but if you look out the front window the landscape is moving much slower. We are genetically predisposed to be more excited by what is happening now. That predisposition is magnified by the news media seeking to gain viewers by sensationalizing everything.

A Short History of Reconstruction by Eric Foner, pictured above, is a good antidote to presentism. The period from 1864 until 1878 was a seriously tumultuous time. The former slaves had a glimpse of freedom that was then snatched away. It was another hundred years before the promise of emancipation and equality started to come true for Black Americans. The book is a good read about a time that is mostly skimmed over in history classes because it is both embarrassing and complicated.