Whether itβs solving the worldβs biggest problems or investigating the potential of novel discoveries, researchers at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ are on the edge of scientific breakthroughs that aim to make an impact. Through the, student and faculty researchers condense their complex studies into bite-sized summaries so you can know how and why Knights plan to improve our world.
Name:Β John Sacher
±Κ΄Η²υΎ±³ΩΎ±΄Η²Τ(²υ):ΜύProfessor of history
Why are you interested in this research?
As I tell my first-year students, if you think history is boring, you just havenβt found the right teacher yet.
History is about understanding why things happened. Generally, people are all interested in some βwhy?β question. Now, the βwhyβ questions each person might find fascinating are different, but thereβs something for everyone. I might wonder, βWhy does the United States have a two-party system?β or βHow did the Confederacy manage to fight for four years in the Civil War?β You might wonder, βWhy do we have 50 states?β or βWhy do we have an interstate highway system?β or βWhy is the Middle East so important?β or even βWhy do brides traditionally wear white?β
Regardless of your βwhyβ question, history can provide a lens to help you answer it.
Who inspires you to conduct your research?
My initial inspiration to study history came from my parents. They encouraged me to pursue a degree in whatever interested me, not necessarily one that led to a traditional occupation.
More recently, I think that my inspiration comes from my students. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ students have great questions. They keep me on my toes. Every semester Iβm asked something Iβve never been asked before.Β Also, they are entering adulthood at a time when there are a lot of big unknowns out there β whatβs going on with politics, with foreign policy, or with technological changes.Β While I canβt answer all of those questions, I can give them some tools to help them formulate their own answers and maybe some comfort to discover that they are not the first generation to face βbigβ questions in their immediate future.
How does ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ empower you to do your research?
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs Department of History (and the College of Arts and Humanities and ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ in general) certainly empower my research agenda. As a traditional historian, I donβt need fancy, expensive equipment to conduct my research. That said β teaching can be a different story. I was recently turned into a hologram to teach patrons of about the Constitution!
The most valuable commodity any historical researcher needs is time β time to research, time to think and time to write. I finished my most recent book thanks to a sabbatical which provided that time. The university has also repeatedly given me a teaching schedule that aligns with my research. So, Iβm working with undergraduates and graduate students to help them understand the same issues that I grapple with in my research. That synchronicity keeps me on track and energized.
What major grants and honors have you earned to support your research?
I have received several major grants and honors in support of my research. My book A Perfect War of Politics: Parties, Politicians, and Democracy in Louisiana, 1824β1861 (Louisiana State University Press, 2003) won the 2003 Kemper and Leila Williams Prize for the best book on Louisiana history.
Why is this research important?
Historians provide invaluable contributions to understanding todayβs political world. We live in a world of a rigid and hostile partisan divide where people are reluctant to trust the media. Historians can fill a void by delivering context for often debated topics such as the electoral college, redistricting, foreign policy, the second amendment, etc. We donβt tell people how to vote, but we grant them the tools to come to their own informed conclusions.
The more one understands founding documents such as the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights, the better one can make their own assessment of 21st century political issues and candidates.
