Empire in the past was always a far harsher and much more accident-prone business than conventional history books imply. And the costs of these overseas invasions were borne not just by those on the receiving end but - frequently - by ordinary, vulnerable people among or associated with the invaders.
Interpretation
The harsh realities of empire are often overlooked in conventional histories.
This quote by Linda Colley emphasizes that the complexities and costs of creating and maintaining empires are often misrepresented in standard histories. It points out that while history tends to focus on the powerful and their maneuvers, the true impact of imperial ventures extends not only to the subjugated but also adversely affects the ordinary people associated with the invaders, highlighting the often ignored human costs of imperialism.
In practice
In a lecture about colonialism, this quote can illustrate the often hidden costs borne by common people during imperial conquests.
Look at how the British covered India with railroads, and it is easy to view them as modernisers. Look, however, at the abysmal levels of mass illiteracy in the subcontinent they left behind in 1947, and they appear rather differently.
Much of how Americans have always understood their history, culture, and identity depends on positioning Europe as the 'other,' as that 'old world' against which they define themselves.
The story of the African-American people is the story of the settlement and growth of America itself, a universal tale that all people should experience.
I believe history will come to view 9/11 as an event on par with November 22, 1963, the date on which John F. Kennedy was murdered, cutting short a presidency that was growing ever more promising. Dreams died that day in Dallas; it is easy to imagine the 1960s turning out rather differently had President Kennedy lived.
When I read that the British army had landed thirty-two thousand troops - and I had realized, not very long before, that Philadelphia only had thirty thousand people in it - it practically lifted me out of my chair.
My mom, Clida, taught my four brothers and me about her father's work to organize black voters in rural Louisiana in the 1950s. We carried her dad's legacy of activism with us. The Civil Rights Movement was present in the daily life of my family in Detroit in the 1970s.
For a long time, I've been interested in cultural memory and historical erasure.
History is not history unless it is the truth.
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