Historians ask questions about the past to help understand the present and gain insight into the future. Listen to a history professor from the University of Michigan discuss how and why he studies history.

A museum curator is investigating the authenticity of a note signed by Abraham Lincoln honorably discharging a soldier of the Civil War in 1864. What detective work is necessary to determine whether the document is real or a forgery?

This video provides an examination of bias and point of view and why this is an important skill to know when studying his/her story. [5:30]