History is full of lessons, inspirational figures, and events that remain resonant in the nation today. For these things to have the most impact, and most value, demands that they be put into some sort of context. Each subgroup of American takes more from the history of the land when they are able to apply the history presented to them to their own personal culture and experiences. Many elements of history retain their value across racial, gender and other cultural lines but some elements have special meaning to their respective groups. Even if a broad history has synthesized these elements, for maximum value to an individual group, that group's history should also be broken out, so that members of that group can see how their history contributes to the nation's history as a whole.

Another reason we need to incorporate the individual histories of specific identity groups is so that members of other groups can understand the position of each identity group's history in relation to the broader history of the nation. Understand the unique perspectives of the various groups that comprise our collective group enables us to more effectively cut through bias, because it gives us a sense of the other group's perspective. Knowing these differing perspectives also allows for better cross-transfer of ideas, which in turn fosters better understanding. Moreover, it allows us to learn stronger lessons from history, and to put today's events in a more clear perspective.

The U.S. after the Civil War is a highly diverse place themselves within a viable historical context, resulting in alienation from the group. It would also lend a needless degree of bias to the history, which would reduce the effectiveness of the history. We should always be cognizant of the diversity of our historiography in order to ensure complete and accurate diversity of our recorded history.
Works Used:

Novick, Peter (1988). That Noble Dream: The Objectivity Question and the American Historical Profession. Cambridge University Press. pp 571-586 Retrieved May 8, 2008 at http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=b42WRrk0-rEC&dq=historiography&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=waBY57wWAQ&sig=3cWyrBdpCMCOZxe6QxQ0Zfn7uMk#PPA576,M1

American Historiography. Answers.com. Retrieved May 8, 2008 at http://www.answers.com/topic/historiography-american