Together... We Make History!
Our We Make History family-friendly living history team is the largest educational living history team in the Western United States and includes ladies and gentlemen of all ages from throughout Arizona and far beyond in our living history family. We are clean and family oriented. We especially have a large group of teens and twenties and have entire families involved as well. We are family-friendly, community service focused and have a passion for creative, inspirational education that positively impacts lives. Our team are highly motivated to serve others through inspirational education!
We have volunteers from many parts of the country - all of whom have been blessed through the experiences of service to others through education as well as personal learning and growth which are the continual and natural process of being part of our living history / historical reenacting team. What do we mean by this? At the end of the day, after serving at a We Make History event, you will know that you have been part of something very worthwhile and have the wonderful feeling that comes from having served others and helped them to learn and be inspired. You will also be aware that you have learned and grown yourself through participating and serving!
We welcome new volunteers on an exploratory basis who have a desire to join in our educational mission with a heart of service and agreement with our high standards. Particularly, we look for people who are responsible, reliable, dependable, gracious, able to keep commitments, have a willingness to learn and have a desire to serve others through creative education. Having an attitude of respect toward fellow team members and those we serve is an absolute necessity. We have volunteers who serve through historical roles in historic attire and also those who support while in casual modern clothing. Both are important!
Training? We do a good deal of our beginner training for most volunteer activities "hands on" during events in both historic and modern service roles, allowing novices to gain experience under the direction and guidance of our veteran leaders. For certain roles or more advanced learning we may have special team gatherings as well.
Our primary focus is in representing the era of the American Revolution and the struggle for Liberty, though we are also able to portray the Civil War era and have specialty portrayals of other time periods of American History as well. In fact, our annual American Heritage Festival covers many and diverse facets of American History ranging from the days of the Pilgrims through World War Two!
Our team represents a diverse array of historic roles as history was made by men, women and children of all ages and all places in life! Thus historic domestic home life, music, fashion, the arts, education, agriculture, medicine, military life, battle reenactments, historic occupations, entertainment and much more are all part of We Make History!
Our team has a stock of uniforms, clothing and equipment to generously loan to new soldiers and civilians of most sizes. We sometimes even have special sewing days to help those who desire to make their own items. As mentioned, a number of volunteers in modern clothing are also part of our team and help at our educational community service events.
Our team also has historic style tents which our volunteers may sleep in if they so desire in order to enjoy the camp experience at our educational events.
We are very welcoming to new people who have never done this before. :o)
We have no team member costs or dues.
We understand that all have busy lives so participation is on an "as you are available" basis though we ask everyone to give us a "yes" or "no" well in advance regarding participating in any given event and to do their best to plan ahead and participate in our larger educational events such as our American Heritage Festival, Phoenix Liberty Festival and Tucson Liberty Festival. We do expect all who make commitments to keep them.
We also have regular team gatherings which are very popular with all ages and include learning, fellowship, sewing, event planning, pizza, historic dancing and lots of fun! These meetings are not mandatory as our team lives all over the state and beyond, but they are always a great time for those who do attend and the young people and families involved in We Make History make up a friendly and active social group.
Below is more extensive information and a few links to help you get to know us. They'll give you more info regarding who we are, what we do and why we do it.
Regarding Living History & Historical Reenacting....
Did you know that living history and historical reenacting actually can be family-focused and family-friendly? We Make History utilizes living history as a tool not only for historical education and appreciation of those who have gone before us but also as a means for character-building, service and bringing families together in a wholesome, strengthening and beneficial pursuit.
Q: Why the reenactment of battles and historic military
life?
The answer to this is three-fold.
1. Honour
Historic military reenacting serves as a valuable facet of our mission. If done well, military reenacting gives us the opportunity
to honour those who have gone before us, who sacrificed so much to bequeath to
us the heritage we share and all the blessings which come through it. We by no means glorify war itself, as war is a terrible thing - but we do respect those who practiced courage, unselfishness, honour, mercy, virtue, valour and justice in the midst of very difficult environments.
2. Education
This is in itself two-fold. We have a focus and commitment
to service, to sharing our knowledge and what we have learned with the students, families, schools and communities.
The examples go on and on of thousands of persons of all ages who have become excited and
interested in history through attending an We Make History event, interacting with and learning from our We Make History "Family".
Education is also a personal goal as we all continue to learn of those who have
gone before us and then share the knowledge gained through our portrayals.
3. Inspiration
Learning of the noble character, aspirations, motivations,
beliefs and actions of so many who went before us gives us a greater historical perspective but also encouragement, tools and respect to
carry forward in our day to day lives in the 21st century. Battle reenacting
gives a sense of standing literally shoulder to shoulder in a common cause. The
lessons of teamwork, leadership, loyalty and commitment which we find in
history can be given a greater sense of poignancy, of reality when experienced
on the "battlefield" which can translate well into real life in the
real world. In our very individualistic society, We Make History's military
reenacting groups give men a rare opportunity to experience, ponder and put
some of these lessons into effect in their own lives. Personal character
development is the result. The positive analogies, lessons and applications to be derived from an historic military framework are seemingly endless.
Q: Why has We Make History made a huge investment of resources and time in living history and in training new volunteers?
A: Our mission is to serve families, students and communities through creative education which is positive, interactive, inspirational and character-building. As with all facets of We Make History our living history / historical reenacting group involves this passion on a number of levels. While learning about history and educating others we create and discover opportunities for service, character development and inspiration which carry over and serve us well in the modern world.
Q: What historic military oriented roles does We Make
History offer?
We portray various roles from both sides of the American Revolution. In the past we have been invited and have had opportunities to portray both sides of the Civil War as well. There are some unique inspirational, learning and character-developing experiences enjoyed by men reenacting as soldiers on the battlefield. It is a team effort, something of great value to the men involved but something that for the most part we have no real opportunity for in the modern world. Learning the drill and being shoulder to shoulder with other men in a line of battle is not only a real eye opener in understanding our heritage but is a sublime experience that gives one much pause for thought, a more fully developed sense of responsibility that is difficult to put into words. Any of our gentlemen will tell you that living history has not only been great fun and an incredible learning experience but also a character-building journey that could not have been found elsewhere. Not only our young men will tell you this but our fathers and older men as well.
Q: Are there roles for historic civilians as well?
Certainly! When representing a time period such as the
American Revolution (as one of many examples) we enthusiastically welcome
and include diverse civilian representation of men, women and children of all
ages. Real history was made by men, women and children - and we represent that fact! Our civilian representations are central to our educational
mission and portray diverse facets of historic life including domestic
activities, medicine, agriculture, fashion, children's activities, arts,
crafts, music, occupations and more!
Q: Are volunteers in modern attire needed?
Yes! Modern volunteers play important roles in hospitality and other areas of need.
Q: What ages may participate?
A) Men, women and respectful, well disciplined children of all ages are welcome to participate as historic civilians. Possible roles include (but are not limited to) participation in historic fashion shows, helping around the encampment, showcasing historic occupations, demonstrating crafts and activities, role playing as historic civilians, helping at our "Prairie School", demonstrating historic children's games, playing historic music, serving at the Colonial Garden, the Regimental Cook, the water booth or in other areas. (Note: There are age boundaries for the battlefield and certain other roles. Also, certain ages can only be involved if a parent is also involved.)
Q: We have heard (or experienced) that some reenacting
groups or events are either unsafe or not a wholesome environment for families.
Is this true?
Unfortunately this is often true. We Make
History activities are "in house" so we are able to determine and
hold to high standards. We have a standing promise that we will not lead families involved with We Make History historical reenacting into situations where their safety could be compromised, where dangerous/irresponsible people are involved or bad behavior or indecent language tolerated (whether publicly or behind the scenes), where their families could be negatively affected or where their time and efforts would be wasted. Our standards are purposefully high and no exceptions are made. When considering involvement in any "outside" event We
Make History is very careful regarding what we participate in and who we
participate with. We will NOT compromise the safety or values of the We Make
History family, thus there are certain events and groups we choose not to be
involved with. Period. This is our promise.
We serve together
in the noble cause
of inspirational education
by bringing history to life
for families, students and communities...
Together... We Make History!
