Failure to learn history only means repeating it for high school students. For the rest of us, though, not knowing history deprives us of a fundamental element of awareness.

According to Alan Taylor, a UC Davis “Distinguished Professor” in the subject, “History gives people a sense of depth perception for the world we live in now.”

Taylor, who specializes in the early American period, won a Pulitzer Prize in 1996 for his book “William Cooper’s Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic.” Now, his latest book, “The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832” (W.W. Norton & Co., $35, 624 pages), is a finalist for the 2013 National Book Award. The winner will be announced Wednesday....