The authors state that historians and children studying history need to understand how people of the past viewed their world and why they took the actions they did. This way of studying history has taken into account what historians call ‘empathy’. The authors suggest that while other terms, such as rational understanding, understanding and perspective taking, have been used, empathy is considered less cumbersome despite the fact that it has many different interpretations. Historical empathy focuses on connections and is an achievement in understanding history and not a process. It is not about shared feelings, however it is possible to entertain the purposes and beliefs of people in the past without accepting them. It requires that students understand some history and are able to apply it. The authors continue with a discussion of the growing research in the field concerning historical empathy. Students approach history through a presentist lens and find it difficult to remove themselves from the history they are studying. The authors discuss a specific research study, CHATA in the UK, which explored students’ ideas about past actions and institutions. They also discuss the broad patterns found in the students’ responses concerning the Roman Empire, slavery and the death of Pedanius by using bar charts and description. They describe the responses of students in grade two in more depth using interview transcripts and discussions. They conclude by stating that the students seem to work from a default set of assumptions when discussing and studying the past including rational action, technological progress, increased knowledge and understanding, rational change and event change or knowledge of events. History, according to the authors, is about the acquisition and development of historical understandings.