Many things connect back to Charles Sumner (not to be confused with Fort Sumter, although related) a person people may want to check out. Here's a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Sumner.
I now see a reason. Studying someone like this can lead a person to understand how humans are, which can lead to a person learning how to bring resources to themselves as opposed to going to or asking someone else for what they need.