Historical

Inquiry

To begin the narration wiggle mouse over Mount Rushmore

Constructing history as an artifact of its time

"To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child." Cicero

"those who fail to learn from history are condemned to repeat it". Santanya

Remains of the Past

Biography of a playwrightVideotape of a performance

Theatre

Essay on Native American land rights

TreatyPolitical Science

Treatise on a particular genre of poetry

PoemLiterature

Book about the Underground Railroad

Slave diaryHistory

Article critiquing the piece of art

Original artworkArt

Primary Source

Secondary Source

Sources of Historical Study

What remains from the past

Any piece of information used for constructing history

What are Primary Sources

What is a Primary Source?

Primary sources are sources of information—the raw materials of history—created by people who actually participated in or witnessed events of the past.

Using primary sources, you will learn to. . .

• interpret, clarify, analyze, and evaluate various types of documents and artifacts

• recognize bias and points of view• separate fact and fiction and learn

how it relates to establishing a historical record

• formulate opinions, draw conclusions, and understand the possibility of multiple interpretations

• show cause and effect• analyze and interpret raw data• apply generalizations and theories

in books, television and other media while recognizing and weighing the limitations of those media

• recognize your own personal biases and prejudices and how these can influence your interpretations of primary sources

• develop and gain confidence in your ability to acquire information and knowledge

First person accounts. . .

• oral histories• diaries• memoirs

Documents. . .

• maps• old school attendance records• treaties• immigration/citizenship papers• laws, legal documents• yearbooks• military service records• award certificates, diplomas

• birth, death records• minutes of meetings• tax records• report cards• wills • blueprints• letters• driver’s license

Physical artifacts which reflect the period in which

they were made and used. . .

• furniture• clothing• buildings• household items• tools

Scientific Data which has been collected but NOT

interpreted. . .• census data• population statistics• weather records• production/manufacturing systems

data• air quality measures• animal migration patterns

ARCHIVES AND MANUSCRIPT MATERIAL

PHOTOGRAPHS, AUDIO RECORDINGS, VIDEO RECORDINGS, FILMS

JOURNALS, LETTERS AND DIARIES

SPEECHES

PUBLISHED BOOKS, NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINE CLIPPINGS PUBLISHED AT THE TIME

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

ORAL HISTORIES

ARTIFACTS, e.g. CLOTHING, COSTUMES, FURNITURE

Primary Sources Secondary Sources

Primary sources were either created

1.during the time period being studied,

2. were created at a later date by a participant in the events being studied, and

3. they reflect the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer.

Primary Sources

whether a source was created close in location and time to an actual historical event.

where, when and why a document was

created.

Was it a personal diary intended to be kept private?

Was the document prepared for the public?

The purpose of a source.

Basic Rules

Guide Questions

Time and Place Rule

Bias Rule

says the closer in time and place a source and its creator were to an event in the past, the better the source will be.

Time and Place Rule

Direct traces of the event;

Accounts of the event, created at the time it occurred, by firsthand observers and participants;

Accounts of the event, created after the event occurred, by firsthand observers and participants;

Accounts of the event, created after the event occurred, by people who did not participate or witness the event, but who used interviews or evidence from the time of the event.

Better primary sources might include:

Some primary sources may be judged more reliable than others, but every source is biased in some way.

says that every source is biased in some way.

Bias Rule guidelines:

Every piece of evidence and every source must be read or viewed skeptically and critically.

No piece of evidence should be taken at face value.

Each piece of evidence and source must be cross-checked and compared with related sources and pieces of evidence.

Bias Rule

Time and Place Rule

says the closer in time and place a source and its creator were to an event in the past, the better the source will be.

Bias Rule

says that every source is biased in some way.

Who created the source and why?

Did the author have firsthand knowledge of the event?

Was the author a neutral party?

Did the author produce the source for personal use or a large audience?

Was the information recorded during the event, immediately after the event, or after a lapse of time?

Did the author wish to inform or persuade?

Questions for Analyzing Primary Sources

1. Who created the source and why?

Questions for Analyzing Primary Sources

2. Did the author have firsthand knowledge of the event?

Questions for Analyzing Primary Sources

3. Was the author a neutral party, or did the creator have opinions or interests that might have influenced what was recorded?

Questions for Analyzing Primary Sources

4. Did the author produce the source for personal use, for one or more individuals, or for a large audience?

Questions for Analyzing Primary Sources

5. Did the author wish to inform or persuade others?

Questions for Analyzing Primary Sources

6. Was the information recorded during the event, immediately after the event, or after some lapse of time? How large a lapse of time?

Questions for Analyzing Primary Sources

7. What was the significance of the primary source in relation to the event; to our study of history.

Questions for Analyzing Primary Sources

Read and Review the Web Pages for this course of study

1. Overview of what primary sources are

2. offers a guide for analyzing primary sources

A Review:1. To analyze actual historical records that have survived the past2. To learn the role primary historical sources play when investigating historical events3. To employ the processes of critical historical inquiry to reconstruct the past4. To connect the past with the present