Primary vs. Secondary Sources Learning Target: Understand the difference between primary and secondary sources. DO NOW: Get both worksheets from the front table. Follow the directions for the “What it Really Means” worksheet. Level 2 5 min.

Primary Sources Primary sources are original records of the political, economic, artistic, scientific, social, and intellectual thoughts and achievements of specific historical periods. Produced by the people who participated in and witnessed the past, primary sources offer a variety of points of view and perspectives of events, issues, people, and places. These records can be found anywhere—in a home, a government archive, etc.—the important thing to remember is they were used or created by someone with firsthand experience of an event

Primary Sources Primary sources can also be written well after events. - memoirs - oral histories - audio - images - text - objects - statistics Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, DC 20540 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

PRIMARY SOURCES With your table family, come up with a list of 8 different types of primary sources for a specific type of historical event. Example: World War II

Primary Source Examples Diaries Poetry Personal Interviews Government Documents Autobiographies Photographs Artifacts Image taken from: http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/DeclarInd.html

Letter written by Thomas Jefferson to John Holmes

Secondary Sources Secondary sources are: Documents Texts Images objects created by someone who typically referenced the primary sources for their information. Textbooks are excellent examples of secondary sources.

Secondary Source Examples Dictionaries Encyclopedias Articles that review other sources Textbooks Biographies

Examples of Secondary Sources: Biographies Textbooks Encyclopedias Image taken from http://sundown.afro.illinois.edu/liesmyteachertoldme.php Examples of Secondary Sources: Biographies Textbooks Encyclopedias Historiographies Image taken from http://www.doriskearnsgoodwin.com/

PRIMARY VS. SECONDARY SOURCES With your table family, sort each scenario into primary and secondary sources!

Both Primary and Secondary sources may have a slant or bias You need to look at both primary and secondary sources critically to see if they are promoting a particular point of view or showing both sides of an issue. Bias can also show up by what is left out, as much as by what is left in. Secondary Source Bias Example: History Textbooks A history textbook is a secondary source. Because there is so much history to cover, much of what is discussed shows the positives and not the negatives. The author of Lies My Teacher Told Me provides less flattering, although factual, portraits of some individuals who have played significant roles in the history of the United States. Primary Source Bias Example: John Adams Personal Papers In his personal letters to Thomas Jefferson, John Adams viewed his role in the creation of the Declaration of Independence as central. But, Thomas Jefferson, as the primary author of the document, gets much of the credit in history textbooks.