2.1 Understanding History pp. 24-29

Objectives: Define history, oral tradition, artifact. Compare and contrast primary sources and secondary sources.

A. History (p. 24) The story of the past is called history. Those who study the past are called historians. Historians use different kinds of sources to discover what life was like in the past. Sources, whether books or bones, are their most important tools.

B. Oral Tradition (p. 25) 1. Oral tradition is passing on history by word of mouth. 2. This is how history was kept alive before writing was invented. 3. It is often used today to pass on family history.

C. Artifacts (p. 25) Historians often rely on artifacts. An artifact is an object made by someone in the past.

D. Primary Sources (p. 26) 1. Primary sources are materials that were created during the time under study. They can be written (magazine or newspaper articles) or unwritten (pictures, recordings, toys, etc.). Historians prefer primary sources; they’re usually more accurate.

E. Secondary Sources (p. 27) 1. Secondary sources are records of the past that are based on primary sources. 2. They are created by people who either did not live during the time under study, or who did not witness (or experience) a particular event.

F. Different Viewpoints (p. 27) Historians often disagree about how sources should be interpreted. Historians’ own viewpoints shape the way they view the past. Age, nationality, gender, race, ethnicity, and political affiliation all affect how we interpret past events.

G. The Troubling Past (p. 27) Historians often have trouble reconstructing the past. The further back in time historians travel, the harder their job becomes. Many sources from the distant past have been lost or destroyed.

H. The Historian as Detective (p. 29) The work that historians do is very similar to that done by detectives. Both have to ask the same types of questions . . . Who? What? When? Where? and Why?

Review Define history, artifact. What is the difference between primary sources and secondary sources?