ANALYZING PRIMARY SOURCES “And I will do everything that I can as long as I am President of the United States to remind the American people that we are one nation under God, and we may call that God different names but we remain one nation.” President Barack Obama, quote from a speech on Sept.10 th, 2010.

What are Primary Sources? A primary source is a piece of living history. It may be defined as any artifact that provides first hand or direct information about the past. Primary sources may include first person accounts (e.g. oral histories, diaries, memoirs, correspondence), documents (e.g. correspondence, treaties, laws, speeches), images (e.g. maps, photographs, drawings, paintings), or historically gathered data.

Questions to Consider When You Analyze Primary Sources: (a)Written Primary Sources: Who created the source and why? What sorts of information does the source supply? Under what circumstances was the source created? How would this influence the content of the source? For who was the source created? Was the source meant to be public or private? Did the creator wish to inform, persuade, or deceive his or her audience? What did the creator hope to accomplish by writing the source? Can you trust the source's content at face value? What were the opinions, motivations, or interests of the creator? How does his or her point of view compare to other writers of the period? What kind of impact would this have on the content of the source?

Questions to Consider When You Analyze Primary Sources: (b) Visual Primary Sources (images) Why was the image created? What does the image reveal about its subject? What is the point of view of the image? Whose story is it telling? What is the setting of the image? What sorts of details does it include or emphasize? What sorts of details does it exclude? What are the underlying messages of the image and motives of the artist? How long after the event was the image created? How does this influence the image's content or perspective?

How to Keep All Those Critical Questions in Mind? ACRONYM 1: T – Time Period (when doc. was produced) A – Author (any info. about him/her) P – Purpose (intended purpose/tone of the document) T – Type of document (ex: legal (contract, law), informal (diary)) A – Argument(s) (main idea(s) in the doc.) B – Bias (prejudice/favoritism expressed in the doc.) ACRONYM 2: S – Speaker (author) and hi/her Status O – Occasion (when doc. was produced/delivered) A – Audience (intended audience for the doc.) P – Purpose (intended purpose of the document) A – Arguments (main ideas expressed in the doc.) B – Bias (prejudice/favoritism expressed in the doc.)

When You Interpret Primary Sources, The Challenge is to Figure Out Answers to the Following Questions: (1) What does the document say? (meaning of the document) (2) WHY would the author of this document have this particular opinion? (Reasons behind the Author’s Point of View (POV))

BE CRITICAL and PERCEPTIVE!!! Scrutinize everything!!! “This barbarous usage of those unfortunate wretches, makes it appear, that the fate of such as are bought and transported from the coast to America, or other parts of the world, by Europeans, is less deplorable, than that of those who end their days in their native country; for aboard ships all possible care is taken to preserve and subsist them for the interest of the owners, and when sold in America, the same motive ought to prevail with their masters to use them well, that they may live the longer, and do them more service. Not to mention the inestimable advantage they may reap, of becoming Christians, and saving their souls, if they make a true use of their condition....”

Remember This: People are Products of Their Time, Upbringing, and Environment !!! Insert your Pic here

Consider This! "All who die by the way, whether by land or by sea, or in battle against the pagans, shall have immediate remission of sins. This I grant them through the power of God with which I am invested. O what a disgrace if such a despised and base race, which worships demons, should conquer a people which has the faith of omnipotent God and is made glorious with the name of Christ! With what reproaches will the Lord overwhelm us if you do not aid those who, with us, profess the Christian religion! Pope Urban II’s Call for the Crusade

Consider This! What is wrong with this picture? This photograph shows the famous boxer Jack Johnson and his wife on the opening night of their night club, "The Showboat," Los Angeles, California, If you were reading an editorial about this event in, let’s say, a Southern newspaper, and the author was outraged, would you be able to explain his/her reasons for having such an opinion?

Consider this! Source: Twelve Tablets, excerpts, Ancient Roman Code of Law, 450 B.C.E. V. 1 "Our ancestors saw fit that "females, by reason of levity of disposition, shall remain in guardianship, even when they have attained their majority." VI. 2 Marriage by `usage' (usus): If a man and woman live together continuously for a year, they are considered to be married; the woman legally is treated as the man's daughter.

Consider this! "America has been hit by Allah at its most vulnerable point, destroying, thank God, its most prestigious buildings." Osama bin Laden’s speech on October 7, 2001, after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

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