Analysis and usefulness in understanding World History. PRIMARY SOURCES… Analysis and usefulness in understanding World History.

PRIMARY SOURCES (defined) PRIMARY SOURCES are documents or physical objects which were written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event. Some types of primary sources include: ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (excerpts or translations acceptable): Diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings Examples of primary sources include: Diary of Anne Frank - Experiences of a Jewish family during WWII The Constitution of Canada - Canadian History Political cartoons created during the time period under study Weavings and pottery - Native American history (Source: www.Princeton.edu)

PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS WHY STUDY PRIMARY SOURCES? Every document people leave behind is full of clues that tell us about the circumstances of every day life and the significant events that took place. Analyzing Primary documents can give us a look at the mindset of the people who lived through those significant events. Analysis of tone, grammar, word choice & style can help us understand the intended and hidden meanings of these sources.

Example: The writings of Olaudah Equiano Excerpt is from a book, “Equiano’s Travels” a detailed narrative in which Equiano describes being kidnapped from his family in Africa and then being sold into slave labor. The purpose of Equiano's narrative was to provide a convincing argument to abolish the slave trade, and most of all, to serve as a detailed record of the brutalities that the Africans suffered during the Atlantic Slave trade years.

Analysis assignment Read through the handout and complete the accompanying Analysis Guide. Pay special attention to the “Thinking Further” Questions as these are the types of Primary Analysis questions you are most likely to encounter on the standardized assessments you’ll be taking this year. These questions focus on tone, author’s intentions, inferences, point of view, and the relationship between author & audience. They are challenging, but with practice you can improve your skill at answering these types of questions.

What was the effect of slavery on Africa? Cleary the Atlantic slave trade was one of the most horrific offenses against humanity of the modern world. The effect on individuals who were slaves was enormous…but what was the overall effect of slavery on the African continent?

Final thoughts… Africa's loss of millions of the strongest men and women during the slave trade is one reason for this underdevelopment. "The slave trade actually prevented the coming into being of an agrarian revolution in Africa, and likewise an industrial revolution. Because before you can industrialize you need to have stable agricultural production. So slavery has a very long effect." Some estimate that without slavery the population of Africa would have been double the 25m it had reached by 1850. "During slavery many of the able-bodied people, between 18 and 40, were taken out so society's ability to reproduce itself economically, socially and culturally was impaired." The devastation left by the slave trade, and the absence of able-bodied people, made it easy for European powers to move in and colonize. Africa's ability to defend itself was seriously compromised

PSD Analysis tips/tools: Tone -  Some author attitudes/tones can almost always be eliminated immediately, based on who the passage-writers are. Such words as “indifferent” or “negligent” or “confused” are bound to be incorrect because the scholarly people writing these passages are unlikely to write an article about the topic if they really don’t care about it. Similarly, these writers tend to be fairly moderate in their emotions and opinions, which means that you can eliminate tones/attitudes that are too emotionally extreme, such as “outraged,” “despairing,” or “jubilant.” Finally, when all else fails, remember that even if you have only a general understanding of the passage’s tone, you can—and should—use that understanding to eliminate at least a couple of answer choices and make an educated guess from there.

PSD Analysis tips/tools: identifying purpose: http://testprep.about.com/od/readingtesttips/a/Find_Authors_Purpose.htm identifying audience: http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/page.cfm?pageid=328 author's purpose http://mrsyatesclass.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/authors-purpose-packet.pdf