Primary and Secondary Sources History Detectives
What do we use to learn about history? We use PRIMARY and SECONDARY SOURCES.
Primary Source – Any original material from the period or event under consideration Firsthand information or records of original ideas Has not been analyzed, commented upon or interpreted May be biased, inaccurate, or untruthful
Secondary Source – Material that is one or more steps removed from the period or event under consideration. Offer commentary, interpretation, or analysis of Primary Sources Often will contain Primary Sources Created by people not directly involved in the period or event under consideration Contain the benefit of hindsight
Which one is more important? Primary ? Secondary ?
It depends!
Wha ? Why would they do that?
Primary or Secondary?
A painting of a pioneer family traveling over the Rocky Mountains
Soldier’s boots worn during the Civil War… Displayed in a museum exhibit.
A photograph of a President of the United States (POTUS)
A poem about poverty in Ireland.
A love letter from your Great Grandfather to your Great Grandmother
A school textbook
A text message.
A diary of a soldier in World War I
A magazine article reviewing the book “Origami Diary of a Wimpy Wizard’s Unfortunate Events.”
Primary Sources Secondary Sources Photographs Diaries Military records Census records Autobiographies Speeches Video footage Audio recordings Newspaper clippings Books written AT THAT TIME Interviews Letters Scientific findings Genuine Artifacts Textbooks Biographies Lectures General histories Most journal articles Most published books Webpages
Evaluating Sources NO SOURCE, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, IS INHERENTLY RELIABLE! You must analyze the source for yourself You must determine how a source is biased You must determine if a source is both accurate and truthful
Who was present at the signing of the Declaration of Independence? Source 1: A Hollywood movie about the American Revolution made in 2001 Source 2: A Book written by a famous historian who is an expert on the American Revolution, published in IDEA: Authorship matters! Historians base their accounts on multiple primary and secondary sources. Hollywood films have no such standards for historical accuracy.
What was the layout of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz? Source 1: Interview with an 80 year old Holocaust survivor in 1985 Source 2: Map of Auschwitz found in Nazi archives IDEA: Human memory is notoriously unreliable. We can be truthful but not accurate.
Why were Japanese Americans put into internment camps during WW2? Source 1: A government film explaining the internment camps made in 1942 Source 2: A government report on Japanese internment from 1983, based on declassified government documents. IDEA: The purpose of a source has a direct impact on its credibility
What was slavery like in South Carolina? Source 1: Interview with a former slave in The interviewer is an African American man collecting interviews for the Federal Writer’s Project. Source 2: Interview with a former slave in The interviewer is an white woman collecting interviews for the Federal Writer’s Project. IDEA: Our audience shapes how we tell stories.
Finish this sentence on your OUTPUT side: The PRIMARY source I think I would personally enjoy studying the most is:
Warm-Up In your own words, describe the difference between a primary and secondary source. Tuesday, August 13