How Historians Work

Ideas and methods that historians use to research and present history

EvidenceSources  Historians look for evidence to answer questions  Evidence is found in sources that could be anything that survives from the past or tells us about the past

PrimarySecondary  Primary-information recorded at or about the same time as the event  Examples-diaries, autobiographies, some documents, buildings, artifacts  Secondary-contains interpretations or collections of primary source material  Examples-textbooks, encyclopedias

The way a person or group of people sees things. (Also called perspective or bias.)

Frame of ReferenceHistorical Context  Frame of reference- the personal background of the person/group such as gender, education, beliefs, and experiences  Historical context-the influence of the time period (values, beliefs, or events) on a person

 Language-check the use of certain emotionally charged words called “loaded words.”  Balance-by leaving out or putting in certain information, or by emphasizing or highlighting other ideas  Check author’s background

 Intentional POV occurs when a source is deliberately distorted by telling lies, leaving out important facts or using extreme language (advertisements)  POV can occur because of limited access to information

 POV can occur because there is a particular purpose behind the source. Records are not usually created for the benefit of historians, they are produced for other reasons (political campaigns)  POV might also occur because the beliefs or feelings of an individual or group blind them from viewing things objectively

MeaningReliability  Check meaning-what do the words actually say? Has the meaning of the word changed over time?  Check reliability-  Who, when, where, and why was source produced?  Was the author present at the event?  Do other sources say the same thing? Is there corroboration and consistency within the source and between sources?