6 Historical Thinking Points

6 Historical Thinking Points Historical Significance Primary Sources Continuity and Change Cause and Consequence Historical Perspectives Ethical Dimensions

Historical Significance

Historical significance Two descriptions of HS: An event or person of the past that results in an important change for many people over a long period of time. The event or person teaches us about issues in history and our lives today

Historical significance in my life Task: Make a timeline / list of events that have happened in your life. Then, highlight the most important events. How do you decide what’s important? Something that resulted in big changes for you over a long period of time Something that helps us to understand you as a person And / or Something that affected people around you

Historical significance: Mrs. T’s Timeline example • March 2, 1984: Born • 1980s - 1990s: Elementary School at A.E. Wright • 1990s: Middle School at Leila North • 1999-2002: - High school at Maples collegiate – Got a dog • 2002-2008: University of Winnipeg -Worked part time jobs • 2008-present: History and English teacher • August 2015: Got married -Trip to London, England and Ireland What is “historically significant” in Mrs. T’s life?

Historical significance Task: After finding HS in your life, go through the examples and determine how significant the events were: Indigenous soldiers in WWI Confederation Canadian Olympics Expo 67 Shipwreck Investigations The Early Chinese Canadians Use the criteria as a guideline. Write answers on loose-leaf.

Primary sources

Primary Sources What is a Primary Source? A Primary source is a document or piece created at the time or soon after a historical event. Primary sources are often first-hand accounts and give an “inside view” of what happened Note: Oral histories and memoirs are primary sources, even if they are created long after the historical event.

Primary Source Examples Oral histories Memoirs and autobiographies Photographs Speeches Diaries Newspaper articles Art / Sketches Maps Letters Artifacts (a button, a coat, a pen, etc.) Creative works Government documents

Primary sources in my life

Primary sources in my life Primary Evidence to show I was here: Birth certificate Marriage certificate School report cards / transcripts Driver’s license Pictures of me (selfies?) Social media pages Old schoolwork Phone Passport My signature Pay stubs Bank accounts, credit cards, etc. Journal Letters I sent All my stuff (clothes, etc.) Health card (doctor’s records) Videos Social Insurance card Will Receipts Trip itineraries House title, insurance records

Secondary Sources What’s a Secondary Source? A secondary source explains the primary source. Often secondary sources are written / recorded many years after a historical event Some secondary sources have reproductions of primary sources in them (example: Shaping Canada textbook) Secondary sources may give opinions (bias) on a past event or on a primary source

Secondary source examples Textbooks Biographies Encyclopedias Movies about historical events Review or critique of a speech, movie, etc.

Primary source checklist How to tell if it’s a Primary Source Was it created at the time of the event, or soon after? Was it created by someone who saw or heard the event themselves?

Primary Source Questions to Ask What was the purpose of the document / piece? Who was the intended audience? What historical facts can we determine from it? What events were occurring at the time? Is the document biased? Give examples How does this help you understand the past better?

Continuity and change

Continuity and change Students sometimes misunderstand history as a list of events. Once they understand history as a mix of continuity and change, they reach a better understanding. There were lots of things happening at any given time in the past. Example The decade of the 1910s in Canada: There was change in many parts of life, but not much change in government. If students say “nothing happened in 1911,” they are thinking of the past as a list of events.

Continuity and change Some parts of life changed more quickly in some time periods than others. Turning points help us to identify change. Change does not always mean progress. Chronology (a timeline of when things happened by date / year) can help us understand Continuity and Change.

Continuity and change: questions to ask Compare this time period to an earlier time: what changed and what stayed the same? For whom did conditions change? Why did conditions change? What were some specific “turning points” that represent major change? Was this a dramatic and quick change or did it happen slowly and in stages?

Continuity and change Tasks: Identify Continuity and Change in your life “timeline” Discuss: If you could preserve or change on practice or feature of life in your community, what would it be? Explain.

Cause and consequence

Cause and consequence Human beings cause historical change Constraints come from: the environment, geography, historical legacies, other people who want other things. Actions often have unintended consequences

Potential Consequences Cause and consequence Consider a car crash: Potential Causes Skill of the driver Distracted driver Violation of driving rules Condition of the cars involved The weather Road signage Traffic lights, etc. Potential Consequences Demerits or suspended license Harm to driver and others

Cause and consequence: Questions to Ask What specifically triggered this event? What were the immediate consequences or results of this event? What groups or people were most affected by these immediate results? Did the immediate results of this event lead to further consequences? Which people or groups were involved? What were the long-term consequences of this event?

Cause and consequence Task: Identify examples of Cause and Consequence in your life. Find Cause and Consequence in Manitoba’s entry into Confederation. Why did the Red River Resistance happen? (Cause) Why did Manitoba become a province? (Consequence)

Cause and consequence: MB Entry into confederation Role Played (short or long term) Consequence / Result How much of an effect this had Rupert’s Land “up for sale”: Metis living there were not consulted Short term decision with long term consequences The gov’t of Canada bought Rupert’s Land The Metis resisted Gov’t would not negotiate at first = Red River Resistance Eventually gov’t agreed to grant rights = Prov. of MB in 1870 Long term: Riel as leader (Northwest Resistance, etc.)

Historical perspectives

Historical perspectives Taking historical perspectives means understanding the social, cultural, intellectual, and emotional settings that shaped people’s lives and actions in the past. At any one point, different historical figures may have acted on the basis of conflicting beliefs and ideas. Therefore, understanding different perspectives is key to taking historical perspectives.

Historical perspectives Taking historical perspectives requires evidence in order to be able to make inferences about how people felt and thought. We cannot imagine how a person felt without finding out what was happening at the time. Example: Louis Riel (used to be considered a traitor) Any particular historical event or situation involves people who may have diverse perspectives about that event or situation. Therefore, understanding multiple perspectives of people in history is key to understanding the event. Understanding HP does not mean that you necessarily agree with their behaviors and actions.

Historical perspectives: Questions to Ask Why did this person/these people act the way she/he/they did? What feelings could this person have felt? What was going on in history when this decision was made? What were the beliefs/values of this society/people at the time? Imagine yourself in that person’s place. How would you have responded to the historical situation?

Historical perspectives Tasks: Imagine someone is studying your life 50 years from now. What Historical Perspectives would they see? Explain. Read “The Voyages of Champlain, May 27, 1603” account. Answer the questions on HP. -Note: You may need to find out some background on Samuel de Champlain. Check the Canadian Encyclopedia.

Ethical dimensions

Ethical dimensions What does “Ethics” mean? What is Right, what is Wrong? Are we obligated to remember the fallen soldiers of the First World War? Do we owe reparations to the First Nations victims of Aboriginal residential schools, or to the descendants of those who paid the Chinese Head Tax? In other words, what responsibilities do we have based on historical crimes and sacrifices of the past? We should learn something from the past that helps us to face the ethical issues of today.

Ethical dimensions: Questions to Ask What ethical questions does this event, action, or development raise? What were the values or beliefs of people at the time when this event took place? If this event were to take place today, how would people react?

-Prime Minister Stephen Harper Official Apology Tasks: Think of an ethical situation from your past and explain why it was an issue Discuss: It is often said that we learn from mistakes of the past. Do you think this is true? Consider an example that contradicts this statement. Why do you think the same error would have been repeated? Examine the historical example: Residential Schools. Answer the Ethics questions. -Prime Minister Stephen Harper Official Apology