1. What is history? History is the retelling of things that happened in the past.

2. What is history? It allows us to understand how people lived in the past. We can learn from their mistakes and their success. The question is:

3. So what can we use to solve the puzzle of the past? Historians look at many sources to reconstruct the story of the past.

4. Primary and Secondary Sources What are they?

5. Primary sources Primary sources – are items created by a person who witnessed or participated in an event. Primary sources are written during the time period that the event took place. Primary sources are actual records that have survived from the past.

6. Primary sources Primary sources provide you with windows into the past — a chance to catch a glimpse at the world you’re trying to understand through the words, pictures, artwork, and objects of the people who lived in it.

7. Examples Diaries & Journals, Letters & speeches Historical documents, Birth certificates, Interviews from witnesses Artifacts: Clothing, tools, vases Photos & paintings Old map, Newspaper articles from the time, Political Cartoons Song lyrics, Poetry….. All from the time period.

8. Primary Source Diaries and journals ▫Example: Anne Frank was a teenager during World War II. She kept a diary or journal the years before she died in a concentration camp. Her diary was later published as the “Diary of Anne Frank”. This is a primary source.Diary of Anne Frank ▫Example: Sarah Morgan was young woman during the Civil War. She wrote in her diary or journal what happened to her and her family during the war. This is a primary document because it was first hand. She wrote it at the time it happened. ▫Sarah Morgan Dawson: A Confederate Girl's DiarySarah Morgan Dawson: A Confederate Girl's Diary

9. Primary Source Autobiographies ▫An autobiography is when you write a story or book about yourself.  Example: Nelson Mandela wrote his autobiography about events in his life called “Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela. This is a primary document because he wrote his first hand experiences.

10. Primary Source Speeches are considered Primary Sources. ▫Examples of Speeches:  Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”  Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream”  All of the President’s Inauguration Speeches.

11. Primary Source Historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution are primary documents. They were drafted and signed. Other Primary Sources would be Birth Certificates Government records Deeds Court documents Military records Tax records Census records Art

12. Primary Source Published first-hand accounts, or stories are considered primary resources. ▫Example: 2008 Presidential candidate Senator John McCain talked about his “own” experiences as a Vietnam prisoner of war. It is a primary source because he was there, experienced the events and shared it first hand. ▫The television stations found footage of Senator McCain at the time that he was released. Those videos are also considered primary sources because it was filmed when it occurred.

13. Primary Source Sound Recordings and interviews are considered primary resources. ▫Example 1: During the Great Depression and World War II, television had not been invented yet. The people would often sit around the radio to listen to President Roosevelt’s war messages. Those radio addresses are considered “primary sources.” ▫Example 2: During the 2008 election Barack Obama, had many interviews that were televised. Those interviews are considered primary sources.

14. Primary Source Photographs and videos are primary sources. ▫Example 1: Photographers during World War II took photographs of battles and/or events during the war. Those photographs are primary sources. Those were taken during actual events. ▫Example 2: The same holds true for videos or film created during an event. A film was made interviewing President Bush. That film would be considered a primary source.

15. Primary Sources Letters are considered primary documents. ▫Example: Soldiers during wars wrote to their families about war events they experienced. Those letters are considered primary sources. ▫See example of Civil War LettersSee example of Civil War Letters

16. What is a Secondary Source? Secondary Source – are created by someone who did not take part in or witness the event. Secondary sources are written/created by a person who was not there when the event happened laterSecondary sources are written "after the fact" - that is, at a later date.

17. What is a Secondary Source? Usually the author of a secondary source will have studied the primary sources of an historical period or event and will then interpret the "evidence" found in these sources. You can think of secondary sources as second-hand information.

18. Secondary Sources Encyclopedias, history books (textbooks), Biographies, etc. are all secondary sources because they were written “after” the events occurred. Your History book was written long after the historical events took place. Your textbook might include some primary sources, such as direct quotes from people living in the past or excerpts from historical documents, but the book is still a secondary source..

19. Secondary Source Biography ▫Example: A biography is when you write about another person’s life. Alice Fleming wrote a biography on the life of Martin Luther King Jr. This is a secondary document. It was written about him after he died.

20. Primary or Secondary Sources? Newspaper and Magazine articles can be a primary or secondary sources. ▫If the article was written at the time something happened, then it is a primary source. ▫Example: The articles written on Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009 are primary sources. ▫However, if a reporter in 2009 wrote about George Washington’s inauguration using information written by someone else (1789), that would be a secondary source.

21. Activity: Primary or Secondary Sources? Complete worksheet on back of notes

22. Analyzing Primary Sources Some primary sources are more reliable than others. Use these rules to analyze primary sources. 1. Time and Place Rule The closer in time and place a source and its creator were to the event, the better it will be. (An interview with a survivor of the Titanic v. a book about the Titanic)

23. 2. Bias Rule Every source is biased in some way. Documents tell us only what the creator thought happened or wanted us to think. You must view each source critically and consider the creator’s point of view. (An interview about the Civil War with a person from the South would have a different perspective than someone from the North)

24. Questions for Analyzing Primary Sources. 1.Who created the source? 2.Did the recorder have firsthand knowledge of the event or tell what others saw? 3.Was the recorder a neutral party or did the creator have opinions or interests that might have influenced what was recorded? Point of View 4.Why did the person create the source? Personal use, large audience. To inform or persuade? 5.What do you know about the historical context for the source? What was going on at the time? 6.What factual information does the source give? What opinions does the source give?

25. Primary Source Activity Image Detective: Pose a question Gather clues http://cct2.edc.org/PMA/image_ detective/index.htmlhttp://cct2.edc.org/PMA/image_ detective/index.html Great site to go on with laptops

26. Primary Source Activity Give copy of speech, photo, artifact, etc and group evaluate with handouts. Activities on bottom of pages. Analyze this document http://docsteach.org/documents/596074/d etail?menu=closed&mode=search&sortB y=relevance&q=%22civil+rights%22+OR +%22rosa+parks%22&commit=Go

27. Primary Source Activity Give copy of speech, photo, artifact, etc and group evaluate with handouts. Activities on bottom of pages. Analyze this photo http://docsteach.org/documents/542002/d etail?menu=closed&mode=search&sortB y=relevance&q=%22civil+rights%22+OR +%22rosa+parks%22&commit=Go