Overview

One of the most important skills you will need for the study of history is the ability to evaluate and analyze primary and secondary sources for this course and future courses. This assignment focuses on this skill as you research and compose a Compare and Contrast Report on selected primary and secondary resources. Read the description in the definitions section below carefully. The questions it contains are the ones you must answer to write your essay (see the instructions on the assignment page in D2L).

Definitions

• A primary source is a first-hand account of a person, event, or idea. Primary sources provide the “evidence” from which historians construct their vision of the past.
• A secondary source is a source constructed by historians and others by piecing together primary sources. A primary source does not mean a better resource – it simply refers to a creation contemporary to the events being examined.
• Analyzing a document means asking the “five Ws” questions – Who? What? Where? When? Why?
• Evaluating a source involves using the answers from your analysis to explain the document’s significance to the history of the period. When evaluating primary and secondary sources you should answer the following questions:
  • Who was the author and who was the audience?
  • What type of document is it? What is the topic (subject) and the author’s thesis? What was the purpose of the document or the motive for writing it? Does the writer have an obvious bias?
  • Where was the document written? What about the setting is important for understanding the author’s motivation and purpose?
  • When was the document written and what was its effect on history? What was the historical context for the document? (i.e., what was going on at the time that might have influenced the author’s opinions?) If it is a secondary source, how did the source affect your view of the topic or event?
  • Why was the document written? The purpose may be stated in the document itself or it may be inferred by reading between the lines. Is the document credible (believable); why or why not?
  • The Cornell University LibGuide has a great resource for evaluating credibility. Use these criteria listed on the LibGuide to determine whether your sources are credible.

Knowledge Check

Use the following ungraded, self-check question to confirm your learning for this section.