How do Historians Create Accounts of Past Events?

Events vs. Accounts Can only be “seen” when it occurs Includes everything that happened Happened once, then “disappeared” into the past Can be seen long after the actual event Includes only part of what happened Created by a person Reflects that person’s point of view Is a record of the past Can be false or inaccurate Often can be seen or touched

1.How might someone “represent” an event that they witnessed? 2.How might you create an account of an event that happened before you were born? 3.How might you create an account of an event that happened hundreds of years before you were born? Let’s make a list of sources or evidence that “survived” the past. Without evidence, the past is unknowable! HISTORIANS MUST ALWAYS WORK WITH EVIDENCE!

My Parents as 7 th Graders? What if you were asked to create a history of your parents’ experiences in 7 th grade. Brainstorm a list of evidence or sources that you could use. Would you trust all of the information you collected? Why or why not? How would a historian check to see if his or her information is accurate?

“When Eyes Deceive” video m/watch?v=rSzPn9rs PcYhttp:// m/watch?v=rSzPn9rs PcY

What Sources do Historians Use? Primary Sources Firsthand information about an event by someone who was there Do not include point of view or interpretation Examples: tools, weapons, pottery, maps, photographs, paintings, letters, diaries, , receipts, original documents, sculpture Secondary Sources Second hand information created by people who were not eyewitnesses Descriptions that include interpretation of primary sources to describe a past event Examples: books, biographies, charts, etc. written after the event

Checking for Understanding Imagine you are a historian who wants to know what American Middle School students learned in school from Would the following sources be considered primary or secondary? An interview with the neighbor of a person who was a middle school teacher in the 1950’s An article written in 2010 about middle school in the 1960’s A final exam from a social studies class in 1980 A textbook about the history of middle school education

Document #1: The Sadler Committee Report Elizabeth Bentley was a twenty-three year old woman who started working in the factory when she was six years old. Here is her interview in 1832 with the Sadler Committee who investigated life in the factories for the workers.

Document #2: by Edward Cheyney This source is an account of factory conditions of the time of the Sadler Committee. It was written by Edward Cheyney, an historian writing in Children from seven years of age upward were engaged by the hundreds from London and the other large cities, and set to work in the cotton spinning factories of the north. Since there were no other facilities for boarding them, “apprentice houses” were built for them in the vicinity of the factories, where they were placed under the care of superintendents or matrons. The conditions of life among these pauper children were, as might be expected, very hard. They were remotely situated, apart from the observation of the community, left to the burdens of unrelieved labor and the harshness of small masters or foreman. Their hours of labor were excessive. When the demands of trade were active they were often arranged in two shifts, each shift working twelve hours, one in the day and another in the night, so that it was a common saying in the north that “their beds never got cold,” one set climbing into bed as the other got out. When there was not night work the day work was longer. They were driven at their work and often abused. Their food was of the coarsest description, and they were frequently required to eat it while at their work, snatching a bite as they could while the machinery was still in motion. Much of the time which should have been devoted to rest was spent in cleaning the machinery, and there seems to have been absolutely no effort made to give them any education of opportunity for recreation. The sad life of these little waifs, overworked, underfed, neglected, abused, in the factories and barracks in the remote glens of Yorkshire and Lanchshire, came eventually to the notice of the outside world.

Comparing Sources Activity What are the differences between these two sources? Would these both be primary sources? One? None? Explain. Which account seems more real to you? Why? Which account is probably more reliable? Why? Do you think Edward Cheyney used testimony like Elizabeth Bentley’s to write his account? Historians do not include everything in their accounts. How do you think Mr. Cheyney decided what to include?

Big Ideas of Lesson 4 Historical events happen once and then “disappear.” Historians have to rely on evidence the event has left behind. Historians analyze evidence (primary and secondary sources) for accuracy. Two ways to evaluate the accuracy of a source are by exploring internal and external consistency. Internal consistency = facts within the source do not contradict each other. External consistency = facts within the source can be corroborated by other sources.