Historical Thinking Skills For the successful AP student

What are historical thinking skills? They are the way that a historian looks at the past Analytical Interpretative They are critical reading and thinking skills that can be applied outside of history The College Board identifies 9 that a successful APUSH student can apply to their reading, thinking, and writing.

Analyzing Historical Sources and Evidence

1. Analyzing Evidence: Content and Sourcing Used with Primary Sources It is the ability to describe, select and evaluate relevant evidence about the past from a variety of sources, and draw conclusions about their relevance. Focuses on the interplay of the content and factors regarding the author to assess the reliability or usefulness of the source.

1. You should be able to: Explain the relevance of POV, purpose, format, audience, the historical context, and the interaction between them. This demonstrates an understanding of the significance of a primary source. Determine how that source may be useful or limited in answering a particular question. Just because a source has limitations, doesn’t mean you can’t use it.

Point of View (POV) What about the author could affect what he/she has to say about a particular person or event? For each document, check the source line. Is the author male or female? Does he/she hold a particular position? Is he/she a familiar figure? What type of document is it? Diary, letter, edict, proclamation, will, autobiography, or other? Does it identify the audience?

Point of View Read the document What does it say about the event/issue/person? Pay attention to the language- does it betray a bias? Are there loaded words (angry, insulting, glowing with praise)? Feelings can affect opinions. What is the author’s purpose: to inform or persuade? This is where the audience is important- when people are trying to persuade a group, they will use different language. Think about how our Presidential candidates would address different segments of our society- focus on different issues, use different language.

Let’s Try POV It was a fearful sight to see them thus frying in the fire, and the streams of blood quenching the same; and horrible was the stink and scent thereof; but the victory seemed a sweet sacrifice, and they gave the praise thereof to God, who had wrought so wonderfully for them, thus to enclose their enemies in their hands, and give them so speedy a victory over so proud, insulting, and blasphemous an enemy. William Bradford, after the colonists’ attack on the Pequot’s Mystic River village, 1637

Check the Source Line Who was William Bradford? Governor of the Plymouth settlement Who are the Pequot? The native tribe in the region- tensions with English What has happened? The colonists attacked the Pequot village (part of the Pequot War) What would you expect Bradford’s reaction to be? He was likely in favor of the attack, because it would protect his community

Look at the Content Is there any language that would support the assumption that Bradford favored this action? “victory seemed a sweet sacrifice” God enclosed their (Puritans) enemies in their hands Proud, insulting and blasphemous enemy So, if you were examining the relationship between the Puritans and others- is this a relevant document? It is

2. Interpretation Used with secondary sources This is knowing how historians interpret the past, and evaluating it. The kinds of questions they ask The context in which they are working If the context of the historian’s current life is similar to the events he/she is studying, this could impact their interpretation.

2. You should be able to: Analyze a historian's argument, show how it is supported, and evaluate the effectiveness. Do this for diverse historical interpretations.

Example It wasn't until 1972 that the term Columbian Exchange was used. Alfred W. Crosby used it in his work, The Columbian Exchange: Biological and Cultural Consequences of 1492 His work was initially disregarded by the historical community as not being “history” Now, his ideas are widely accepted.

Making Historical Connections

3. Comparison It is the ability to identify, compare and evaluate multiple perspectives on an event to draw conclusions about it. To describe, compare and evaluate multiple developments within one society, across societies, and in chronological and geographical contexts.

3. You should be able to: Compare diverse perspectives in primary and secondary sources in order to draw conclusions. Compare different people, events, developments- analyzing BOTH similarities and differences to draw historically valid conclusions. These comparisons can be made across time periods, geographical locations, or events and developments within the same time period.

For Example We've looked at the Salem witch trials of the 1690's. This event can be compared to the Red Scare of the 1920's (following the emergence of the Soviet Union and communism), or to the McCarthy “witch hunts” of the 1950's (at the onset of the Cold War). All of these events have in common a fear of a group perceived as evil (witches & Communists) There had also been a slew of trials in Europe up until the 1630’s.

Add to that: The socio-economic impetus often behind the choice of the accused. Could we find other events in history where a hysteria focused on a particular group? The Great Fear? The Reign of Terror? The Holocaust? Muslims?

4. Contextualization

5. Synthesis

Chronological Reasoning

6. Causation