Historical Thinking Skill: Analyzing Documents “Analyzing documents is so H.I.P.P.!” “Quit trying to make H.I.P.P. happen! It’s not going to happen!”

What is a “document”? Any historical artifact (it doesn’t just have to be written)

Analyzing Documents Historical context Intended audience Purpose Point of view

Historical Context What was going on when the doc was made that might affect its meaning or our interpretation of it? Why did Lincoln wait until 1863 to liberate the slaves? (A: It was partly a political tool to rev up support for the Civil War after 2 long years of fighting. People were exhausted and he needed something to motivate them to keep fighting for the Union.)

Intended audience Whom was the doc originally meant for and how might that affect its meaning or our interpretation of it? Why is a diary entry in many ways more reliable than a public speech? Talk about it!

Purpose Why was the doc made and what is its main idea?

Point of View Who is the author/creator of the doc and how does his/her bias affect our understanding of the document? And talk about contextualization – this is just after Kipling’s poem and after the Spanish American War – talk about what else was going on Published in a U.S. magazine, 1899

“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self- evident, that all men are created equal.’ I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today!” Martin Luther King, Jr., speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963 This is now class practice! Make them tdo this with a partner.

Purpose? To tell newspapers, y’all. May 2, 2011

“America’s promises do not come with a price tag “America’s promises do not come with a price tag. We meet our commitments. And that’s one reason why almost every country on Earth sees America as stronger and more respected today than they did eight years ago. America is already great. America is already strong. And I promise you, our strength, our greatness, does not depend on any one person.” - President Obama, speech at the Democratic National Convention, July 27, 2016 Understanding bias