Intro to History 12 The Study of History

What are Primary and Secondary Sources? Primary Sources are: Materials created by participants or witnesses of the event(s) under study Original records created at the time the historical events occurred Raw data for the historian Secondary sources are: Works that discuss a subject, but which are after the time that the event(s) occurred by someone other than an eyewitness Works that contain explanations/judgments of past events Works that explain or interpret primary sources

What are Examples of Primary Sources? Official records: newspapers cabinet papers Speeches diplomatic dispatches Autobiographies Laws Pamphlets parish records parliamentary debates Private sources: ambassador's reports letters Treaties diaries Printed sources:

Reliability Time and Place Rule The closer in time and place a source and its creator were to an event in the past' the better the source will be. Based on this rule, better primary sources (starting with the most reliable) might include: Direct traces of the event Accounts of the event, created after the event occurred, by firsthand observers and participants

Bias Rule Every source is biased in some way Bias Rule Every source is biased in some way. Documents tell us only what the creator of the document thought happened, or perhaps what the creator wants us to think happened. As a result: Every piece of evidence and every source must be read or viewed skeptically and critically No piece of evidence should be taken at face value. The creator's point of view must be considered Each piece of evidence and source must be cross-checked and compared with related sources and pieces of evidence

Corroborating Evidence Corroborating evidence is evidence that tends to support a proposition that is already supported by some evidence. For example, W, a witness, testifies that she saw X drive his automobile into a green car. Y, another witness, testifies that when he examined X's car later that day, he noticed green paint on its fender.

Conflicting Evidence Conflicting evidence is evidence that does not support a proposition that is already supported by some evidence. For example, W, a witness, states that she saw drive his automobile into a green car. Z, another witness, testifies that X's car was at home at the time of the accident.

Cause and Effect Tree This strategy helps students identify cause and effect relationships. It is important to stress that sometimes one cause may have several effects, or several causes may lead to one effect. There is not always a one-to-one relationship in cause and effect.

Visualize a tree with a trunk and branches Write the cause on the trunk of the tree On each branch write the effects of the cause. Examples: WW1, Bush's Middle East Policy