1. III. The Tools of History
A. Using Historical Evidence
1. The most basic tool for a historian is historical evidence.
a) Collect evidence then interpret.
2. A primary source is firsthand information about people and events.
a) Court decisions, speeches, eyewitness accounts (diaries and letters), and autobiographies.
b) Visual evidence: photographs and videotapes.
3. A secondary source is an account provided after the fact by people who did not directly witness or participate in the event.

2. III. The Tools of History
a) Secondary sources are usually based on primary sources.
b) Books, biographies, and articles written by historians are also secondary sources.
4. Tertiary sources consist of information which is a distillation and collection of primary and secondary sources.
a) Researchers generally do not cite these sources in bibliographies.
b) Encyclopedias, guide books, almanacs, dictionaries, manuals are all examples of tertiary sources.

3. III. The Tools of History
SUBJECT
PRIMARY
SECONDARY
TERTIARY
Art and Architecture
Painting by Manet
Article critiquing art piece
ArtStor database
Chemistry/Life Sciences
Einstein's diary
Monograph on Einstein's life
Dictionary on Theory of Relativity
Engineering/Physical Sciences
Patent
NTIS database
Manual on using invention
Humanities
Letters by Martin Luther King
Web site on King's writings
Encyclopedia on Civil Rights Movement
Social Sciences
Notes taken by clinical psychologist
Magazine article about the psychological condition
Textbook on clinical psychology
Performing Arts
Movie filmed in 1942
Biography of the director
Guide to the movie

4. III. The Tools of History
c) The bibliographies of tertiary sources can be used to find sources that can be sited in a research paper or project.
5. Authenticity refers to whether or not the source is actually what it seems to be.
a) After authenticity is established, historians determine the reliability of sources.
b) Is the source a primary source or is it a secondary source.
6. Bias is a leaning toward or against a certain group, person, or idea.
a) Cultural background, personal experiences, economic status, or political beliefs may all contribute to bias.

5. III. The Tools of History
7. Historians must also try to interpret what the sources mean.
a) Why things happen?
b) Understand things today.
c) What may happen tomorrow.
d) Good historians try to be as objective as possible, but sometimes they let personal biases influence their historical findings.
B. Archaeologists Uncover the Past
1. Artifacts are items made by humans in the past.

6. III. The Tools of History
2. Archaeology is the study of evidence left by early people in order to find out about their way of life.
a) Archaeologists carefully preserve, photograph, and label the artifacts they find.
b) Each new find can provide valuable information about the past.
3. A culture is the way of life that a people has developed.
a) Homes, clothing, economy, arts, and government.

7. III. The Tools of History
b) Customs, ideas, beliefs, and skills.
4. By studying artifacts, archaeologists can determine approximately when an object was made.
a) Form theories
b) Modern technology helps analyze objects.
5. In the Americas, archaeologists focus on the peoples that were here before the arrival of the Europeans.

8. III. The Tools of History
C. Chronology and Historical Eras
1. When you study history, you learn how the past is linked to the present.
a) Often by studying how people solved problems in the past, we can apply these insights to solving today’s problems.
2. Studying history provides you with useful skills.
a) You will learn how to research topics, recognize different points of view, make connections, and understand causes and effects.

9. III. The Tools of History
3. The study of history starts with chronology, or the sequence of events over time.
a) Geography = where, Chronology = when.
b) Absolute chronology refers to the exact time an event took place.
c) Relative chronology is the time when an event took place in relation to other events.