The objective of this classroom exercise is to introduce students to the use, comparison, and evaluation of primary source documents. Students will learn what a primary source and first person testimony are, and the difference between primary and secondary sources. They will also learn about history from individuals, and compare how different primary and secondary sources teach about the same historic event in different ways. This exercise will also introduce students to the wealth of primary sources available at the Smithsonian Institution Archives and through the World Wide Web. Show Time: 30 minutes (Adjust Time As Needed) Skills: Conceptual Knowledge of Types of Historic Documents, Observation, Comparison, Evaluation, Document-Based Questions and Answers Content Area: History Materials:
Please note that all Smithsonian Institution primary and secondary source materials can be used and reproduced for educational purposes without further permission. Grade Level: Grades 6-12 DEFINITIONSPrimary source - a document or object that was created by an individual or group as part of their daily lives. Primary sources include birth certificates, photographs, diaries, letters, embroidered samplers, clothing, household implements, and newspapers. First person testimony - the account of a person who actually participated in an event. Examples are oral history interviews, diaries, letters, photographs and drawings of events, and court testimony of an eyewitness. Secondary source - summaries, second-hand accounts, and analyses of events created by someone who did not witness the event, but may have read or heard about it. Examples may include: books or articles written on a topic, artworks depicting an event, letters or diaries recounting a version of events told to the author by another source. Second person or hearsay testimony - an account repeated by someone who did not actually participate in the event. Examples are newspaper accounts from interviews of observers, letters that repeat a story told to the writer, drawings based on other people’s observations, or a book written about a topic. Mixed sources - A document that is a primary source may contain both first person testimony and second hand testimony. An example would be a diary entry that records a person’s eyewitness observations of an event (first person testimony) but also contains additional stories told to the writer by a family member (second hand testimony). Newspapers often contain a mixture of first and second hand accounts. It may depend on the question you are asking – The same document can be a primary and secondary source, depending upon the question you ask. For example, a Baltimore newspaper’s account of Lincoln’s death that includes unattributed accounts of what happened at Ford’s Theater contains second hand testimony, if your question is what exactly happened at Ford’s Theater that night. But if your question is how people in Baltimore heard about Lincoln’s assassination and what did they hear, then the newspaper is a primary sources for answering that question. Instructions for TeachersIf your class has computer and internet access, the students can practice research skills by searching for the necessary documents using the links and instructions below. If not, you could gather and print the documents from the links or from other activities on this DVD.
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http://timesmachine.nytimes.com/browser Search for: April 15 and 16, 1865
Critically evaluate the primary sources, providing support for your points. Evaluate such issues as the reliability of early accounts during a crisis, the reliability of different forms of evidence, the impact of personal accounts on our understanding of history, and the impact of visual evidence on our understanding of history. Instructions for StudentsIn your assigned groups, look at, read, and analyze your source documents carefully. Answer the questions listed on your worksheet as a group, using evidence from the documents to support your answers. Is a historical newspaper a primary source?Is a newspaper article a primary source? Yes. However, this is only true when discussing newspaper articles which are used for historical research. This is because newspaper articles, written about a specific event immediately after its occurrence, can be viewed as primary sources.
Is a monument a primary source?Monuments are a primary source we can use to study the past. In history, sources created during the time period of study or by someone who lived through the time period of study are considered primary sources. For example, the Declaration of Independence is a primary source we use to study the American Revolution.
What is photographs in primary sources?Photographs are a very common type of primary source. They can serve to document: events or relationships in a person's life. the history of an organization, institution, municipality, country, or social group.
What are 5 examples of a primary source?Examples of primary sources:
Theses, dissertations, scholarly journal articles (research based), some government reports, symposia and conference proceedings, original artwork, poems, photographs, speeches, letters, memos, personal narratives, diaries, interviews, autobiographies, and correspondence.
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