US History 1013 - Unit 2
What is a Primary Source?
"Primary sources are original materials. They are from the time period involved and have not been filtered through interpretation. Diaries Interviews (legal proceedings, personal, telephone, e-mail) Letters Original Documents (i.e. birth certificate or a trial transcript) Patents Photographs Proceedings of Meetings, Conferences and Symposia. Survey Research (such as market surveys and public opinion polls) Works of Literature"
If future archaeologists had the materials you listed above, what could they infer or conclude about your life? What might the materials tell archaeologists about your family, community, region, and/or nation?
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In your own words, define History
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To what extent is history based on fact and/or opinion?
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What does it mean for a source to be corroborated?
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Consider the mind walk activity, then determine what, if any, of the belongings in your house will still be around in 100 years. Why do you think they will survive?
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What makes a primary source more or less reliable?
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What is a Secondary Source?
The University of Maryland defines a secondary source as: "Secondary sources are accounts written after the fact with the benefit of hindsight. They are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources. Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather commentary on and discussion of evidence. Biographies Commentaries Dissertations Indexes, Abstracts, Bibliographies (used to locate primary & secondary sources) Journal Articles Monographs"
How can the historical record be both huge and limited?
The historical record is huge. It contains literally billions of pieces of evidence about the past. Despite its huge size, the historical record gives us just a tiny glimpse of the past. Most of what happened in the past was never documented. Many sources of information about the past have been lost or destroyed. Some primary sources were accumulated simply by accident.
