Primary Source
• Any artifact or first-hand account of an event. Primary sources are witnesses to the event
• Examples???
Secondary Sources• Any re-telling of a story by someone who
was NOT present at the event and only knows about it by studying primary sources.
• Examples??
Primary vs. Secondary? I was watching ESPN and one of the reporters said he had heard
good reviews about a new sports movie. The reporter is a ….
My friends and I found and old wedding dress in the attic that my dad said belonged to my great-grandmother. The dress is a …
My mom has CDs of my grandparents telling stories from their childhoods and we listen to them at Christmas. The CDs are …
I like to read the articles written about Hollywood actors and music artists in People Magazine. These articles are…
I am writing an essay on George Washington for my US History class. I used articles from Wikipedia and information from my textbook. These sources are…
Cross-Reference
• Comparing Multiple Sources• The more sources that agree on the same
story, the more likely the story is true• Examples??
Credibility• A source’s trustworthiness measured by:– Having qualified authors with trustworthy
reputations– Being created during acceptable
circumstances– Including only consistent accurate facts– Agreeing with other trusted sources (cross-
references)• Examples??
Bias
• When a personal point of view and life experiences influence a person’s beliefs and/or actions. – can be either positive or negative– The less bias a source has the more credible it is.
• Examples??
Who do you trust?
Historical Question:Who was present at the signing of the
Declaration of Independence?
Source #1:Hollywood movie about the
American Revolution made in 2001.
Source #2:Book written by a famous historian who is an expert on the American
Revolution, published in 1999.
Who do you trust?
Historical Question:What was slavery like in South Carolina?
Source #1:1936 Interview with a former slave. Interviewer is a black man collecting oral histories for the Federal Writer’s
Project.
Source #2:1936 Interview with a former slave.
Interviewer is a white woman collecting oral histories for the Federal
Writer’s Project .
Who do you trust?
Historical Question:What was slavery like in South Carolina?
Source #1:1936 Interview with a former slave. Interviewer is a black man collecting oral histories for the Federal Writer’s
Project.
Source #2:1936 Interview with a former slave.
Interviewer is a white woman collecting oral histories for the Federal
Writer’s Project .
Who do you trust?
Historical Question:What was the layout of the Nazi concentration
camp, Auschwitz?
Source #1:Interview with an 80-year old
Holocaust survivor in 1985
Source #2:Map of concentration camp
found in Nazi files.
Who do you trust?
Historical Question:Whose policies and actions made him was the
better president, Bill Clinton or George W. Bush?
Source #1:Head of the local county
democratic party, in charge of online blogging
Source #2:30 year experienced national
political analyst unattached to any specific political party
Thesis Statement
• An opinion based on credible evidence. An effective thesis:Takes a positionPreviews evidence (but is not just a list of facts)Addresses all parts of the questionUses descriptive vocabulary
Spotting a strong Thesis
Writing Prompt:Discuss the social, political and economic
effects of World War II on the United States.
Thesis #1:World War II was a costly war
that had a major impact on the economy of the United States.
Thesis #2:World War II not only saved the
US economy, but also altered the role of the American government and the American spirit forever.
Spotting a strong ThesisWriting Prompt:
Describe 3 physical features of Latin America and their importance to the region.
Thesis #1:The Andes Mountains, the Amazon River, and Yucatan
Peninsula are the three most significant physical features in
Latin America as shown by their impact on population
and the environment.
Thesis #2:Three physical features found in
Latin America are the Andes Mountains, the Amazon River,
and the Yucatan Peninsula.
Spotting a strong Thesis
Writing Prompt:Early on in life, people develop an admiration for
heroes. In a well-developed essay, discuss a person you admire and why you chose this person.
Thesis #1:One person I admire is Babe Ruth,
who played baseball from 1914 until 1935.
Thesis #2:One person I admire is Babe Ruth, the
greatest baseball player of all time proven by his athletic skill, knowledge of the game, and heroic personality.