What?
Having the ability to dissect the words and artifacts from the past is an essential skill in
order to understand people and events from the past.
Why?
How To Analyze Primary Documents
Students are expected to examine the evidence of the past and determine, using their
social studies skills, what is a historical event based on evidence and what is based on
personal points of view and bias.
To begin with, investigators into the past are faced with two different types of sources:
How?
Primary Sources
• something made at or near the time of a historical event by someone close to the
event.
• usually written records of some kind.
• other types of evidence, such as photographs, songs, and posters.
• physical objects from the period under study, such as a Revolution–era musket.
• an 1850s newspaper article describing working conditions in a factory is an example
of a primary source on the impact of the Industrial Revolution on workers’ lives.
• about African Americans living in the South during Reconstruction might include
census records, photographic images, letters, and diaries.
• are items created during or around the time of an event by someone who observed
the event firsthand.
Secondary Sources
• secondhand descriptions or interpretations of an event that are created after some
time has passed.
• based mainly on evidence found in primary sources, although they can also be based
on other secondary sources.
• a recently published history of the American Revolution, a documentary film on the
history of baseball, an encyclopedia article on the Civil War, and a map or table
based on statistical information collected by a government agency.
• A website relating information such as an online encyclopedia.
Students have to have the ability to differentiate between the two and have the ability to
analyze both. It is just as important for students to examine the motive behind the source
by analyzing the who and when of a document.
• Historical Context: Historical Context is the political, social, cultural, and economic
environment related to historical moments, events, and trends . Historical artifacts
and sources were created within particular worlds and are tied to the political,
social, and economic conditions of those worlds. When looking at the past, a
historian must separate personal experiences and feelings from those who lived in
the time period studied.
• Point of View: Participants in historical events naturally have different points of
view, or opinions, on the causes and meanings of events. Students should be able to
determine a primary source’s point of view and analyze why participants in a
historical event differed in their opinions on the event’s causes or meaning.
Adapted from
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How To Analyze Primary Documents
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How To Analyze Primary Documents
• Bias: Bias can be described as having a prejudice in favor of or against one thing,
person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair.
When examining primary and secondary sources, it is important to understand many
speeches, personal writings, reporting of events often have bias attached to it.
How?
Analysis is a matter of breaking down the document into parts and using these parts to
interpret what is being said. The next step is to make an inference about the main idea of
the document and the wider historical context. When analyzing a document, students will
run into two scenarios: a document with a question, and a document without a question.
Documents with a question are easier, because students have a purpose for reading.
Documents without a question are harder, because they must find point of view (hereafter
POV), bias, and apply historical context. Regardless of the scenario, students will need to
understand the parts of analysis.
Parts
•
•
•
•
•
of an Analysis:
Vocabulary - words you need to define
Periodization (When) - places, time periods, events you need to know
Facts (What) - what is being state
Author (Who) - who wrote the document or who is speaking
Opinion (POV and/or Bias) - usually implied, not directly stated within document
When?
Process:
• Read the document first.
• Define new vocabulary.
• Estimate the time period and note what is going on during that period.
• State the facts of the document.
• Explain who is the author, look for social class, gender, occupation, culture,
nationality and so on. For an opinion, ask why would this person have this POV,
referring to BOTH bias and historical context?
• Once students have completed the “parts of analysis,” and created a generalization,
they will use historical context and the generalization to make an inference.
You can use this process anytime during the guided practice or independent practice phase
during the lesson cycle.
Adapted from The Henry Ford Museum and the National Archives
®SAISD Social Studies Department
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How To Analyze Primary Documents
Page 2
How To Analyze Documents
Primary Sources are...
something made at or near the time of a historical event
by someone close to the event.
usually written records of some kind.
other types of evidence, such as photographs, songs,
and posters.
physical objects from the period under study, such as a
Revolution–era musket.
an 1850s newspaper article describing working conditions
in a factory is an example of a primary source on the
impact of the Industrial Revolution on workers’ lives.
about African Americans living in the South during
Reconstruction might include census records,
photographic images, letters, and diaries.
are items created during or around the time of an event
by someone who observed the event firsthand.
®SAISD Social Studies Department
Reproduction rights granted only if copyright information remains intact.
How To Analyze Primary Documents
Page 3
How To Analyze Documents
Secondary Sources are...
secondhand descriptions or interpretations of an event
that are created after some time has passed.
based mainly on evidence found in primary sources,
although they can also be based on other secondary
sources.
a recently published history of the American Revolution, a
documentary film on the history of baseball, an
encyclopedia article on the Civil War, and a map or
table based on statistical information collected by a
government agency.
®SAISD Social Studies Department
Reproduction rights granted only if copyright information remains intact.
How To Analyze Primary Documents
Page 4
How To Analyze Documents
Historical Context in Primary and Secondary Sources
Historical thinking is the reading, analysis and writing
necessary to understand the past. It is not only what we
know about the past—it is how we know it. Thinking
historically helps us get closer to that past—to retrieve and
construct a more accurate and complete picture of what
happened and what it meant.
Historical Context is the political, social, cultural, and
economic environment related to historical moments,
events, and trends . Historical artifacts and sources were
created within particular worlds and are tied to the political,
social, and economic conditions of those worlds. When
looking at the past, a historian must separate personal
experiences and feelings from those who lived in the time
period studied.
®SAISD Social Studies Department
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How To Analyze Primary Documents
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How To Analyze Documents
Visual Analysis - Pictures / Paintings / Illustrations
How To
1
2
3
Have students read the title of the visual. If there is not a title, have them decide
what the visual is about. Have students determine what is the subject/topic of the
picture?
Have students identify the people and objects shown in the visual and explain who
and what are shown in the picture?
Have students identify the relationships among people and objects in the visual.
Have students make the connections among the people and objects in the picture to
the past or present?
Write or state a summary of the visual in one sentence.
4
26 “… Our whole system of self-government will
crumble either if officials elect what laws they
will enforce or citizens elect what laws they will
support. The worst evil of disregard for some law
is that it destroys respect for all law.…”
28 What was a basic cause of the Great Depression
of the 1930s?
(1) Too many antitrust laws were passed.
(2) Tariffs on foreign manufactured goods were
reduced.
(3) The distribution of income was unequal.
(4) Immigration was not limited.
— President Herbert Hoover, 1929
Which issue is President Hoover discussing in
this statement?
(1) national Prohibition
(2) environmental conservation
(3) Social Security taxes
(4) voting rights forVisual
women
29 Which action is an example of international
appeasement?
Visual
Analysis
(1) Congress authorizing the Manhattan Project
Title ofPearl
Visual
/ What It Should Be Titled
(2) Japan attacking
Harbor
(3) Germany signing a nonaggression pact with
the Soviet Union
(4) Great Britain and France agreeing to Hitler’s
demand for part of Czechoslovakia
Base your answer to question 27 on the poster
below and on your knowledge of social studies.
1
30 President Franklin D. Roosevelt said the United
States needed to become the “great arsenal of
democracy”
mainly because he was trying to
What I Recognize (Symbols / People / Objects / Words)
(1) increase the number of Supreme Court
justices
(2) assist the Allied nations
(3) limit the influence of the defense industry
(4) gain public support for a third term
2
31 The Nuremberg War Crimes trials of 1945–1949
established the international precedent that
Relationships / Connections to the Past or Present
(1) the United States should avoid commitments
with foreign nations
(2) military leaders cannot be held responsible
for wartime actions
(3) individuals may be tried for crimes against
humanity
(4) soldiers must obey an order even if it conflicts
with basic humanitarian values
3
What I Think Is the Main Idea of What I am Looking At
32 The GI Bill helped soldiers who served in World
War II by
(1) mandating integration of the military
(2) funding college education for veterans
(3) requiring women to surrender their wartime
jobs to men
(4) eliminating union seniority rules that hurt
veterans
Source: Graphic of National Recovery Act (NRA) Blue Eagle,
National Archives and Records Administration
4
27 The cooperation mentioned in the poster was
intended to be between
(1) business and government
(2) consumers and producers
(3) workers and retirees
(4) socialists and capitalists
U.S. Hist. & Gov’t. – June ’12
®SAISD Social Studies Department
[6]
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How To Analyze Primary Documents
Page 6
®SAISD Social Studies Department
1
!!
??
?
IG
Z
DAN
REA
RM
EN T
Title of Visual / What It Should Be Titled
34 The purpose of both the Truman Doctrine and
the Marshall Plan was to
(1) support the construction of the Iron Curtain
(2) increase membership in the United Nations
(3) prevent the spread of communism
(4) attempt to solve world hunger
4
5
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[7]
What Do The Caricatures / Stereotypes Suggest?
37 The Organization of Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) was formed with the intent of
(1) stabilizing the supply of oil to Japan
(2) cutting off the supply of oil to the United
States and its allies
(3) increasing the supply of oil available for use
within Middle Eastern countries
(4) controlling the supply of oil to raise prices
2
Relationships / Connections to the Past or Present
What I Think Is the Main Idea of What I am Looking At
35 Which change occurred immediately after the
region of British India gained its independence in
1947?
(1) India became an ally of the Soviet Union.
(2) India adopted Islam as the official state religion.
(3) The region was partitioned into two separate
states.
(4) A military dictatorship took control of the
entire region.
36 In the struggle to gain independence for their
countries, both Kwame Nkrumah and Ho Chi
Minh relied on
(1) nationalist sentiments
(2) trench warfare
(3) collective security agreements
(4) nonviolent resistance
What I Recognize (People /
Objects / Words)
Global Hist. & Geo. – Aug. ’12
AM
ND N
EL AICATIO
RHIN
TIF
FOR
Source: David Low, Evening Standard, July 8, 1936 (adapted)
!!!
STEPPING STONES TO GLORY
Visual
33 The leaders in this 1936 cartoon are depicted as “spineless” because they
(1) signed the Treaty of Versailles
(2) wanted to avoid global conflict at any cost
(3) depended on economic measures to stop aggression
(4) recognized the communist government in the Soviet Union
the
S of E
BOS IVERS
UN
Base your answer to question 33 on the cartoon below and on your knowledge of social studies.
What I Recognize (Symbols)
[OVER]
How To Analyze Documents
Visual Analysis - Political Cartoons
How To
1
Have students read the title and predict what is the political cartoon telling the
reader.
2
Have students read the captions and labels and describe who and what are in
the cartoon.
3
Have students look for symbols and explain what they mean.
4
Have students look for caricatures (exaggerated facial and body features) or
stereotyping and explain what these caricatures/stereotyping suggest.
5
Have students make relationships with the cartoon and what they remember
about main events in history.
6
Based on all the elements of the cartoon, have students determine what is the
main idea (meaning, message, or issue) of the political cartoon.
Political Cartoon Analysis
3
6
How To Analyze Primary Documents
Page 7
®SAISD Social Studies Department
Wash.
Title of Visual / What It Should Be Titled
Utah
N
MEXICO
1914 Ludlow Massacre
Eleven children found dead
after state militia burns a
striking miners’ tent village.
Ariz.
S. Dak.
Wis.
Mich.
1886 Haymarket Affair A bomb explodes at a
labor rally, killing seven police. Four labor leaders
are later executed despite lack of evidence.
Minn.
C A N A DA
N. Dak.
N.Y.
Vt.
Maine
N.H.
Lawrence
Mass.
R.I.
1912 Textile Strike
Police, militia attack
strikers; women beaten,
arrested.
200
400 Km
200
Albers Equal-Area Projection
0
0
400 Miles
Pa.
Iowa
Conn.
Chicago
Homestead
Nebr.
N.J.
Pullman Ohio
Ind.
Del.
1892 Homestead
1894 Pullman Strike Ill.
Kans. About 14,000 troops
Va.
Md.
Massacre
Steel workers strike
Ludlow
attack striking railroad
Colo.
workers, killing 30.
Ky. to protest a wage cut. N.C.
Seven people are
N.
killed in a clash with
Okla.
Ark. Tenn. state militia.
Mex
1887 Sugar Cane Workers Strike
1902 Anthracite
S.C.
State militia breaks strike, killing 30
Coal Strike
Miss.
people, mostly African Americans.
About 140,000
Ala.
Ga.
miners strike to win
union recognition.
La.
Theodore Roosevelt
Texas
forces arbitration to
settle the strike.
Fla.
Wyo.
Mont.
U.S. Hist. & Gov’t. – Jan. ’13
[5]
[OVER]
Visual
26 Which was the first labor strike to end with the president intervening on behalf of the
workers?
(1) 1886 Haymarket Affair
(3) 1902 Anthracite Coal Strike
(2) 1894 Pullman Strike
(4) 1912 Textile Strike
25 Which generalization about labor unions in the United States is most clearly supported
by information on the map?
(1) The federal government supported labor union activities.
(2) Strikes by labor unions were often suppressed by government actions.
(3) Labor union membership was limited to mine workers.
(4) State governments offered to arbitrate labor disputes.
Source: Gary B. Nash, American Odyssey: The United States in The Twentieth Century, Glencoe, 1994 (adapted)
Labor unrest
Calif.
Nev.
Idaho
1892 Silver Mines Unrest
Miners strike to protest wage
cut. To break the union, the
state jails over 1,000 workers.
Labor’s Struggle for Justice, 1880 – 1920
Base your answers to questions 25 and 26 on the map below and on your knowledge of social studies.
How To Analyze Documents
Visual Analysis - Maps
How To
1
Have students read the title of the map to determine what the map is about.
2
Have students identify what type of map they are using.
3
If present, have students use lines of latitude and longitude to determine
relative and absolute locations or use their geographical knowledge to place the
location of the map.
4
Have students determine what the colors, patterns and symbols represent by
using the legend of the map.
5
Have students connect the map to events / people / eras of the past.
6
Have students write three conclusions that you can make based upon the
information that they can see on the map.
Map Analysis
What Type of Map Is It?
Where Is It?
2
3
What Do The Symbols / Colors / Patterns Represent?
4
Relationships / Connections to the Past or Present
5
What I Think Is the Main Idea of What I am Looking At
6
1
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How To Analyze Primary Documents
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How To Analyze Documents
Visual Analysis - Graph, Table, or Chart
How To
1
Have students read the title of the table or chart.
2
Have students determine the subject or topic of the chart/table.
3
Have students read all the headings and labels in the chart/table and explain
what the headings represent.
4
Have students determine the information is being presented in each row for each
column heading (Chart, Graph or Table) or What information is being presented
in each “slice” (Pie Graph).
5
Have students determine the representation between the visual and the past
and/or present day.
6
Have students determine the main idea of the entire visual.
Chart / Graph / Table Analysis
35 In the years immediately following World War II,
United
foreign
was Do
primarily
What
TypeStates
of Visual
Is It? policy What
the Headings Represent?
focused on
(1) securing peace in the Middle East
(2) containing the spread of communism
(3) sending volunteers to developing countries
(4) maintaining neutrality in world conflicts
Base your answer to question 32 on the graph
below and on your knowledge
Visual of social studies.
26
Unemployment in the United States,
1929–1942
2
Percent of Workforce Unemployed
24
36 Between 1946 and 1954, the House Committee
on Un-American
Activitiesis and
Senator Joseph
What Information
Represented
in the Visual
McCarthy attracted public attention by
investigating
(1) allegations of communist influences in
government
(2) civil rights violations against African Americans
(3) corruption by companies in the defense
industry
(4) war crimes of German and Japanese officials
20
18
16
14
4
12
10
8
Relationships / Connections to the Past or Present
6
37 President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent federal
troops to Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957 to
(1) supervise local elections
(2) enforce school integration
(3) end a bus boycott
(4) break up a steel strike
4
1941
5
1942
1939
1940
1937
1936
1938
1934
1935
1933
1932
1931
1929
0
1930
2
Year
I Think Is the Main Idea of What I am Looking At
38 TheWhat
Cuban
missile crisis was effectively ended
when the
(1) Soviet Union agreed to withdraw weapons
from Cuba
(2) Bay of Pigs invasion removed Fidel Castro
from power
(3) Cuban authorities signed new trade agreements with the United States
(4) United States announced the formation of
the Alliance for Progress
Source: Historical Statistics of the United States,
U. S. Bureau of the Census (adapted)
Titlechange
of Visualin/ What
Should
Be Titled
32 The
the Itrate
of unemployment
between 1941 and 1942 is best explained by the
(1) response of President Herbert Hoover to the
stock market crash1
(2) effects of the Wagner Act
(3) passage of the National Recovery Act
(4) entry of the United States into World War II
6
39 A result of the publication of Rachel Carson’s
Silent Spring was that the
(1) Americans with Disabilities Act was passed
(2) 1964 Civil Rights Act was passed
(3) modern environmental movement gained
support
(4) consumer protection movement began
33 During World War II, Japanese Americans were
sent to internment centers primarily because they
(1) were considered illegal aliens
(2) had been convicted of spying for Japan
(3) refused to enlist in the United States military
(4) were thought to be threats to national security
®SAISD Social Studies Department
3
22
34 The creation of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) illustrates a commitment
to the concept of
(1) colonialism
(3) mutual defense
(2) isolationism
(4) rights
human granted
rights
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U.S. Hist. & Gov’t. – Jan. ’12
[7]
[OVER]
How To Analyze Primary Documents
Page 9
D teach us about the stars and planets
How To Analyze Documents
The Magic Triangle
2
Of the complicated European systems of national polity we have heretofore been
independent. From their wars, their tumults, and anxieties we have been, happily,
almost entirely exempt. Whilst these are confined to the nations which gave them
existence, . . . they can not affect us except as they appeal to our sympathies in the
cause of human freedom and universal advancement.
—President Franklin Pierce, inaugural address, 1853
These remarks best reflect confirmation of which U.S. president’s foreign-policy goals?
These remarks best reflect a confirmation of which U.S. president’s foreign-policy goals?
A
A.
George
George Washington
Washington
B
B.
James
James Madison
Madison
C
C.
James
James Monroe
Monroe
D John Quincy Adams
D. John Quincy Adams
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Page 2
Question Being Asked
Which President’s foreign policy relates to this
passage?
®SAISD Social Studies Department
The Process
Using the I Remember statement,
we recall the foreign policies of
Washington and Monroe.
The passage is about the U.S.
remaining neutral from European
affairs.
From the answer choices, George
Washington’s foreign policy closely
relates to what is in the passage;
therefore, “A. George Washington”
is the correct answer.
The ability to correctly paraphrase
the passage and apply the
historical context allows us to make
the connection from the passage to
the question being asked.
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How To Analyze Primary Documents
Page 10