Choose two primary sources that we read for the day you missed. The primary sources are the original texts by historical figures that are located in the HST 202 Primary Source Reader.
Your name:
Source A:
Primary source author/title:
- What: What type of document is this? (For instance, is it a personal letter, a speech, a newspaper article, etc.?) Write 1 – 2 sentences.
- When: When was the document written? What were the broader historical events happening during this period that may have influenced the author to write this document? [Use your general textbook reading in American Yawp, or course lectures, to help you here. For instance, if your primary source is an antislavery document, you would want to explain what was going on in the United States with slavery at the time that your author wrote the document]. Write 3 – 4 sentences.
- Who: Who created the document and what was their background? What was their involvement with the events described in the document? Hint: Use both the introduction to the document and the context clues in the document text to answer this question. If you feel like you don’t have enough information about the author(s), do some light Google searching to see if you can find more information. If you do research on Google, be sure that you paraphrase your findings in your own words (do not cut and paste someone else’s text) and include the URL of the website where you found your information. Write 2 – 3 sentences.
- Audience: For what audience do you think the author was writing this document? How can you tell? Is there just one audience, or multiple audiences? Write 2 – 3 sentences.
- Why: Why do you think this document was written? What evidence in the document helps you know why the document was written? Write 3 – 4 sentences.
- Summary: What do you think are the three most important points the author makes in this document? List them below. (list 3 bullet points)
- Follow up: List three questions that you have about this document. (list 3 questions)
Source B:
Primary source author/title:
- What: What type of document is this? (For instance, is it a personal letter, a speech, a newspaper article, etc.?) Write 1 – 2 sentences.
- When: When was the document written? What were the broader historical events happening during this period that may have influenced the author to write this document? [Use your general textbook reading in American Yawp, or course lectures, to help you here. For instance, if your primary source is an antislavery document, you would want to explain what was going on in the United States with slavery at the time that your author wrote the document]. Write 3 – 4 sentences.
- Who: Who created the document and what was their background? What was their involvement with the events described in the document? Hint: Use both the introduction to the document and the context clues in the document text to answer this question. If you feel like you don’t have enough information about the author(s), do some light Google searching to see if you can find more information. If you do research on Google, be sure that you paraphrase your findings in your own words (do not cut and paste someone else’s text) and include the URL of the website where you found your information. Write 2 – 3 sentences.
- Audience: For what audience do you think the author was writing this document? How can you tell? Is there just one audience, or multiple audiences? Write 2 – 3 sentences.
- Why: Why do you think this document was written? What evidence in the document helps you know why the document was written? Write 3 – 4 sentences.
- Summary: What do you think are the three most important points the author makes in this document? List them below. (list 3 bullet points)
- Follow up: List three questions that you have about this document. (list 3 questions)
Document Comparison
- What are the main similarities that you see between the two documents? Consider not just their content and arguments, but also their format, audience, timing, or the authors’ motivations. These are just suggestions. You do not need to address all of these items. (Write around 3 sentences)
- What are the main differences that you see between the two documents? Consider not just their content and arguments, but also their format, audience, timing, or the authors’ motivations. These are just suggestions. You do not need to address all of these items. (Write around 3 sentences)
- Conclusions: What historical insights do you gain from comparing these two documents? For instance, if you compared women’s suffrage documents written by white women and by Black women, you would want to explain what you learned by comparing these two different perspectives. Another example: If you compared a document written by former slaves and another by former slaveowners, you would want to explain how these two groups had different visions for Reconstruction. (Write 3 – 4 sentences)