For this assignment, you will find your own primary source(s) from the historical record (20th century US History) and write a 5-7 page essay in which you analyze the document and place the document within historical context. You may pick any topic that falls within the time frame for this class such as: Progressive Age. identify 3-4 possible primary source documents and run them past me so that I can let you know if your choices are appropriate.
These are only a few examples of the types of sites that are available to you. Simply Google U.S. History primary source databases and watch all the links that you will find!
When analyzing your primary source, you will want to answer some specific questions in your essay. Assume that your reader has no knowledge of the document in question:
Who was the author? What were the goals the author sought to accomplish?
Who was the intended audience? What were the major points or emphases of the document?
Does the document appear to have a bias? Does the author leave anything out that may provide a more balanced objective?
Place the document in context: What was happening in the U.S. at the time the document was created? What important themes, trends, concepts, or consequences does the document illustrate?
What are we able to learn about U.S. history by examining this source? What makes this document significant and worthy of study?
In addition to analyzing the value of a primary source, you will also find 2-3 good SECONDARY sources to analyze. Your secondary sources may be monographs (narrow historical book by a single author) or journal articles from an academic database like JStor or EBSCO. Wikipedia, History.com, PBS.org, or a textbook will not be accepted as good secondary sources; these are good places to start but should not be your secondary sources for a college level research project. Secondary sources will be easy to find via library services on campus. Internet sources are fine as long as we can determine that the source is reliable, has an easily identifiable expert author, and is not just an encyclopedia type page. Again, you will want to clear your secondary sources will me as well so I can steer you towards appropriate sources.
When choosing your secondary sources, you will also want to consider a few important points as well:
Who is the author? What gives this author authority to write on this topic? Why is this author a reliable expert?
What sources did this author use?
What is the authors thesis? What is the author trying to prove?
Is the work particularly valuable to the study of U.S. History?
Your essay must use proper formatting and documentation of your sources. Quotes must be cited, and your sources must follow proper bibliographical format. If you are unsure what this means, you will want to consult a style manual or website tutorial.
This is not a traditional research paper. The primary source should be the star of your paper, but the secondary sources are not only support evidence. I want you also to analyze your secondary sources for their value to the study of your topic, explaining why the source is valuable for research on your topic and why the authors of your sources are reliable.
Here are examples of primary sources and secondary sources. These are US History sources, but you should be able to see the differences.
PRIMARY SOURCES:
Abraham Lincoln’s “House Divided” Speech (1860)
Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (1863)
Secondary Sources:
Johnson, Martin P. Writing the Gettysburg Address. (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2013.)
Peatman, Jared. The Long Shadow of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2013. )
Huston, James L. “The Lost Cause of the North: A Reflection on Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the Second Inaugural.” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, Volume 33, Issue 1, Winter 2012, pp. 14-37.
Unacceptable Sources:
A blog written by a hobby historian:
http://abesblogcabin.org/
An online encyclopedia type source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/abraham-lincoln
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/lookingforlincoln/
A review of a book about the topic:
A general newspaper article:
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