Primary Source: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=3944
A primary source is historical evidence written or produced at the time when events occurred.
Provide an analysis of the primary source selected. Your primary source essay must address the highlighted areas:
What type of source is it? (newspaper
article, map, letter, film, etc.)
When was it created? Where was it created? Who created it?
What do you know about the author’s background?
Who is the intended audience for this source?
What does this source tell you about the time and place in which it was created?
How useful is it for understanding the past?
What biases or other cultural factors might have shaped the message of this source?
Does the author have any reason to avoid
telling the truth as she/he witnessed the
event?
What historical perspectives are left out of this source?
How important or influential was the source in its own day and age?
By what standards can one measure a document’s significance?
