Transcript PRIMARY SOURCES*

PRIMARY
SOURCES…
Analysis and usefulness in
understanding World
History.
PRIMARY SOURCES (defined)


PRIMARY SOURCES are documents or physical objects
which were written or created during the time under study.
These sources were present during an experience or time
period and offer an inside view of a particular event.
Some types of primary sources include:




ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (excerpts or translations acceptable):
Diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film
footage, autobiographies, official records
CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art
RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings
Examples of primary sources include:




Diary of Anne Frank - Experiences of a Jewish family during
WWII
The Constitution of Canada - Canadian History
Political cartoons created during the time period under study
Weavings and pottery - Native American history
(Source: www.Princeton.edu)
PRIMARY SOURCE ANALYSIS
 WHY
STUDY PRIMARY SOURCES? Every
document people leave behind is full of
clues that tell us about the circumstances
of every day life and the significant events
that took place. Analyzing Primary
documents can give us a look at the
mindset of the people who lived through
those significant events. Analysis of tone,
grammar, word choice & style can help
us understand the intended and hidden
meanings of these sources.
Example: The writings of
Olaudah Equiano
Excerpt is from a book, “Equiano’s Travels”
a detailed narrative in which Equiano describes
being kidnapped from his family in Africa and
then being sold into slave labor. The purpose of
Equiano's narrative was to provide a convincing
argument to abolish the slave trade, and most
of all, to serve as a detailed record of the
brutalities that the Africans suffered during the
Atlantic Slave trade years.

Analysis assignment

Read through the handout and complete the
accompanying Analysis Guide. Pay special
attention to the “Thinking Further” Questions
as these are the types of Primary Analysis
questions you are most likely to encounter on
the standardized assessments you’ll be taking
this year. These questions focus on tone,
author’s intentions, inferences, point of view,
and the relationship between author &
audience. They are challenging, but with
practice you can improve your skill at
answering these types of questions.
What was the effect of slavery
on Africa?
 Cleary
the Atlantic slave trade was one of
the most horrific offenses against
humanity of the modern world. The effect
on individuals who were slaves was
enormous…but what was the overall
effect of slavery on the African continent?
Final thoughts…





Africa's loss of millions of the strongest men and women during
the slave trade is one reason for this underdevelopment.
"The slave trade actually prevented the coming into being of
an agrarian revolution in Africa, and likewise an industrial
revolution. Because before you can industrialize you need to
have stable agricultural production. So slavery has a very long
effect."
Some estimate that without slavery the population of Africa
would have been double the 25m it had reached by 1850.
"During slavery many of the able-bodied people, between 18
and 40, were taken out so society's ability to reproduce itself
economically, socially and culturally was impaired."
The devastation left by the slave trade, and the absence of
able-bodied people, made it easy for European powers to
move in and colonize. Africa's ability to defend itself was
seriously compromised
PSD Analysis tips/tools:


Tone - Some author attitudes/tones can almost always be
eliminated immediately, based on who the passage-writers
are. Such words as “indifferent” or “negligent” or
“confused” are bound to be incorrect because the
scholarly people writing these passages are unlikely to
write an article about the topic if they really don’t care
about it. Similarly, these writers tend to be fairly moderate in
their emotions and opinions, which means that you can
eliminate tones/attitudes that are too emotionally extreme,
such as “outraged,” “despairing,” or “jubilant.”
Finally, when all else fails, remember that even if you have
only a general understanding of the passage’s tone, you
can—and should—use that understanding to eliminate at
least a couple of answer choices and make an educated
guess from there.
PSD Analysis tips/tools:
 identifying
purpose:
 http://testprep.about.com/od/readingtes
ttips/a/Find_Authors_Purpose.htm
 identifying
audience:
 http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/page.
cfm?pageid=328
 author's
purpose
 http://mrsyatesclass.files.wordpress.com/2
013/04/authors-purpose-packet.pdf