Primary Source Documents

1. U.S. History Survey
Declaration of Independence, John Trumbull, Wiki Commons/U.S. Capitol (CC-PD)

2. Primary Sources and Historical
Study
 History
 The act of analyzing and interpreting events
 History is critical thinking
 History is not just facts and dates
 Primary Sources are the resource for critical
thinking in history

3. Five Elements of Analysis for
Primary Sources
 Context
 Thesis
 Perspective
 Audience
 Significance

4. Context
 Refers to specific time and place
 Read introduction if available
 Refer to others secondary sources for background
information
 Textbook, lecture, scholarly websites, etc.
 Consider
 What major social, political or economic events
may have effected the contents of the document?

5. Thesis
U. S. Declaration of Independence,
Thomas Jefferson/William Stone
Wiki Commons, (CC-PD)
 What is the main point (or points)
being presented in the document?
 Consider
 What key points are emphasized?
 What key terms or phrases are
repeated?
 Can you summarize the document in a few
sentences?

6. Perspective
 What is the author’s point of view?
 Use secondary sources to find out more
about the author
 Consider
 What is his/her background?
 Do you see evidence of bias?
 Can you determine the author’s
motive in producing the document?
Thomas Jefferson,
Charles Wilson Peale,
Wiki Commons,
(CC-PD)

7. Audience
 Who was the intended audience?
 Understanding the audience may help to
understand the motives of the author
 Consider
 Was the document meant for public or
private reading?
 How does the indented audience influence
the information presented?

8. Significance
 How is this document important to our
understanding of history and the human world?
 Consider
 How does it shape our understanding of an event?
 What does it tells us about the people and society in
that place and time?
 What questions can it help us answer?
 What questions can’t it answer?
 Can we connect it to the present?