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Introduction
Historians analyze historical sources in different
ways. First, historians think about where, when
and why a document was created. They consider
whether a source was created close in location
and time to an actual historical event. Historians
also think about the purpose of a source. Was
it a personal diary intended to be kept private?
Was the document prepared for the public?
Some primary sources may be judged more reliable
than others, but every source is biased in some
way. As a result, historians read sources skeptically
and critically. They also cross-check sources
against other evidence and sources. Historians
follow a few basic rules to help them analyze
primary sources. Read these rules below. Then
read the questions for analyzing primary sources.
Use these rules and questions as you analyze primary
source documents yourself.
Time and Place Rule
To judge the quality of a primary source,
historians use the time and place rule. This rule
says the closer in time and place a source and
its creator were to an event in the past, the
better the source will be. Based on the time and
place rule, better primary sources (starting with
the most reliable) might include:
-
Direct
traces of the event;
-
Accounts
of the event, created at the time it occurred,
by firsthand observers and participants;
-
Accounts
of the event, created after the event occurred,
by firsthand observers and participants;
-
Accounts
of the event, created after the event occurred,
by people who did not participate or witness
the event, but who used interviews or evidence
from the time of the event.
Bias Rule (Point of View)
The historians' second rule is the bias
rule. It says that every source is biased in some
way. Documents tell us only what the creator of
the document thought happened, or perhaps only
what the creator wants us to think happened. As
a result, historians follow these bias rule guidelines
when they review evidence from the past:
-
Every piece of evidence and every source
must be read or viewed skeptically and critically.
-
No piece of evidence should be taken at face
value. The creator's point of view must be
considered.
-
Each piece of evidence and source must be
cross-checked and compared with related sources
and pieces of evidence.
Questions for Analyzing Primary
Sources:
-
The following questions may help you judge
the quality of primary sources:
-
Who created the source and why? Was it created
through a spur-of-the-moment act, a routine
transaction, or a thoughtful, deliberate process?
-
Did the recorder have firsthand knowledge
of the event? Or, did the recorder report
what others saw and heard?
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Was the recorder a neutral party, or did
the creator have opinions or interests that
might have influenced what was recorded?
-
Did the recorder produce the source for personal
use, for one or more individuals, or for a
large audience?
-
Was the source meant to be public or private?
-
Did the recorder wish to inform or persuade
others? (Check the words in the source. The
words may tell you whether the recorder was
trying to be objective or persuasive.) Did
the recorder have reasons to be honest or
dishonest?
-
Was the information recorded during the event,
immediately after the event, or after some
lapse of time? How large a lapse of time?
Types of Primary Sources:
Published Documents
Some primary sources are published documents.
They were created for large audiences and were
distributed widely. Published documents include
books, magazines, newspapers, government documents,
non-government reports, literature of all kinds,
advertisements, maps, pamphlets, posters, laws,
and court decisions.
When reviewing published documents, remember that
just because something was published does not
make it truthful, accurate, or reliable. Every
document has a creator, and every creator has
a point of view, blind spots, and biases. Also
remember that even biased and opinionated sources
can tell us important things about the past.
Unpublished Documents
Many types of unpublished documents have been
saved, and can be used as primary sources. These
include personal letters, diaries, journals, wills,
deeds, family Bibles containing family histories,
school report cards, and many other sources. Unpublished
business records such as correspondence, financial
ledgers, information about customers, board meeting
minutes, and research and development files also
give clues about the past.
Unpublished documents often come from community
organizations, churches, service clubs, political
parties, and labor unions in the form of membership
lists, meeting minutes, speeches, financial and
other records. Government at all levels creates
a variety of unpublished records. These include
police and court records, census records, tax
and voter lists, departmental reports, and classified
documents.
Unlike published documents, unpublished records
may be difficult to find because few copies exist.
For example, personal letters may be found only
in the possession of the person to whom the letters
were sent. Letters of famous or remarkable people
may be collected and eventually published. Keep
in mind that letter writers did not intend (and
perhaps could not imagine) that their letters
would be read by more than one person. Because
unpublished documents were seldom meant to be
read by the public, they provide interesting clues
about the past.
Oral Traditions/Oral Histories
Oral traditions and oral histories provide another
way to learn about the past from people with firsthand
knowledge of historical events. Recently, spoken
words that make up oral histories have gained
importance as primary sources. Historians and
others find out about the lives of ordinary people
through spoken stories and tales. Oral histories
provide important historical evidence about people,
especially minority groups, who were excluded
from mainstream publications or did not leave
behind written primary sources.
Oral histories are as old as human beings. Before
the invention of writing, information passed from
generation to generation through the spoken word.
Many people around the world continue to use oral
traditions to pass along knowledge and wisdom.
Interviews and recordings of community elders
and witnesses to historical events provide exciting
stories, anecdotes, and other information about
the past.
Visual Documents and Artifacts
Visual documents include photographs, films, paintings,
and other types of artwork. Because visual documents
capture moments in time, they can provide evidence
of changes over time. Visual documents include
evidence about a culture at specific moments in
history: its customs, preferences, styles, special
occasions, work, and play.
Like other primary source documents, a visual
document has a creator with a point of view --
such as a painter, sculptor, or film maker. Even
photographs were created by photographers using
film and cameras to create desired effects.
Think about the creator's point of view when
you review visual documents. What was the creator's
purpose? Why this pose? Why that perspective?
Why that framing? Why this distance? Why this
subject? What was included? What was excluded?
Using visual documents as primary sources requires
careful analysis of the content and the point
of view of the creator.
Source: Libary of Congress
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