History Since 1865

HIST 1302: United States History since 1865

Primary Source Analysis Papers

Historians use primary source evidence to construct a story or interpretation of the past. Often, that evidence is fragmentary, partial, or conflicting. A careful historian asks critical questions about her or his evidence and acknowledges the potential strengths and weaknesses of those sources for constructing plausible stories (histories) about the past. In this way, historians make knowledge rather than just consume it.

For this class you will write three short papers analyzing historical documents. These are not opinion pieces, but rather brief works of historical analysis considering one primary source as the “raw material” of history.

In the other document listed with this assignment called “Finding Primary Sources for the Paper,” you’ll find instructions for finding a primary source at one of three websites. You can choose any source you like from the time period we are covering in this course (from 1865 up to 2008). In week one, for example, you don’t have to choose a source dealing with the subjects covered in the textbook chapters for that week. However, it might be easier for you to find an approach a primary source from a time period you’ve already read about.

Once you’ve chosen a source, your paper will follow a very simple model.

First, you’ll want to very briefly introduce the general topic and the source you will be writing about. This intro paragraph should include the paper’s thesis, or main argument. For these papers, the thesis will be the point that you will come to in the final paragraph about what we can learn about the past from this document.
Next, you will briefly summarize the source. Try to keep this brief, maybe ½ of a page.
Next, you’ll explain how the source fits into its historical context. Explain what was going on at the time the source was created.
And finally, you’ll connect it to a passage from our textbook. By “connect,” I mean use the source’s evidence to refute, support, or otherwise contend with a specific passage of your choice from the textbook.
- This is the most important and difficult part of these papers. When analyzing the source, try to focus on the question of what we can learn about the period in question from the source. What does analyzing the source teach us about the past?
Whenever possible (and especially in the first and third paragraphs described above, use quoted material from the source itself to back up the assertions you make. Use quotes as evidence to prove your points. But don’t forget to explain to the reader how the quote proves the point you are making.

Most of the time each of these above steps will take one up a paragraph of your paper (as it does in the sample below). The introduction lays out a thesis that basically spells out the connection that they make in the third paragraph about what we can learn from the document. This is how you should organize your paper.

You shouldn’t do any outside research for this paper. Don’t spend any time wandering the web or browsing the library databases to complete the assignment. All you’ll really need is a primary source from one of the websites listed on the “Finding Primary Sources for the Paper” document and your textbook.

Each of these three source analysis papers should be 450-600 words long. That’s about 1.5 to 2 pages. But I’ll be judging by the word count rather than the page count.

Turning in the paper late will result in the deduction of five points (half a letter grade) for each day it is late starting at the movement it is due. Papers cannot be turned in more than seven days late. (Note that the seven-day rule doesn’t apply for the third paper since all work for the course needs to be in by the last day of the term.)

How to Find Sources

The assignment post in Blackboard includes a separate file called “Finding Primary Sources for the Papers.” See that document for full details about how find sources to analyze.

Additional Assignment Details

One paper is due each of the following Sundays, July 8^th, July 22^nd, and July 29^th by 11:59pm.
The lowest score of the three papers will be dropped.
Be sure to lay out a specific thesis (one main point that you wish to prove) and to back that thesis up with body paragraphs that explain your ideas.
Please format your paper with 12-point Times New Roman font, double spaced, 1-inch margins, and no cover page.
Please put your name on your paper!
When using information from either the textbook or the primary source, you need to provide proper citation. For this assignment, you can use any of the three major citation styles (MLA, APA, or Chicago).
1. You should work with the one that you are most familiar with.
2. If don’t feel confident in any of them, choose to work with the one that is used in your major field.
3. The sample paper uses Chicago style footnotes because those are the standard in the field of History. (I don’t recommend trying footnotes for the first time on this assignment. Though they are quite simple, people rarely do them right the first time.)
4. If you use MLA or APA style be sure to have a works cited list at the end of the paper with full bibliographic citations for your sources including a URL that goes directly to the source.
When you have completed your file, upload it to the assignments section of Blackboard by clicking on the title of the assignment. You will then be taken to a page where you can upload the file. (Please upload .doc, .docx, and .pdf files only. The system doesn’t read other files times well.)

Advice on Dealing with Primary Sources

This website from the College of William and Mary offers valuable advice on reading and writing about primary sources. I highly recommend that you take a look at it prior to writing your paper.

http://www.wm.edu/as/history/undergraduateprogram/historywritingresourcecenter/handouts/primarysources/

Likewise, this introductory video from a historicalthinkingmatters.org gives a nice overview of how historians think about primary sources and about the past in general. Note that to continue the video you need to keep clicking on the arrow at the bottom right of the content box to advance to the next portion of the video.

http://historicalthinkingmatters.org/why.html

Sample Paper: {Note that this paper deals with the 18^th century, so it would be off-topic for our HIST 1302 class. But it is a good example of the type of paper we are looking for.}

Ben Franklin’s Advice

The eighteenth century provided a major movement that fostered rapid development in America. The advice given by Benjamin Franklin in his letter, “Advice to a Young Tradesman” likely characterizes how immigrants contributed to a more positive growth of their new home’s economy. Franklin’s advice ultimately teaches us about the confident spirit of the eighteenth century, as well as factors that contributed to the economic growth of America at the time.

In his letter, Franklin discusses elements that contributed to the growth of wealth. He proposes several points that he believes will help the young tradesmen. He encourages investing money to make money, paying back debts punctually, appearing as a diligent man, and keeping records of expenses and incomes. He also discourages being wasteful with money, and he emphasizes the importance of opportunity. He says, “[Wealth] depends chiefly on two words, industry and frugality…make the best of both.”[1] With such encouraging advice, this letter has an optimistic tone, inspiring young tradesmen to seek wealth and success. Franklin’s discussion on proper labor relations in this source has practically remained unchanged since he documented these ideas.

In Chapter 4 of our textbook, the section entitled, “The American Enlightenment,” shows the context of Franklin’s ideas. It also suggests his impact on America. The eighteenth century encouraged individuals to rationalize and voice their ideas. Benjamin Franklin was no exception. The textbook reads, “Enlightenment thinkers insisted that every human…be judged before the bar of reason. The self-educated Benjamin Franklin’s wide range of activities…exemplified the Enlightenment spirit and made him probably the best-known American in the eighteenth century.”[2] With this knowledge in mind, the primary source ultimately teaches us about the hopeful tone of the Enlightenment, and the emphasis that was placed on logic and reason.

All in all, a few things can be understood about history through the study of this source. Studying Franklin’s letter reveals that the immigrant population was willing and able to work hard on the land and water to produce an income for the colony they resided in. Benjamin Franklin’s “Advice to a Young Tradesman” suggests that the industry, that is, the diligence and effort that the immigrants had to offer, was a sure way to wealth.[3] With that, the frugality of the primary residents helped maintain a balanced economy. This primary source teaches us about the attitude present during the Enlightenment, and it gives us an example of the ideas that were being encouraged during that time. Our textbook informs us that Franklin was one of the best-known American thinkers, so studying a primary source by Franklin is an effective way to understand the economic, as well as the thoughtful, developments that took place during the eighteenth century.

Comments on This Paper

This paper earned an A. It begins with a clear thesis about the spirit and economy of 18^th century America. It then moves into a summary of the document, using a quote to prove his assertions and make the description more vivid. The paragraph connecting the document to the textbook is also clear. Although it could have given a bit more explanation of that connection. Finally, the paper does a very good job of explaining what we might be able to learn about this time period from the document.

[1] Franklin, Benjamin, “Advice to a Young Tradesman [21 July 1748],” Founders Online, National Archives (http://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-03-02-0130 [last update: 2015-06-29]).

[2] Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!. Seagull fourth ed. (New York: W.W. Norton, 2012). 124.

[3] Franklin, Advice.

Answer Preview…………….

The Progressive Era in the latter part of the nineteenth-century was the defining period in the establishment of the many foundations that were used for building the educational system of the modern era. In his address before the Institute of Arts and Sciences in 1896, Booker T. Washington admonished his audience to the promote equality in the system before the growing rate of illiteracy destroys the gains of the nation’s democratic progress. Washington’s position on………………..

APA 577 words