Investigating History
Tips for analyzing primary source documents
Start with the basics
1. Who is the author? What do you know about him/her? Is the author a group or institution? How would that shape viewpoint?
2. When and where was the document created? What do you know about this time and place?
3. Summarize the document in your own words.
Analyze the author’s intent
4. Who is the intended audience for the document? (If unknown, who are the possible audiences for the document?)
5. What was the author’s purpose in writing the document?
6. How might the intended audience and purpose (#4 and #5) have influenced what the author wrote? (Are there some things that might be exaggerated? Ignored? Misconstrued?)
Broaden and deepen your analysis
7. Beyond the obvious facts in the document, what characteristics of society at this time does the document shed light upon? (Extend your reading of the document to a concept or a theme. What’s the “big picture?”) Consider how far you can carry this analysis
8. What are the strengths of this document as a historical source? (What makes it especially reliable?)
9. What are the limitations of this document as a historical source? (Are there reasons to question its validity? To what extent does the document support generalizations beyond the single individual or group who created it?)
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