Analysis of a Primary Historical Document

Write a summary analysis of a primary document that you have picked out yourself from
the historical record

Order Plagiarism Free Paper Now

Short Paper Assignment Details
This is a long explanation, please read it carefully.
Websites for Primary Sources: Be sure that the source you are using is relevant to the time frame of
the class you are enrolled in. If you choose incorrectly, the grade will be a zero. The webpage must
be scholastic and
At the top of the paper place the following:
“My primary source is ________________________ and it relates to this class be-cause______________. It can be found at this URL.”
Then list the hyperlink of the URL.
My Thesis is ________________________________.
US

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

http://founders.archives.gov/

http://mith.umd.edu//eada/

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/lhtnhtml/lhtnhome.html

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/collections

http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/

http://www.ellisisland.org/

http://docsouth.unc.edu/

http://valley.lib.virginia.edu/

http://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/m/moawar/waro.html

Asia

http://www.inthefirstperson.com/firp/index.shtml

http://www.library.yale.edu/div/SouthAsia/

England

http://www.british-history.ac.uk/Default.aspx

http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/

France

http://gallica.bnf.fr/?lang=EN

Germany

http://germanhistorydocs.ghi-dc.org/Index.cfm?language=english

Scotland

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/scottishenlightenment/index.asp

Write a summary analysis of a primary document that you have picked out yourself from
the historical record

Order Plagiarism Free Paper Now

Italy

http://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/History_of_Italy:_Primary_Documents

European Sources by Nation

http://eudocs.lib.byu.edu/index.php/Main_Page

Your goal is to write a summary analysis of a primary document that you have picked out yourself from
the historical record. Next, compare the document to the main text (Bentley, Davidson, Rawls, Foner,
Murphy etc.). Use MLA format (author, page #). In this case, the main course text will represent the sec-ondary source, use MLA format.
Do not use books for this assignment. Do not write about a book, an autobiography, or any other lengthy
text. Use the websites listed above to find a primary source, not a book.
Be sure to clearly cite your primary source for the reader at the top of the paper. Use either a full
citation or hyperlink, as I would like to read and reference the primary document prior to reading
your analytical paper.
At the top of the paper place the following:
“My primary source is ________________________ and it relates to this class be-cause______________.
It can be found at this URL.”
Then list the hyperlink of the URL. My Thesis is ___________________________.
The primary sourcecan be related to almost any topic that interests you so long as it relates directly to
the topics in this class. You should look for areas that match your passions, career interests, hobbies, or
research while relating to the course text and curriculum. Be sure to check the documents page for clear
direction on what is a primary source vs. a secondary source. This is key since one of the objectives of
this assignment, is to teach you the difference and value of a primary source vs. a secondary source. There
are a plethora of documents relating to sports, industry, women, politics, and religion, drugs (both legal
and illegal) and so on. You are free to choose whatever you like, however stay away from obvious overly
cited documents such as the Declaration of Independence or the Communist Manifesto, no books in their
entirety for example Mein Kempf, the Diary of Ann Frank or Common Sense.
A list of docs that should not be used is listed below. The source may be a letter describing a new frontier
or slave conditions on a ship or a speech (text of speech is acceptable, a video is not) given on a relevant
topic as it relates to the class. For example, Kennedy’s speech in Berlin about Communism relates to His-tory 121 and 102 but not California History 133. It can be a diary entry or artwork, economic data, a polit-ical cartoon or a song. The publication date of the source must be within the dates for this class. For ex-ample, if you are in the early US History class it is not appropriate to write about Watergate. If you are in
World History, choose a document relating to the timeframe of the class. If you are in the California His-tory class, choose a document that is directly related to California, and so on.

Write a summary analysis of a primary document that you have picked out yourself from
the historical record

Order Plagiarism Free Paper Now

The short paper must accomplish three goals.
1. Be sure to describe the primary source to the reader. Do not copy the text of the source or quote
from it. Rather analyze and describe it using formal research language. I will have read/refer-enced the document from the citation/hyperlink you have provided at the top of your paper. I am
interested in the meaning and analysis of the document, not a reprinting of it. Clearly state your
thesis/argumentand provide the sources as proof of your argument. The thesis must be clearly
stated in the beginning of the paper.
2. Since the piece is from a specific time-period, who is the audience for this piece? (Please do not
say the public, or Americans…..be specific. This may require you to expand your research so that
you are more familiar with the author, the document, the content and the time-frame it was pub-lished). What is the goal of the author? What are his/her aims? What changes are expected from
this source? Utilize the methods as explained in Degrees of Analytical Complexity document. I
will be looking for the guidelines explained on this document in your paper.
3. Place the document into its historical context. What are the environmental/societal factors that
influenced the writing of this document? Why is this document relevant? Why should we be in-terested in it? How did this document influence the historical society when it was introduced?
What is your analysis of the document? Why did you choose it? What have you learned from it?
How does this document fit into the other subjects/topics/papers you have read/written in this
class?
You will be graded on content, relevance, analysis and quality of your work. Plagiarism and academic
dishonesty will not be tolerated. While in college, you will get most of your ideas from other people and
that is expected and helpful. Just do not copy or take credit for it, cite and footnote the original author. Do
not recycle your own work from another class and pass it off for another grade. This is considered Acad-emic Dishonesty.
Below is a list of peccadilloes that I found online (Furman University). I would suspect that most profes-sors have similar complaints when students commit these academic offenses. Be sure to proofread your
paper before submitting it for grading and try to avoid the listed issues below.
1. A clear, original, non-obvious, defensi-ble thesis and logical organization are
essential.

Write a summary analysis of a primary document that you have picked out yourself from
the historical record

Order Plagiarism Free Paper Now

2. Write concisely.
3. Avoid passive constructions such as “it
was,” and “it has been.” You must tell
explicitly who is doing the thing you
describe.
4. Like strong seasonings, quotations
should be used very judiciously.
5. Do not use “I” in formal writing. De-clarative sentences are more effective.
Everyone already knows from the essay
format that this is your own viewpoint.
Within the genre of historical writing,
indiscriminate use of “I” is at once a
sign of vanity and of poor confidence.
6. Sentences that combine commentary
with precise descriptive information are
a plus.
7. Strive for gender-neutral phrasing.
8. Do not start sentences with the word
“however.”
9. The following words or expressions are
powerless and inaccurate. Do not use
them:
a. obviously
b. in terms of
c. certain, certainly
d. basically
e. “on a ____ basis”
f. feels, felt
g. in-depth
h. deals with, dealt with
i. dominate(adjective), when you
mean dominant
10.Avoid qualifiers. Words such as “some-what,” “literally,” and “definitely.” are
right out.
11.Centuries (“the 1700s”) are plural, not
possessive. Do not use an apostrophe.
12.Do not say “Succession” when you
mean the Secession of the Confederate
states.

Write a summary analysis of a primary document that you have picked out yourself from
the historical record

Order Plagiarism Free Paper Now

13.Do not use postal abbreviations for
states (write “North Carolina,” not NC).
14.Woe unto essays that include text mes-saging abbreviations
15.Always use the past tense when describ-ing events in the past.
16.Be accurate in your terminology.
17.Do not use offensive, pejorative, or
outmoded terms such as “linthead,”
“redneck,” “Yankee”, “wetback,”
“chink,” “Redskin,” or “Negro” unless
directly quoting a source. It may be bet-ter to avoid them entirely.
18.Before critiquing the author’s argument
be sure you understand it.
Essays that use clear scholarly language and present original, testable arguments will be preferred
over essays that are simplistic or obvious in their analysis or are purely descriptive.
Start looking for the document, early, ask questions and be prepared to find the meaning of the
primary source as it relates to the class.
In the past students have received a zero grade on this paper and here is a list of the major mistakes that
were made. I cannot grade an assignment that falls outside the parameters of what was assigned. This is
not math class, no partial credit for “effort”. You have to do it right and then I can grade it.
I am listing the mistakes here, in hopes that you avoid these pitfalls and succeed in earning the grade you
seek.
Example of Student Work The reason the paper received a zero grade
A student wrote a summary of the Diary of Anne
Frank, stating that Anne Frank deeply understood
anti-Semitism.
The problem here is that the thesis is weak and
impossible to prove. The Diary of Anne Frank
was about Anne’s own perception while in hiding.
She was unaware of the camps and the slaughter
that ensued. The diary is a historical document
and an excerpt would have been a good source
with a strong thesis. Avoid these types of docu-ments since it is impossible to read the minds of
the deceased.

Write a summary analysis of a primary document that you have picked out yourself from
the historical record

Order Plagiarism Free Paper Now

A student attempted to use a song as a primary
source, but the song was written in 2010 and was
about slavery.
The problem here is that the issue of slavery is a
global crime that is still committed throughout the
world and had the class time frame/content in-cluded global slavery in the modern time, it would
have been ok. But this song was compared to
black slavery in the US. Not appropriate and not
connected.
A student used the British equivalent of an ency-clopedia to describe the Greek Gods.
The problem here is that Greek Gods or for that
matter any God is an unprovable matter. If you
believe in God, please don’t be offended. Any
God cannot be cited since the literature around
these entities are man-made. This is why the
Bible, Torah, Quran, Bhagavad Gita or the Sutras
are not considered primary sources. These are just
other sources and not appropriate for this assign-ment. In the example to the left, the encyclopedia
is not a primary source.
A student used a letter posted on eyewitnesshisto-ry.com
The problem here was that this website is not a
reputable website. One of the most important is-sues in history is verified documents that are
truthful and valid. Historians and Archivists spend
thousands of hours verifying information and
cross-checking data. Any website that is “.com”
has a commercial interest and is not considered
scholastic or college level. Stay away from these
sites.

Write a summary analysis of a primary document that you have picked out yourself from
the historical record

Order Plagiarism Free Paper Now

A student took another history class and recycled
a research paper from the other class.
This is considered academic dishonesty. You are
plagiarizing, and YES you can plagiarize yourself.
You are expected to do original research and write
original papers.
A student used a speech about women presented
at the UN in 2011. The speaker was an actress.
The speech was by an actress and did not relate to
world history. This is an obviously weak attempt
at connecting two items that have little scholastic
value. The actress described the status of women
and “second class” around the globe and was hop-ing to bring attention to this issue. Of course
women are treated as second class, this is not
news and the actress who spoke at the UN, no
doubt was profound, but she is an actress, hired to
do a job. I want you to use common sense and ask
questions when trying to connect issues/items that
either do not belong or add nothing to the scholar-ship.
A student turned in an opinion piece without any
scholastic or academic analysis
Paper received a zero and the student believed
that some credit should be given for attempting to
write the paper. There is no partial credit for an
“attempt”. Please follow the instructions.
List of what NOT to choose for this assignment. This is not an exhaustive list meaning
that there may be documents that are not listed here.
1. Articles of Confederation
2. Declaration of Independence
3. Diary of Anne Frank
4. Mein Kompf
5. Gettysburg Address
6. Emancipation Proclamation
7. “ I have a Dream” speech by MLK
8. Common Sense
9. Any famous Presidential Speech
10.US Bill of Rights
11.Brown vs. Board of Education
12.Any long book

Write a summary analysis of a primary document that you have picked out yourself from
the historical record

Order Plagiarism Free Paper Now

By admin in Essays on February 3, 2017