Primarily Primary
Study this image. What do you see? Who do you see? What clues can you gather about this person just from looking at this picture? Better yet, what questions do you have? Don’t you want to know more?
Alright, now examine this image. What do you see? Study the details of his face. Look closer. What clues can you gather about this person and his culture just from studying this image?
Both of these images are called primary sources. Primary sources are historical documents or accounts by firsthand witnesses-people who were actually there to see it in real life! Primary sources are not only photographs. They can be objects like letters, maps, articles of clothing, diaries, government documents, anything that has survived from the past. Even your kupuna could be a primary source! Primary sources are powerful tools for any historian. They are a window into the past.
So does that mean you can’t use an encyclopedia or textbook to get reliable information? No way! Secondary sources are a little different because they were created by someone who may not have been present when a particular event occurred. In other words, these individuals got their information second-hand and then created their own summary for you to read or study. A secondary source is handy to use when you need some background information on a topic.
There are many strategies historians use when analyzing primary sources. Each involves asking yourself a series of questions that in the end, will help you to determine the relevance and importance of the source you are studying.
You begin by asking the easy questions:
1. What do you see? Give three (3) details.
2. What is the setting?
3. Who is the subject?
4. Who is the intended audience?
Then, you begin to gather more detailed information by answering these questions:
1. What does the primary source reveal about the subject? What is your proof?
2. What does the primary source reveal about culture/people/time period? What is your proof?
3. Write a question for the author. What else would you like to know?
The ultimate understanding comes when you can use other sources to help you answer this question:
1. What is the larger historical context?
All in all, to become a proficient historian you must use the proper tools. Primary and secondary sources are those tools and they help to make history come alive.
