Touchstone 4: Analyzing Primary Sources
ASSIGNMENT: You have learned that the historian’s craft involves using evidence from the past to learn and write about what happened. This evidence comes in the form of primary sources, or first-hand accounts or artifacts from the time period that the historian is writing about or studying. These sources provide the foundation for any historical narrative. Throughout this course, we have introduced you to the skill of
Analyzing Primary Sources
and to numerous primary sources that professional historians have used to develop a narrative of U.S. history. Now, you will have the opportunity to practice the historian’s craft by reading and analyzing two primary sources yourself.
Keep in mind that the same skills you use to read and analyze historical sources can also be applied to current sources of information, such as newspaper articles, social media posts, television reports, and commercial advertisements. By practicing these skills now, you will not only develop your ability to perform historical research and think like a historian, you will also become a more skilled consumer of information in general.
To complete this assignment, you will use the template provided below.
You will return the completed template as your Touchstone submission. A sample assignment is also provided.
Touchstone 4: Analyzing Primary Sources Template
Touchstone 4: Analyzing Primary Sources Sample
In order to foster learning and growth, all work you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any plagiarized or recycled work will result in a Plagiarism Detected alert. Review
Touchstones: Academic Integrity Guidelines
for more about plagiarism and the Plagiarism Detected alert. For guidance on the use of generative AI technology, review
Ethical Standards and Appropriate Use of AI
.
Step 1: Choose Two Primary Sources
Review the
U.S. History I Touchstone Primary Source List
and choose two for your assignment.
· You must select from the provided list of primary sources. No other sources are allowed.
· Your two primary sources must come from different time periods.
·
Submissions that do not follow these requirements will be returned ungraded.
Download the
Touchstone 4: Analyzing Primary Sources Template
. The template includes the prompts you will respond to when analyzing your sources.
Step 3: Read and Analyze Both Sources
Read and analyze both sources by following the prompts in the template, and record your responses. The template has five parts:
· Part 1: Meet the Primary Source
· Part 2: Observe its Parts
· Part 3: Interpret the Meaning (Historical Context)
· Part 4: Interpret the Meaning (Main Point and Purpose)
· Part 5: Use as Historical Evidence
hint
Revisit the U.S. History I tutorials to help you do your analysis. The four time periods in the Primary Source List correspond to the four course units. Navigate to the most relevant unit and explore the tutorials. Then find information to relate each primary source to its specific historical context.
Review the rubric (Section B) to ensure you understand how your work will be evaluated, and revise your work as needed.
Step 5: Review the Requirements
Review the requirements (Section C) and the checklist below to ensure your Touchstone is complete and ready to submit. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
❒ Check that your chosen sources are on the provided list. Other sources will not be accepted.
❒ Check that your chosen sources come from different time periods.
❒ Check that you have recorded your responses in the provided template.
❒ Check that all sections of the template are complete for both sources.
❒ Check that you have included your name and date.
❒ Check that your work is proofread for proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization.
Step 6: Submit Your Touchstone
Submit your completed Touchstone using the blue button at the top of this page.
B. Rubric
C. Requirements
The following requirements must also be met for your submission to be graded:
· Use a readable 11- or 12-point font.
· Composition must be original and written for this assignment and all writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
· Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
· Submission must include your name and the date.
· Include all of the assignment components in a single .doc or .docx file.
Adapted from
Understanding Perspectives in Primary Sources, The National Archives
