American culture

AMST 101/Horwitz Summer 2019

Short Essay Assignment #1: Analyzing Primary Source Historical Documents

100 Points The Source: Choose a primary source document (this means a first-hand description) from American History from the following links—these links will take you to hundreds of possibilities, including photographs, letters, diaries, and more:

• University of California's Calisphere: Primary Documents about California.

• Library of Congress’ Primary Source Sets.

• US National Archives’ Docs Teach primary source collection

• George Mason University’s History Matters Many Pasts collection

• US National Archives’ 100 Milestone Documents Collection

Don’t just pick any primary source—pick something from one of these collections on a subject matter or historical period that you find particularly interesting. Please make sure you include a hyperlink to your primary source at the very top of your essay. The Essay: 1. Your essay should begin by introducing your chosen document through description:

• What type of information does your source provide? o This would include images, people, objects, activities, actions, words, phrases, facts,

etc.) and then analyze it by addressing the following questions: • This description should be no more than a paragraph.

2. You then want to move into interpretation and analysis, through a consideration of the

following questions: • Why do you think the source was produced? How might this have influenced the content of

the source?

• Who produced the source (including—if possible, the creator’s background, gender, race, social class, and education)? How would you characterize the author's perspective? How might this have influenced the content of the source? What does the source reveal about the person or people who produced it?

• When was the source produced? How might this have influenced the content of the source?

Relatedly, what does the source reveal about the time and the place in which it was produced?

• Pay attention to what the source is and is not telling you: its unstated assumptions, the partiality of its perspective. All sources are created with an intention in mind, what is your source’s?

• Think about the source's potential audience. Who was the intended recipient? Can you

discern any particular characteristics about the audience? **Not all of these questions will be fully answerable, depending on the source you have selected

to analyze—this is fine.** 3. Finally, you should conclude your analysis with a brief paragraph addressing the following

questions: • What are the benefits of using this kind of source?

• What are the limitations of this type of source?

Please keep in mind that you will need to have a (1-2 sentence) thesis statement at the start that indicates what your essay is going to be arguing about the primary source you have selected. However, for the purposes of this assignment your thesis statement might simply be the answer the following questions:

• What conclusions have you drawn from your analysis of primary source material? • What does your analysis suggest about the topic?

You have a VERY limited source from which to make your argument (ie, a single primary source). Therefore, you want to avoid making sweeping, reaching claims—you’re bound to the information contained in your source. A well-crafted thesis will lead smoothly into an essay discussing your source and what we can learn from them. Your primary source analysis essay should be a minimum of 725 words, double-spaced, in a standard 12-point font. Remember to always cite direct quotations and paraphrasing via endnotes, footnotes, or parenthetical in-text citations—if you are unsure of how to properly cite a source, please refer to TITANium (under Resources) and review the available information. This assignment is due by 11:59 PM Friday, June 7 (you’ll see the TURNITin link located under Module 2).