Ferderick Douglas

You must analyze and contextualize the document within the framework of the course, including in terms of the reading and PowerPoint presentations. This paper should not be like a book review or simply be a summary of the document. The purpose of the primary source assignment is for you to practice critically reading and analyzing primary source documents and putting them into larger context. Such a skill is absolutely central to the work of historians and is something from which everyone can benefit.

Your paper should be between two and three double-spaced pages in length (roughly between 500 and 750 words). It will be graded on four criteria, all given equal weight. They are:

1- Analyze who wrote this document and for what purpose. Who was the person who wrote the document- what can you guess from the document itself? Can you say anything about their background and point of view- gender, race, ethnicity, social class, etc.? Why did they write this? What did they hope they would get out of it? Who did they think would read it?

2- Discuss the significance of the document. Why is this document important? What new information does it give us? What impact do you think this document may have had?

3- Connect this document to our coursework. What is the historical context? What was going on at the time and in the location this source was written? What important themes in our reading and PowerPoint presentations does this document touch on? Does it support or contradict what we have been reading about this topic?

4- Write clearly, without spelling or grammatical errors, and in a well-organized manner. Two to three pages is not a lot of space, so try to be concise with well-structured paragraphs addressing each of the areas above.

Be sure to read the document Reading and Writing about Primary Sources, and feel free to refer back to the Historian’s Toolbox PowerPoint presentation from the first week of the course..

Your paper will be due by 11:59am on Wednesday, November 18th. Please let me know in advance if you foresee any difficulties turning this assignment in on time. Thank you and happy writing!