Primary sources/documents are letters, newspapers, laws, or other forms of communication that were composed during the time period in which they occurred. For example, when studying the American Revolution, an example of a primary document would be the Declaration of Independence. For this assignment students have multiple choices of primary documents to choose from selected by the instructor. After choosing and reading a selected primary document, students will write a 600-800 word (1.5-2 pages essay) discussing said document. Students are only to write a summary on one (1) document (located below). After composing your essay upload your summary where it says PRIMARY SOURCE ESSAY – SUBMIT HERE. The following questions should be addressed when composing your essay:
What is the primary source?
Who wrote the document and when was it written?
Who was the intended audience? (Not every document is meant for the general public or everyone, so please be mindful when addressing the intended audience)
What was the purpose of the document? What was the authors message or argument? What was he/she trying to get across? Is the message explicit, or are there implicit messages as well.
How does the author try to get the message across? What methods does he/she use? Is there a discernable tone? What impact does this have on the significance of the source?
What was one of the most important line (quote) from the document? Why is it significant?
How does the primary source contribute to our understanding of history?
Choose one (1) of the sources listed within to compose your essay. When reading and writing, focus on the document and less on the annotation. The annotation is provided for background information.
https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=610
use this link for the primary source its on cesar chavez: https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=610
To assist in composing your essays the following represents a short student response to the primary document of the Declaration of Independence:
Thomas Jefferson, the primary author of the Declaration of Independence, wrote his draft of this document in 1776. Although the declaration was for the whole world, Jefferson’s main audience was the king of England, George III. Jefferson’s purpose was to announce to the world that the thirteen colonies were free and independent from Great Britain and that these thirteen colonies were forming a new country called the United States. The document is divided into different parts: the preamble or introduction, a list of grievances against the king, and a conclusion. Several of these grievances were later addressed in the Constitution and in the Bill of Rights – such as, not allowing soldiers to be quartered in homes without the consent of the homeowner and the right to have a trial by jury. Other notable grievances included Britain’s taxation policies with colonial representation in Parliament. Probably the most memorable line from the Declaration is, “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It is ironic that when Jefferson wrote of liberty, he was a slave holder.
