Spiro Agnew in a parody of a World War I poster

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Spiro Agnew Parody

What do you think the artist is trying to tell you through this poster? What details support your conclusion? Find out more about Spiro Agnew. Read the following curator notes: Anything Goes: Caricature Since the 1960s: Edward Sorel, Author and Caricaturist. What three reasons are given for the resurgence of caricature in the mid-1960s? What more did…

The eagle map of the United States

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Eagle map of the United States

Zoom into this map (online | .pdf). How many states do you see? Describe the differences between this 1833 map and a current map of the United States. What impression of the United States do you get from this map? Explain your reaction. Then use details from the source to explain what might have been the…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Monopoly Brothers Supported by the Little Consumer

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Monopoly Brothers Supported by the Little Consumer

What is the setting of this political cartoon? What details in the source support your conclusion? How is the consumer depicted in this cartoon? How do the coal strikers compare to the trusts? What details in the source support your conclusions? Gov. Osborn is literally jumping on the “Taft bandwagon” in the cartoon. What does this…

Republics of the Soviet Union

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Republics of the Soviet Union

How many Soviet republics are shown on this map? Which three were not recognized by the U.S. government? Use the Library’s online zoom feature to compare and contrast this 1991 U.S. CIA map of the Soviet Republics to a 2009 U.S. CIA map of Russian administrative divisions. What major differences do you notice? How are republics referred to…

Circus broadcasted by radio for first time

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Circus Radio Broadcast

Imagine you are the elephant. What is your “song” about? Create speech or thought bubbles for the two men and the elephant in this picture. How could we broadcast the elephant’s “song” today? What kind of equipment would we use? How is that similar to and different from the equipment used in this image? What…

Gold Medal Flour Ad. New-York tribune. (New York [N.Y.]), 10 March 1900

Guided Primary Source Analysis: 1900 Gold Medal Flour Ad

Review these advertising persuasion techniques. Describe the technique(s) you find present in this 1900 newspaper advertisement for Gold Medal flour that appeared in the New-York Daily Tribune. Review the headlines on this page and scan the articles (online | .pdf). Do you think the audience for the articles is the same audience that Gold Medal flour…

El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.), 12 Aug. 1914

Guided Primary Source Analysis: El Paso Herald August 12, 1914

Zoom into this newspaper (online | .pdf). What is the most important topic on this page? What details support your conclusion? There is a question in the newspaper’s nameplate, or top, section. What is the question and what do you think is the answer to the question? What details support your answer? What information about El…

The immigrant. Is he an acquisition or a detriment?

Guided Primary Source Analysis: The immigrant. Acquisition or detriment?

According to this political cartoon, what were the pros and cons to immigration in 1903? Take a look at this black-and-white version to more clearly read the cartoon’s text labels. List each group represented and the cartoon’s representation of their views. Investigate historical newspaper articles from 1903 discussing the immigration problem and immigration benefits. List…

Footrace, Pennsylvania Avenue

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Footrace, Pennsylvania Avenue

According to the summary of this political cartoon, who were the three candidates for president in 1844? What was the president’s salary at this time? What is the president’s salary now? According to the cartoon summary, who is the favored contender? What details in the cartoon—positioning, symbols, text labels—support this view? Use the Primary Source Nexus search…

Will the New Year Solve the Riddle of Mars

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Solving the Riddle of Mars?

Click the newspaper image above to zoom into the page. What is the riddle of Mars? Does the article answer the headline question? What evidence does the article give that there is life on Mars? What evidence does the article provide that Professor Lowell believes these Martian extraterrestrials are superior to mankind as the subhead claims?…