Analyzing Primary Sources: Frozen Living Pictures

Analyzing Primary Sources: Frozen Living Pictures

We know that primary sources engage students, helping them to personally relate to persons and events of the past and develop a deeper understanding of history as a series of human events. One way to enhance the connection and empathy is to have students analyze a primary source image, then create tableaux or frozen living pictures. The goal is…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Biggest Business in the World

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Biggest Business in the World

This campaign ad lists 10 pledges Senator Warren G. Harding promised to uphold. Which 3 do you think are most important for a politician to keep? Explain the reasoning for your choices. What pledges would you make if you were running for political office? Explain the reasoning for your choices. This campaign ad says the United…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Massachusetts Did It

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Massachusetts Did It

What is the definition of radicalism? Do you agree with the cartoonist’s choice to represent radicalism with a snake? Why or why not? Read the notes for this political cartoon. Do you think the elephant was a good choice to represent the G.O.P, or Republican party during this time period? Why or why not? Use…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: National Anti-Suffrage Association

Guided Primary Source Analysis: National Anti-Suffrage Association

Look carefully at all the elements included in this scene. What do you think the photographer wanted the audience to think and feel? Be sure to back up your conclusion with evidence from the image. Choose two sources (see links below) to review. What arguments did they make against woman suffrage. Use what you learned…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Martin Luther King, Jr. – Why We Can’t . . .

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Martin Luther King, Jr. – Why We Can’t . . .

The last word in the sign next to Martin Luther King, Jr. is mostly covered by a microphone. List the word that you think is on the sign and why you think that. The words on the sign were the title of a book King published the year before the photograph was taken. Investigate the sources…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Leonard Bernstein illustrated letter

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Leonard Bernstein illustrated letter

Leonard Bernstein was a famous American composer and conductor. Don’t read the words, just study the illustrations. Zoom into the images online. What is the setting? What is the story? Now read the letter. Challenge yourself to decipher the writing on the pages, then read the transcript. How does the actual letter compare with the…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Synopsis of the Fugitive Slave Law

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Synopsis of the Fugitive Slave Law

Review this synopsis of the fugitive slave law. Choose one of the synopsis points and find which part(s) of the fugitive law text the author drew from to create the summary. Use the text from the fugitive slave law to create your own synopsis using modern-day language. In the objections, the author states that the fugitive…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Robertson’s Geographic-Historical Series

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Robertson’s Geographic-Historical Series

Who do you think is pictured on the cover of this atlas? Why do you think that? How many years does this atlas cover? Review the list of pages below and choose one title to investigate further. Click the image above to access the digital pages. What did you discover about the topic and time…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: American Expeditionary Force map

Guided Primary Source Analysis: American Expeditionary Force map

The Americans who participated in the liberation of France were shocked by the devastation and the suffering of French civilians who had lost their homes, their livelihood, and their lives during the war. The compassion of the soldiers of the American Expeditionary Forces for the French people generated many popular songs such as “The Tale…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Tesla’s 1922 Tech Predictions

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Tesla’s 1922 Tech Predictions

Access this newspaper page online and zoom into the cartoon, what inventions are referenced in the comic? Now read the article. Are the same inventions referenced in the text? What other inventions does the article discuss? List the inventions discussed in the article that are a reality today. Compare and contrast one of the predicted inventions…