1.1 Historical Thinking and Skills Study Guide
Learning Target 1: Analyze a historical decision and predict the possible consequences of alternative courses of action.
This learning target will not be assessed on the state test.
Learning Target 2: Analyze and evaluate the credibility of primary and secondary sources.
Primary sources are records of events as they are first described, usually by witnesses or by people who were involved in the event. Many primary sources were created at the time of the event. Other primary sources may include memoirs, oral interviews or accounts that were recorded later. Visual materials (e.g., photos, official documents, original artwork, posters, films) also are important primary sources.
Secondary sources offer an analysis or a restatement of primary sources. They are written after the events have taken place by people who were not present at the events. They often attempt to describe or explain primary sources. Examples of secondary sources include encyclopedias, textbooks, books and articles that interpret or review research works.
The use of primary and secondary sources in the study of history includes an analysis of their credibility—that is, whether or not they are trustworthy and believable. Whether or not a written source is to be believed depends to a great extent on who wrote it and how it was written. Use the following steps to evaluate source credibility.
Secondary sources offer an analysis or a restatement of primary sources. They are written after the events have taken place by people who were not present at the events. They often attempt to describe or explain primary sources. Examples of secondary sources include encyclopedias, textbooks, books and articles that interpret or review research works.
The use of primary and secondary sources in the study of history includes an analysis of their credibility—that is, whether or not they are trustworthy and believable. Whether or not a written source is to be believed depends to a great extent on who wrote it and how it was written. Use the following steps to evaluate source credibility.
- Check the qualifications and reputation of the author – Determine if the author or the organization is an acknowledged expert on the topic that is addressed in the source. A recognized authority will typically be cited by other writers in the same field.
- Determine the circumstances in which the author prepared the source – Consider the author’s purpose and motivation. An academic article will have a much different goal than a political tract.
- Identify the perspective or bias of the author (including use of stereotypes) – Biased sources contain more opinions than facts; present arguments in support of one position and ignore arguments that might support a different position. A stereotype is a generalization about an individual or group.
- Examine the accuracy and internal consistency – Credible sources present information that can be verified by checking other sources. Internal consistency means the sources should not present contradictory claims, information, or data within the source.
- Check for agreement with other credible sources – Check additional sources to see if other trustworthy sources agree on the main points and provide similar information and data.
Learning Target 3: Develop a thesis and use evidence to support or refute a position.
Click on the image to complete a political cartoon analysis guide.
Historians are similar to detectives. They develop theses and use evidence to create explanations of past events.
Rather than a simple list of events, a thesis provides a meaningful interpretation of the past. The thesis tells the reader the way in which evidence is significant in a larger historical context. In a historical essay, the thesis is the main claim or position statement. A thesis provides the guiding idea for an essay and should be original and arguable (not obvious). The thesis statement identifies the argument and then explains how the argument will be supported with evidence. For example, a thesis on the causes of the Dust Bowl could read:
A thesis requires solid evidence to support and develop it. Without evidence, a claim is merely an assertion or opinion. Historians can’t observe the past directly. They must use evidence; much like a detective tries to solve a crime from the clues left behind. The evidence used by historians may be generated from artifacts, documents, eyewitness accounts, historical sites, photographs and other sources.
As they engage in research and writing, historians cite the sources from which they gather evidence. They use the results of their research to support or refute arguments made by other historians. Comparing and analyzing evidence from various sources enables historians to refine their explanations of past events.
Rather than a simple list of events, a thesis provides a meaningful interpretation of the past. The thesis tells the reader the way in which evidence is significant in a larger historical context. In a historical essay, the thesis is the main claim or position statement. A thesis provides the guiding idea for an essay and should be original and arguable (not obvious). The thesis statement identifies the argument and then explains how the argument will be supported with evidence. For example, a thesis on the causes of the Dust Bowl could read:
- A result of both human actions and natural factors, there were three main causes of the Dust Bowl: the loss of the shortgrass prairie, the heavy use of farm machinery, and insufficient rainfall.
A thesis requires solid evidence to support and develop it. Without evidence, a claim is merely an assertion or opinion. Historians can’t observe the past directly. They must use evidence; much like a detective tries to solve a crime from the clues left behind. The evidence used by historians may be generated from artifacts, documents, eyewitness accounts, historical sites, photographs and other sources.
As they engage in research and writing, historians cite the sources from which they gather evidence. They use the results of their research to support or refute arguments made by other historians. Comparing and analyzing evidence from various sources enables historians to refine their explanations of past events.
Learning Target 4: a) Identify examples of multiple causation and long- and short-term causal relationships with respect to historical events. b) Analyze the relationship between historical events, taking into consideration cause, effect, sequence, and correlation.
Click on the image to complete a graphic organizer showing cause-and-effect relationships.
When studying a historical event or person in history, historians analyze cause-and-effect relationships. Historical thinking involves the ability to identify, analyze, and evaluate multiple cause-and-effect relationships in a historical context.
Historians distinguish between the immediate (short-term) and long-term causes and effects. Causes of events are often referred to as factors or developments that contributed to events. For example, to understand the impact of the Great Depression, an analysis would include its immediate and long-term causes and effects. An examination of the Great Depression would include the Federal Reserve Board’s monetary policies in the late 1920s as a short-term cause and the decline in demand for American farm goods after World War I as a long-term factor contributing to the economic downturn.
Causes and effects can be organized into categories. The most common distinction is to classify causes and effects as social, political, and economic. Social causes and effects involve family, religion, education, culture, and entertainment. Political causes and effects relate to government, laws, rights, and military conflicts. Economic causes and effects refer to economic systems, money, trade, resources, and taxes.
Historical analysis also involves an examination of the sequence and correlation of events. How did one event lead to another, and how do they relate to one another? Keep in mind that correlation is different than causation. Two related events may be caused by other outside factors.
Historians distinguish between the immediate (short-term) and long-term causes and effects. Causes of events are often referred to as factors or developments that contributed to events. For example, to understand the impact of the Great Depression, an analysis would include its immediate and long-term causes and effects. An examination of the Great Depression would include the Federal Reserve Board’s monetary policies in the late 1920s as a short-term cause and the decline in demand for American farm goods after World War I as a long-term factor contributing to the economic downturn.
Causes and effects can be organized into categories. The most common distinction is to classify causes and effects as social, political, and economic. Social causes and effects involve family, religion, education, culture, and entertainment. Political causes and effects relate to government, laws, rights, and military conflicts. Economic causes and effects refer to economic systems, money, trade, resources, and taxes.
Historical analysis also involves an examination of the sequence and correlation of events. How did one event lead to another, and how do they relate to one another? Keep in mind that correlation is different than causation. Two related events may be caused by other outside factors.
