Analyses of primary sources are the basis of historical research. As much of our
Analyses of primary sources are the basis of historical research. As much of our reading will be secondary literature, this assignment gives you the chance to critically engage with historical sources. Students will be expected to connect the source to course content, concepts, and theories. You can use any material that has been assigned to you as well as any of the material we have read in this class. If you want to include another source, please email me to confirm that it is a legitimate secondary source.
While reading the source: Consider the original author’s purpose and biases (NOT the editor’s). Did the author have first-hand knowledge of the events? How did the author collect the information? Who was the audience? Which side appears in the most favorable light? Also consider the hidden potential of the source. What assumptions does the author make about attitudes and society? What aspects of daily life, government, or religion does the author mention in passing?
What to say in the analysis: Your paper should include the following information.
1. Historical background of the source: What was happening at the time that the source was written? Be sure to indicate the source(s) of your information. Give priority to information that is likely to have a direct bearing on how you interpret the source.
2. Context for writing the source: Who wrote it? When? Why? What is it about? For whom did the author write? Did the author have a personal stake in how events turned out? In the case of anonymous sources, what can you deduce about the author from the source itself?
3.Conclusion: What is your overall assessment of the source? What are its strongest and weakest points? How could this source best be used for research? What is a connection to our current cultural moment/environment? Note that none of these are simple yes/no questions and that not all are going to be relevant to every source. Address only those that are relevant and reorganize to create a coherent whole within each section.
Primary source to use: https://archive.org/details/regulationsgove00servgoog/page/n7/mode/2up
sources to use to support analysis ” no outside sources accepted.”
1. https://dokumen.pub/beginning-with-disability-a-primer-1138211362-9781138211360.html
2. Douglas C. Baynton “Defectives in the Land: Disability and American Immigration Policy, 1882-1924.” Journal of American Ethnic History 24, no. 3 (2005): 31-44. attached
3. Nicole Belolan, “Confined to Crutches”: James Logan and the Material Culture of Disability in Early America. Pennsylvania Legacies, 17, no. 2: 7-11 attached