Primary Sources A primary source is one created during the

period that the historian is investigating

Secondary Sources A secondary source is a source that was

created after the time the historian is investigating

Primary sources were created during the time that is being investigated.

Secondary sources are produced after the time period that is being investigated.

Primary and Secondary Sources

Is this a Primary Source.....if I am investigating World War 2?

Trenches from the Somme

Trenches as they are now

Is this a secondary source……if I am studying Gladiators in Ancient Rome?

Many gladiatorial games were given in that year, some unimportant, one noteworthy beyond the rest — that of Titus Flamininus which he gave to commemorate the death of his father, which lasted four days, and was accompanied by a public distribution of meats, a banquet, and scenic performances. The climax of the show which was big for the time was that in three days seventy four gladiators fought. Livy

Usefulness A useful source helps to explain something you

are investigating We ask; - how useful is this source to a historian

studying….?- What could this source be useful for? (what

information does it tell us?)- Students need to specifically say why a source is

useful for what is being investigated

What questions do we need to ask to determine usefulness?

How useful is this source for a historian studying WW2?

About events from 1914-1918

Students need to specifically say why a source is useful for what is being

investigated Show NOT Tell. ‘This is useful because it provides evidence

on how people first lit their homes.’ Rather than ‘it is useful because it told me what I needed to know.’

Retroactive 1• Using Retroactive 1,

read Chapter 1.4 Sources: the historian’s clues pp, 14 – 15

• Answer the following questions on p. 15 under the tab titled “Primary and Secondary Sources”:• Check Knowledge and

Understanding Qu 1 – 3• Develop Source Skills

Qu 4

Who can we trust?

Reliability How close to the whole ‘truth’ is this

source?

- Is it complete or incomplete?

- Is the information accurate? Cross Reference with a book because a book has to go a much more rigorous process

- Does it state facts or opinions?

- Does the author use language to persuade? Eg exaggeration, emotive language etc

- Shows a clear bias/prejudice for one way or the other; exaggerates some elements and omits others

- Perspective is related to reliability

Archaeological sources can be fabricated – there is a huge market for forgeries

Which is more reliable; a primary or secondary source?

Whether a source is primary or secondary has nothing to do with reliability or

usefulness; this is just when a source was created. Both

primary and secondary sources can be useful and reliable or unreliable and of little use depending on the factors mentioned above and what a historian is investigating.

How can I remember this?

What can impact reliability?

Ask ADAM ANT-Author-Date-Audience-Message

The Reliability Spectrum

• We do not use definitive language when discussing reliability i.e. It is reliable because…..but it is not reliable because…..

• The reliability is impacted by…..• It could be less reliable because….• It can be more relied on because…..

Are primary sources more reliable than secondary?

1. Incident in the playground. Michael hit Simon, Michael’s friends witnessed the event. They gave an eyewitness account – bias?

2. If you wrote an account of WW2 there would not have been an account of the Holocaust because it had not been revealed by then. Most government documents get lifted many years later that reveal a lot of information about the past.

Non representation in sources

Women and the poor. Wealthy educated males created the sources

So have to cross reference to archaeological findings to find out about those people.

Caesar and Tacitus Caesar writes in the third peron Tacitus was a senator Biased against anyone who had power in

Rome however Tacitus’ accounts do have value.

Unreliable but useful For a Historian studying

propaganda (information, especially of a biased or misleading nature used to promote a political cause or point of view)

An unreliable source can still be useful! For example, propaganda is not a message that is close to the truth but is good evidence for how people could be persuaded to think in different ways eg WW1 recruitment posters.

Do not answer about reliability using definitives

Reliability is impacted by the fact that this source was not there at the time witnessing the event, however this source is valuable beacause…

Eyewitness on the ground in a war will always have a limited perspective as they cannot have the vision from above.

Your Turn!

Retroactive 1• Using Retroactive 1,

read Chapter 1.5 Analysis and use of sources pp, 16 – 19

• Answer the following questions on p. 19 under the tab titled “Primary and Secondary Sources”:• Check Knowledge and

Understanding 1 – 5

Retroactive 1• Using Retroactive 1,

read Chapter 1.7 key historical concepts Perspectives, empathetic understanding, significance & contestability. pp, 24-26

• Answer the following questions on p. 27 under the tab titled “Check Knowledge and understanding”:• Check Knowledge and

Understanding Qu 3