What are primary and secondary sources in history?

What are primary and secondary sources in history?

Primary sources provide a first-hand account of an event or time period and are considered to be authoritative. They represent original thinking, reports on discoveries or events, or they can share new information. Secondary sources involve analysis, synthesis, interpretation, or evaluation of primary sources.

Where can you find primary sources in history?

6 Free Online Resources for Primary Source Documents

• National Archives. The National Archives is a fantastic resource.
• DocsTeach. Also run by the National Archives, DocsTeach is full of activities for educators.
• Spartacus Educational.
• Fordham University.
• The Avalon Project.
• Life Magazine Photo Archive.
• Easy iPad Access.

How do you study primary sources?

How to Analyze a Primary Source

1. Look at the physical nature of your source.
2. Think about the purpose of the source.
3. How does the author try to get the message across?
4. What do you know about the author?
5. Who constituted the intended audience?
6. What can a careful reading of the text (even if it is an object) tell you?

How reliable are primary sources?

Primary sources are more credible as evidence, but good research uses both primary and secondary sources.

Why do historians use primary and secondary sources?

Historians search for clues about the past using both primary and secondary sources. 2. Primary sources are firsthand evidence that were written/created by the people who saw or experienced the event. Secondary sources give historians a broad view of an event.

What is original evidence?

1 Evidence of a statement made by a person other than the testifying witness, which is offered to prove that the statement was actually made rather than to prove its truth. Thus, if in an action for slander a witness testifies that he heard the defendant defame the claimant, his testimony is original evidence.

Can you go to jail if there is no evidence?

You cannot be arrested without evidence. In order to be arrested for a criminal offense a police officer must have probable cause. It’s when a police officer has developed a case to the extent that a reasonable, cautious police officer would believe the accused to be guilty.

How much evidence is enough?

Preponderance of the evidence requires tipping the scales of justice just over 50%, like 50.01%. Proof by a preponderance of the evidence is required in nearly all negligence cases, accident cases and injury cases even where damages are catastrophic.