Grade: Grade 11 Subject: Social Studies Unit: US History Lesson: 3 of 6 SAT: Information+Ideas ACT: Reading

Primary Source Analysis

Learn

Primary sources are original documents, images, or artifacts created during the time period being studied. They provide firsthand accounts and direct evidence of historical events, making them essential tools for understanding US history.

What Are Primary Sources?

Primary sources include:

  • Documents: Letters, diaries, government records, treaties, laws, and speeches
  • Visual sources: Photographs, paintings, political cartoons, maps, and posters
  • Physical artifacts: Clothing, tools, weapons, and everyday objects
  • Audio/video recordings: Speeches, interviews, newsreels, and oral histories

The SOAPS Method

Use SOAPS to analyze any primary source systematically:

  • S - Speaker/Source: Who created this source? What is their background, position, or perspective?
  • O - Occasion: When and where was this created? What was happening at that time?
  • A - Audience: Who was the intended audience? How might that affect the content?
  • P - Purpose: Why was this created? To inform, persuade, entertain, or record?
  • S - Subject: What is the main topic or message? What claims are being made?

Evaluating Reliability and Bias

All sources have limitations. Consider:

  • Point of view: Every creator has a perspective that shapes their account
  • Context: Historical circumstances influence what is recorded and how
  • Corroboration: Compare multiple sources to verify information
  • Silences: What perspectives or voices are missing from the record?

Connecting to SAT/ACT Skills

Primary source analysis builds critical reading skills tested on standardized exams:

  • Identifying author's purpose and perspective
  • Distinguishing between claims and evidence
  • Analyzing how word choice shapes meaning
  • Drawing inferences from textual evidence

Examples

Example 1: Analyzing a Speech

Source: Excerpt from Frederick Douglass's "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" (1852)

"What, to the American slave, is your Fourth of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim."

SOAPS Analysis:

  • Speaker: Frederick Douglass, formerly enslaved abolitionist and orator
  • Occasion: July 5, 1852, Rochester, NY; delivered to the Rochester Ladies' Anti-Slavery Society during the antebellum period
  • Audience: White abolitionists in the North
  • Purpose: To challenge the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom while slavery existed; to persuade listeners to support abolition
  • Subject: The contradiction between American ideals of liberty and the reality of slavery

Example 2: Analyzing a Political Cartoon

Source: "Join, or Die" by Benjamin Franklin (1754)

Description: A woodcut showing a snake cut into segments, each labeled with colonial initials

Analysis:

  • Symbolism: The fragmented snake represents the disunited colonies
  • Message: The colonies must unite or face destruction (from French and Native American threats)
  • Context: Created during the French and Indian War to encourage colonial cooperation
  • Legacy: Later repurposed during the American Revolution

Example 3: Comparing Primary Sources

Topic: The Bombing of Hiroshima (1945)

Source A: President Truman's announcement (American perspective)

Source B: Survivor testimony from Hiroshima (Japanese civilian perspective)

Key insight: These sources describe the same event but reveal different priorities, emotions, and interpretations. Neither is "wrong," but together they provide a fuller picture of the historical moment.

Practice

Apply your primary source analysis skills to the following exercises.

1. Read the following excerpt from the Declaration of Independence (1776): "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights." Who is the intended audience for this document?

Consider both domestic and international audiences.

2. A diary entry from a Civil War soldier describes a battle as "glorious" and "righteous." What questions should you ask to evaluate the reliability of this account?

3. You find two newspaper articles from 1920 about women's suffrage - one from a women's magazine and one from a business journal. How might their perspectives differ, and why?

4. A photograph shows workers in a 1910 factory. What can this image tell us? What can it NOT tell us without additional sources?

5. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's fireside chats were broadcast on radio during the Great Depression. How did the medium (radio) affect the source's purpose and impact?

6. A government propaganda poster from World War II encourages women to work in factories. Identify the SOAPS elements for this type of source.

7. You are researching the Japanese American internment during WWII. List three types of primary sources you would seek and explain what each might reveal.

8. An 1850s newspaper editorial argues that westward expansion is "manifest destiny." What bias might be present, and whose perspectives are likely missing?

9. Compare a slave owner's letter describing their plantation with a narrative from a formerly enslaved person. What accounts for the differences in their descriptions?

10. A historian argues that primary sources are more valuable than secondary sources. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your reasoning with examples.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1: What is the difference between a primary source and a secondary source?

Show Answer

A primary source is created during the time period being studied and provides direct, firsthand evidence (e.g., diaries, photographs, government documents). A secondary source analyzes, interprets, or synthesizes primary sources after the fact (e.g., textbooks, documentaries, scholarly articles).

Question 2: Why is it important to consider the author's purpose when analyzing a primary source?

Show Answer

The author's purpose shapes what information they include, exclude, and how they present it. A document meant to persuade will emphasize certain points while downplaying others. Understanding purpose helps you identify potential bias and evaluate reliability.

Question 3: What does "corroboration" mean in historical analysis, and why is it important?

Show Answer

Corroboration means comparing multiple sources to verify information. It's important because no single source tells the complete story, and comparing sources helps identify biases, fill gaps, and build a more accurate understanding of historical events.

Next Steps

  • Practice the SOAPS method with primary sources from different eras of US history
  • Visit the National Archives website to explore digitized primary sources
  • Continue to the next lesson on Maps and Data to expand your analytical toolkit
  • Apply these skills to SAT/ACT reading passages that feature historical documents