Grade: Grade 5 Subject: Social Studies Unit: The Constitution SAT: Information+Ideas ACT: Reading

Primary Source Analysis

Learn how historians study original documents from the Constitution era. Discover how to read, question, and understand primary sources like the Founding Fathers' letters and speeches.

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When historians study the past, they don't just read textbooks. They examine primary sources - original documents, objects, and images created during the time period they're studying. Learning to analyze primary sources helps us understand what people were really thinking and experiencing when the Constitution was written.

What is a Primary Source?

A primary source is an original document or object that was created at the time being studied. It provides firsthand evidence about an event, person, or time period. Think of primary sources as "being there" when history happened!

Types of Primary Sources

The Constitution era left us many different types of primary sources:

📜

Documents

The Constitution, Declaration of Independence, laws, treaties, and official records

✉️

Letters

Personal correspondence between Founding Fathers, family letters, business letters

📰

Newspapers

News articles, editorials, and advertisements from the 1780s-1790s

📔

Diaries & Journals

Personal accounts written by people who lived through this era

🖼️

Images

Paintings, drawings, political cartoons, and portraits

🗣️

Speeches

Recorded speeches and debates from the Constitutional Convention

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

What's the Difference?

  • Primary Source: Created DURING the time period (James Madison's notes from the Constitutional Convention)
  • Secondary Source: Created AFTER the time period, analyzing or describing events (A textbook chapter about the Constitution)

How to Analyze a Primary Source

Historians use a framework of questions to analyze primary sources. Here's a method you can use:

The SOAP Method for Primary Sources

S

Source

Who created this document? What type of document is it? When and where was it created?

O

Occasion

What was happening at the time? Why was this document created? What events led to this?

A

Audience

Who was meant to read or hear this? How might that affect what was written?

P

Purpose

What was the author trying to accomplish? What message were they trying to convey?

Let's Practice: Analyzing a Founding Document

Here's a famous quote from the Preamble. Let's analyze it together:

PRIMARY SOURCE
From the Preamble to the Constitution (1787)
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
- The Founding Fathers, 1787

SOAP Analysis of the Preamble

Source Written by the delegates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, 1787. This is the opening of the U.S. Constitution.
Occasion The Articles of Confederation were failing. The country needed a stronger government to survive.
Audience All Americans - both at the time and for future generations ("our Posterity").
Purpose To explain why the Constitution was needed and what it aims to achieve: unity, justice, peace, defense, welfare, and liberty.

Another Primary Source: A Founder's Letter

PRIMARY SOURCE
Letter from Benjamin Franklin (1787)
"I confess that there are several parts of this constitution which I do not at present approve, but I am not sure I shall never approve them... The older I grow, the more apt I am to doubt my own judgment, and to pay more respect to the judgment of others."
- Benjamin Franklin, at the Constitutional Convention

Questions to Ask About This Source:

  • What does Franklin admit about his feelings toward the Constitution?
  • What does this tell us about the debates at the Convention?
  • Why might Franklin still support the Constitution despite his doubts?
  • What does this source reveal about the Founders' ability to compromise?
Historian's Tip: Primary sources often show us that historical figures were complex people with doubts and disagreements - just like us! Even the Founders didn't agree on everything.

Evaluating Primary Sources

Not all primary sources tell the complete story. When analyzing them, consider:

Questions for Evaluation

  • Bias: Does the author have a particular viewpoint or agenda?
  • Perspective: Whose voice is missing from this source?
  • Reliability: Was the author present at the events described?
  • Context: What else was happening at this time?

Examples

Test your primary source analysis skills with this interactive quiz!

Primary Source Challenge Score: 0/8

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Practice

Answer these questions to practice your primary source analysis skills.

1 Which of the following is a PRIMARY source about the Constitutional Convention?
AA 2020 textbook chapter about the Constitution
BJames Madison's handwritten notes from 1787
CA documentary film about the Founding Fathers
DA historian's biography of George Washington
2 In the SOAP method, what does the "A" stand for?
AAuthor
BAudience
CAnalysis
DAmendment
3 Why is it important to consider who the AUDIENCE was for a primary source?
AIt doesn't matter who the audience was
BThe intended audience may have influenced what the author wrote
CSo we know who to send the document to
DTo count how many people read it
4 A newspaper article from 1787 reporting on the Constitutional Convention would be:
AA secondary source
BA primary source
CNeither primary nor secondary
DA tertiary source
5 What does "bias" mean when evaluating a primary source?
AThe source is completely false
BThe source is too old to be useful
CThe author has a particular viewpoint that may affect what they wrote
DThe source was written by multiple people
6 Benjamin Franklin's letter shows that even the Founders:
AAgreed completely on everything in the Constitution
BHad doubts and disagreements but were willing to compromise
CRefused to sign the Constitution
DWere too young to understand what they were doing
7 The "O" in SOAP stands for Occasion. This means asking:
AWhat was happening when this was created?
BWho wrote this document?
CWhere is the document now?
DHow long is the document?
8 When analyzing a primary source, why should we ask "Whose voice is missing?"
ATo find spelling errors
BTo understand that some perspectives may not be represented
CTo see if the document is too quiet
DTo count the number of authors

Check Your Understanding

Primary Source

An original document or object created during the time period being studied.

Secondary Source

An analysis or description of events created after the time period.

SOAP Method

Source, Occasion, Audience, Purpose - a framework for analyzing documents.

Bias

A particular viewpoint that may influence what an author wrote.

Context

The circumstances and events surrounding when a source was created.

Perspective

The point of view from which a source was written.

Key Takeaways

  • Primary sources are original documents created during the time being studied
  • The SOAP method helps analyze sources: Source, Occasion, Audience, Purpose
  • Different types of primary sources include documents, letters, newspapers, diaries, images, and speeches
  • Always consider bias, perspective, and context when evaluating sources
  • Primary sources show us that historical figures were complex people with different opinions
  • Asking whose voice is missing helps us understand limitations of sources

Next Steps

  • Practice the SOAP method on different primary sources you encounter
  • Visit the National Archives website to explore original Constitution documents
  • Compare primary and secondary sources about the same event
  • Move on to the next lesson: Maps and Data