Primary Document Analysis in HIST 381

Analysis of a primary document is a required assignment. The idea is to cultivate the habits of a historian: focusing on primary documents, and reading them critically. To fulfill the assignment, select a primary document to read and analyze, and post your analysis to the designated Facebook forum.

What does it mean to read a document critically? Usually what is meant is to examine it skeptically, weighing its authenticity and veracity, making sure we are not being fooled. That is only part of critical reading, however. Critical reading by a historian also entails judgments about the value of the document to historical knowledge. A document may be authentic and reliable, but still we ask, what can we learn from it? What is its significance, that is, what makes it historical?

Unfortunately, since we are in the northern hemisphere, and our subjects of study are in the southern hemisphere, our physical access to primary sources for this course is limited. We rely, therefore, on virtual access. Here is a catalog of primary documents, available online, recommended for fulfilling this assignment. Suggestions for additional primary documents dealing with Australia and New Zealand are welcome; we’re seeking out additional ones.

National Library of Australia	Waltzing Matilda manuscript notated by Christina Macpherson, circa 1895	http://nla.gov.au/nla.ms-ms10086
National Archives of Australia	Constitution (Female Suffrage) Act 1895, South Australia	http://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item.asp?sdID=44
National Archives of Australia	Equal rights and responsibilities for Aboriginal people, 1971, Cabinet document	http://vrroom.naa.gov.au/records/?ID=18995
New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage	Radio broadcast from scene of Wahine disaster, Radio New Zealand, 1968	http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/sound/remembering-wahine
New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage	Interview, passenger on the Wahine, Radio New Zealand, 1968	http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/sound/passenger-on-the-wahine
New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage	Wahine disaster on television, TVNZ, 1968	http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/video/wahine-disaster-on-television
State Library of Victoria	Ne Kelly’s Jerilderie Letter, 1879	http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/collections/treasures/jerilderieletter/
State Library of Victoria	Bendigo Goldfields Petition, 1852	http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/collections/treasures/bendigopetition/
Examples only! Many more listings to come. . . .

Guidelines for Analysis

1. Choose a document for analysis and study it carefully, repeatedly.

2. Do some background research on the document, using online or other available sources.

3. Write an analysis, a critical assessment, of the document for posting to the forum. Target length, 400 words.

All that sounds a little too general, and so here are some specific considerations to apply. All or some of these may apply to the critical assessment of your particular document, or may be feasible according to information available.

Authenticity	Provenance (chain of evidence)	Context, external evidence for comparison	So – is this a source we should trust?
	Integrity	Examination of the document itself
Veracity	Factual consistency and feasibility	Internal evidence of reading
		External evidence for comparison
Information	What facts, peculiar to this source, are disclosed?		So – is this a source we should value?
Perspective	What point of view, peculiar to this source, is presented?
Significance	Why should we care, as historians, about this stuff?

Rubric for Evaluation of Primary Document Analyses
Summary	Tell us what the document is.	10
Authenticity & Veracity	Provide a critical evaluation of the source.	15
Historical Significance	Assess the value of the document.	15
Appropriate Length	Target length: 400 words	5
Matters of Style	Composition, grammar, and punctuation are important to communication.	5
Points Possible for Assignment		50

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