How do we
study the
past?
Historians
• Someone who studies the
written record
• Diaries, census
records, newspapers,
etc.
Archaeologists
• Someone who studies the
material record
• Artifacts, objects, tools,
etc.
Maps
• Maps can tell us about the
geography of the time
• Borders
• What the world looked
like for the people at
that time
Important things to keep in mind when studying
maps
Maps
Who made the map?
Why was the map made?
What is on the map?
What is not on the map?
Images
• Photographs and paintings
offer unique perspective of
history
• Values
• What everyday life was
like
Important things to keep in mind when studying
images
Images
Who made the image?
Why was the image made?
What is the image of?
What is the image telling us?
Artifacts
• Show us what everyday life
was like
• What were they doing
during the day
• What was important to
them
• What did they eat
• How did they make food,
clothes, etc.
Important things to keep in mind when studying
artifacts
Artifacts
Certain types of artifacts don’t last long
Somethings might be missing, or they just didn’t
have them
What are the objects telling us?
Documents
• Show us what people were
thinking and feeling
• Diaries, records,
newspapers, books, etc.
• What was the reaction
to a certain event
• What did they do
during everyday life
Important things to keep in mind when studying
documents
Documents
Who wrote it?
Why was it written?
What are they trying to get across to the reader?
Firsthand account
Primary
Sources
Created by someone who was there
They give you an idea about what people alive at the
time saw or thought about the event.
Keep in mind that a primary source reflects only one
point of view and may contain a person’s bias
(prejudice) toward an event.
Secondhand account
Created by someone who was not there
Secondary
Sources
They include written information by historians or others AFTER an
event has taken place
•Although they can be useful and reliable, they cannot reflect
what people who lived at the time thought or felt about the
event.
they can represent a fairer account of the event because they can
include more than one point of view or may include information
that was unavailable at the time of the event.