Analyzing Multiple Accounts
of the Same Event
Putting together all the pieces…
Think of a time when you have been in
a situation with a friend and when you
talk about it later, your friend has a
different summary ( or account) of the
situation.
Share with the class.
Your version, or account, of the
situation may be different than
another person’s, because you noticed
different things. You have different
perspectives. The same thing happens
in the news and in history. There are
first-hand accounts in informational
text, and there are second-hand
accounts.
A firsthand account of an event or topic is
based on an author’s personal experience.
Diaries, autobiographies, and letters are
considered to be firsthand accounts. The
author’s perspective with regard to the
event or topic may be influenced by his or
her feelings about it.
A secondhand account of an event or topic
is based on an author’s research, rather
than personal experience. Encyclopedia
entries, biographies, and textbooks are
considered to be secondhand accounts. The
author’s perspective with regard to the
event or topic is usually neutral. The
author simply states facts about it.
Take a look at the following accounts.
Read each one, and discuss with a
partner if it is a firsthand account or a
secondhand account. Be ready to
share your answers. Be able to cite
evidence from the text that supports
your answer.
Indentured Servants
Early settlers in the American colonies had a lot of land but
not enough people to work on it. So, beginning in the decade
after the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, many
men and women came to the colonies to live as indentured
servants. In exchange for their passage overseas and room
and board, these men and women agreed to work for a period
of between four and seven years. Then they would be
considered free. Until then, they had to fulfill their contracts
by working very hard. Their lives were harsh and restricted.
People who tried to run away could be punished by having
their contracts extended. If they survived the hard labor,
however, indentured servants received freedom packages
which sometimes included at least 25 acres of land.
What type of account was it?
Secondhand!
How do you know?
The author of this passage was not an indentured servant and has
no personal experience with indentured servitude.
Instead, the author uses researched information to tell about
indentured servants.
The author’s purpose for writing is to inform readers.
The author’s perspective with regard to indentured servitude is
neutral. The author states facts about both the drawbacks and the
potential outcomes of being an indentured servant.
Adapted from a letter by Richard Frethorne, an Indentured Servant:
Virginia, 1623
Loving and Kind Father and Mother,
There is nothing here to comfort me. Since I left the ship, all I have eaten is
watery porridge and peas. There is not enough meat or poultry to be had; I
haven’t seen any deer around, and I am working too hard to hunt for fowl. Early
until late I work and work, awarded for my labor with yet more porridge. Four
men have to share a meager serving of bread, so it’s little wonder that so many
have fallen ill.
Not only am I hungry, I hardly have any clothing. My cloak was even stolen by a
man whom I believe sold it for food. Fortunately, Mr. Jackson in Jamestown is
kind to me and has given me some fish, but I am still miserable and hungry. I
want nothing more than to go home. I do beg you, good Father, to release me
from my great grief. I know you would cry if you saw my pathetic state. Give my
love to all my friends and family. The answer to this letter will mean life or death
for me; please, Father, send for me as soon as possible.
Richard
What type of account was it?
Firsthand!
How do you know?
The author of this letter is a young man named Richard Frethorne. He is
telling about his personal experiences of living in Virginia as an indentured
servant.
The author’s purpose for writing is to persuade his parents to let him
come home.
The author’s perspective with regard to indentured servitude is negative.
His experience as an indentured servant has been very harsh. He is trying
to convince his parents to send for him by showing just how harsh it has
been.
Adapted from an advertisement in the Virginia Gazette, Parks
from November 12, 1736:
A white servant boy named John Turner, belonging
to Mr. Darby Skinner of Hampton, was sent to
Williamsburg and has not returned. It is suspected
that he has run away. He had on a blue jacket
and trousers and had with him a small bay horse.
. .Whoever will bring the boy and horse to Mr.
Darby Skinner shall have a reasonable reward,
over and above what the law allows.
Credit:Virginia Gazette (Parks), Williamsburg, November 12,
1736.
What type of account was it?
Firsthand!
How do you know?
The author of this newspaper advertisement is a man named Darby
Skinner. He is telling about how his servant, John Turner, ran away.
The author’s purpose is to persuade anyone who might find John
Turner to bring the boy and the horse back to Hampton.
The author’s perspective with regard to indentured servitude is
unsympathetic. According to Darby Skinner, John Turner belongs to him
just as much as the horse does. Skinner feels that Turner owes him a
debt, and he is trying to convince others to find Turner by offering a
reward.
All three passages are written on
the same topic, yet they probably
affected you, the reader, in
different ways. Discuss with a
partner the similarities and
differences between the three
accounts. Talk about the
effectiveness of each.
Let’s try a few more.
Lewis and Clark’s Trip
In the early 1800s, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark
took their famous trip through the West. Lewis and Clark
crossed the Rockies and reached the Pacific Ocean. Along
the way, they made maps and kept records
of animals and plants they saw.
A Shoshone woman named Sacagawea accompanied
Lewis and Clark and their group. She was very helpful in
getting the explorers safely through Native American
territory and across the mountains.
Lewis and Clark saw the Rocky Mountains for the first
time, from a distance, on May 26, 1805.
What type of account was it?
Secondhand!
How do you know?
Passage from Meriwether Lewis’s journal,
May 26, 1805
“these points of the Rocky Mountains
were covered with snow and the sun
shone on it in such manner as to give
me the most plain and satisfactory
view.”
Lewis also noted:
“the joy I . . . felt in the first moments
in which I gazed on them.”
What type of account was it?
Firsthand!
How do you know?
Summary of an original journal entry kept by a member of Lewis and
Clark’s group, May 4–28, 1805
“By now Lewis and Clark were growing ever more
anxious to catch sight of the Rockies, the mountain
barrier they knew they would have to cross. In the last
week of May, Lewis saw the mountains for the first
time.
He was filled with joy, immediately tempered by a
realization of the challenge that lay ahead.
The captains were eager to reach the Rockies, but
progress was slow along the frequently bending river,
which was now shallow and filled with jutting rocks.”
What type of account was it?
Firsthand!
How do you know?
Think of the author’s perspective
in each of these accounts. In
each account, is the author’s
perspective positive, negative,
or neutral? Refer to specific lines
in the text that support your
answer.
Do you think it is important to
read firsthand and secondhand
accounts when learning about
history or news? Why or why
not? Give at least three reasons
for your answer.