History Detectives
What is history?
The study of the past.
A diary entry written by a child describing the journey they just made across the country is this type of source.
A written, primary source
To learn the identity of a source’s creator, you would ask, who is the _________?
Author
What is another term for someone’s point of view is their?
Perspective
Which better supports a historical answer: a personal guess or evidence from a source?
Evidence from a source
This person studies the past by examining documents, objects, and other evidence.
A historian
A textbook chapter explaining a war that ended long before the author was born is this type of source.
A written, secondary source
To find out the date a source was created, you would ask...
When was this made?
A statement that expresses someone beliefs or feelings is known as...
An opinion
A scholar says, “The town grew because a railroad opened nearby.” This proposed answer needs to be supported with...
Evidence
Historical inquiry begins by asking what?
Questions
An original photograph taken during a historical event is this type of source for studying that event.
A visual, primary source
To investigate the creator’s purpose, you would ask, “_____ was this made?”
Why
Something that can be proven true through evidence is known as a...
A fact
A photograph shows a crowded train station. Can that photograph alone prove that everyone in the town traveled by train?
No, it shows only a particular place and moment, not everyone’s travel habits.
Historians use this information from sources to support their answers—not just their guesses.
Evidence
A report a student writes after reading several books about an ancient civilization is this type of source.
A written, secondary source
A letter describes a town as “a frightening place.” Before deciding what that means, a historian investigates what was happening there at the time. This is the historical...
Context
A writer strongly favors one side and leaves out information that might support the other side. This may show...
Bias
One account says a journey was easy. Another says it was dangerous. What should a historian do next?
Investigate who created each account, compare their experiences, and look for additional evidence
This process involves asking questions about the past, investigating sources, and using evidence to explain what happened.
Historical Inquiry
A historian reads an explorer’s original journal and then writes a book analyzing the journey. Identify the source type of each.
A primary source for the journal and a secondary source for the historian’s book
Which question requires more historical investigation: “In what year did the town begin?” or “Why did people choose to settle in this town?”
Why did people choose to settle in this town?
Two people describe the same event differently. Does that automatically mean one of them is lying?
No, they may have seen or experienced different parts of the event.
A historian discovers strong new evidence that challenges an earlier conclusion. What should the historian do?
Reconsider the conclusion and revise it if the evidence supports a change