introduction to historical thinking thursday january 31st
TRANSCRIPT
Introduction to Historical Thinking
Thursday January 31st
Historical SignificanceElection to Office vs. Removal from Office
What’s most significant?
• The First World War 1914-1918
• New Brunswick Provincial Election 2010
• BP Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico 2011
• Earthquake in Haiti 2009
• American Invasion of Iraq 2003
• The Second World War 1939-1945
• Sept. 11th, 2001• Hurricane Katrina 2005• Neil Armstrong landing
on the moon 1969• Economic downturn and
crisis 2008-2013• Nelson Mandela passing
away December 2013
Criteria for Significance
• Prominence at the time• Consequences resulting in change–Deep consequences for many people over a
long period of time• Revealing–Does it explain something about later
events or the present• Occupies a key place in a meaningful narrative
Evidence – How much do you need?
• Is this one image enough evidence to prove that a fire occurred?• What else is
needed?
Evidence
• Primary Sources: Primary sources are artifacts, first-hand accounts and information about a topic produced by someone directly from the time period being studied.
• Examples: bones, shards, personal memoirs, government documents, newspaper articles, telecasts, marriage licenses, gravestones, paintings, photographs, and posters
Types of Evidence cont’d
• A key Primary Source: Artifacts• Artifacts can be: – Human-made objects such as: tools, pottery,
weapons, jewelry, metal objects, pieces of ruined buildings and architecture.
Primary Sources
Types of Evidence cont’d
• Secondary Sources: Secondary sources are works that argue, reflect, and discuss earlier times.
• Examples: secondary sources are works such as journal articles and books by historians and professional scholars, who are interpreting the events and primary sources that are being studied.
Evidence
• Historical Evidence is not the same as historical information.
• Evidence is derived from two or more sources of information.
• Primary Sources are our connection with the past.• Information can be drawn from trace or accounts
of the past.• Validity of Evidence depends on its source and use.
Cause & ConsequenceSept 11th and Airport Security
Continuity & Change2009 and 2013
Continuity & Change
Historical PerspectiveAre people in the past really backwards?
• How did these get built then?
Moral Judgment