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While you wait, please check out the
welcome message from the Archivist of
the United States
http://tinyurl.com/archive10-7
Using Primary and Secondary Sources
with the National Archives and the White
House Historical Association
Questions?
1. Input in the question box
2. Tweet them - #TeachNHD
oral Mapping Your Way to Primary
Sources
William Bushong,
Chief Historian, White House Historical Association
MM
PProQuest Newspaper Database
Prints and Photographs, Library of Congress
RG 42, Office of Public Buildings and Grounds,
NARA
oral Oral Histories, Photographs,
Sound, Film
Elizabeth Dinschel,
Education Specialist, National Archives
What is NOT Oral
History
› Journalism
interviews
› Speeches
› Quotes in a
secondary or
primary source
› Random Recordings
The Oral History Association and Donald Ritchie define Oral History as, “Oral History collects memories and personal commentaries of historical significance through recorded interviews. An oral history interview generally consists of a well-prepared interviewer questioning an interviewee and recording their exchange in audio or video format. Recordings of the interview are transcribed, summarized, or indexed and then placed in a library or archives. These interviews may be used for research or excerpted in a publication, radio or video documentary, museum exhibition, dramatization or other form of public presentation. Oral history does not include random taping, such as President Richard Nixon’s surreptitious recording of his White House conversations, nor does it refer to recorded speeches, wiretapping, personal diaries on tape, or other sound recordings that lack the dialogue between interviewer and interviewee.”
The Oral History Association, “Oral History: Defined.” http://www.oralhistory.org/about/do-oral-history/
The interviewee/narrator was present at the historic time, a witness or participant
The interview is WITH the person, not ABOUT the person
The interviewee/narrator is an expert about an event (Example: A professor)
The interviewee/narrator is talking ABOUT a person (Example: a family member talking about a relative)
Primary Source Secondary Source
Vocabulary
Interviewee/narrator- the person
being interviewed, the subject of
an oral history interview
The Oral History
Association compiled
a list of Oral History
repositories. http://www.oralhistory.org/c
enters-and-collections/
Do your own!
Two examples of
student-led projects:
› Telling Their Stories
with the Urban School
of San Francisco and
Macomb High School
http://tellingstories.org/
index.html
› Macomb Legacies
http://mccomblegacie
s.org/about/Vocabulary
Repository- a place where
records are stored
Should have proper
citation
› http://research.arch
ives.gov/description
/196261
Context
› Who or what is in
the picture?
› When was it taken?
› Who took it?
Should have a good citation
› http://research.archives.gov/description/95349
Context
› Who or what is in the film/sound clip?
› When was it recorded?
› Who recorded it?
› Example: 300
oral Original Documents, Books,
Newspaper, Paper
Stacey Chandler,
Textual Archivist, National Archives
Ask What Your Archivist Can Do For You!
What We Can Do
•Give suggestions about
narrowing down your topic
•Show you where to look for
primary sources on your topic
•Tell you about secondary
sources on your topic
•Give factual information (like
dates or locations)
•Give copies/scans of helpful
documents you find
•Explain how to cite items
from the archives
What We Can’t Do
•Choose your topic
•Choose specific
documents to write about
•Do your research for you
•Give our opinions about
historical events or people
What Are Primary Source Documents?
Primary source documents are the
Raw Materials of History
•Papers originally created during the time you’re studying
AND
•Papers created by people who have direct knowledge of the
event you’re studying, because they were there
Primary Source Documents:
•Provide an “eye-witness” or “first-hand” account
•Offer an “inside view” of your topic
•Give you new or unique information
•Have not been interpreted, explained, summarized, or shortened
Original Primary Documents
CORRESPONDENCE
•Telegrams
•Letters
•Memos
•Postcards
•Envelopes
Telegram from Martin Luther King, Jr. to President
Kennedy, June 12 1963. White House Central Subject
Files, Box 926, “Speeches: 3-86: Radio and TV
address on civil rights, 11 June 1963: Executive.” JFK
Presidential Library.
Original Primary Documents
SCRAPBOOKS AND JOURNALS/DIARIES
Ernest
Hemingway
Scrapbooks
Volume II, p.
39. JFK
Presidential
Library.
Original Primary Documents
MEDIA
•Newspapers and
magazines
•TV, radio, or film transcripts
•Press releases
•Surveys and polls
Newspaper clipping from the Woonsocket, R.I.
Independent, January 5 1960. JFK 1960 Campaign
Files, Box 1044, “Candidacy announced: Newspaper
clippings.” JFK Presidential Library
Other Primary Documents
WH Press Release. President’s Office
Files, Box 40, “Rice University.” JFK
Presidential Library.
TRANSCRIPTS and REPRINTS: The original
format is best, but a transcript still counts as a primary source
Public Papers of John F. Kennedy, 1962. p.
372.
The American Presidency Project website.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/
•Menus, recipes, seating
charts
•Travel documents:
passports, visas, tickets
•Application forms
•Report cards, school papers,
yearbooks
•Even doodles and scribbles!
Some Surprising Primary Documents
oral Primary Sources on the Internet
Missy McNatt,
Education Specialist, National Archives
Starting Research
⦿ Vast amounts of information are available to us and the
research process can seem overwhelming.
⦿ Many students begin the research process with the
Internet.
⦿ Internet sources include anything published online.
⦿ Can include web pages, ebooks, and multimedia.
⦿ Many traditional sources such as newspapers,
magazine articles, and journal articles are available
online as well.
⦿Websites are not regulated for quality or accuracy.
⦿ Anyone can create a website.
Evaluating Websites
The Five W’s⦿Who
⦿What
⦿When
⦿Where
⦿Why
WHO?
⦿Who wrote the pages on the website?
⦿ Is there contact information for the
author(s)?
⦿ Is there biographical information for the
author?
⦿ If there is no author listed, is the organization
that created or sponsored the website
reputable?
⦿Who is the intended audience?
What?
⦿What is the purpose of the website?
⦿What information is included?
⦿ Is the information reliable and credible?
⦿What is the bias?
⦿ Is the information free of spelling and
grammatical errors?
⦿ Is the intent of the website to educate?
explain? persuade? sell a product?
When?
⦿Is the website dated?
⦿Is the website current?
⦿When was the last revision of the
website?
⦿Are the links on the website current
and active?
Where?
⦿Where does the information come
from?
⦿Where can I find out about the
sponsor of the website?
⦿Where are the citations for the
information on the website?
Why?
Check the domain extension:
the last three letters of the
web address⦿ .edu = Education website
⦿ .gov = Government agency
⦿ .org = Organization (Unrestricted)
⦿ .net = intended for ISP’s and Networks (can be
purchased)
Domains (continued)
⦿.com = Commercial sites (Unrestricted)
⦿ .info -= Unrestricted
⦿ .biz = Intended for business - (Unrestricted)
⦿ .pro - Professionals/Organizations
⦿ .library.(state).us = Public Libraries
⦿ .k12.(state).us = Public/Private Schools
⦿ .name = Personal website
Research Process
National History Day Theme:
Leadership and Legacy in History
⦿I am interested in environmental
issues.
⦿I would like to research a woman.
⦿Rachel Carson fits the above criteria.
Google Search on Rachel Carson
Wikipedia and Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson’s List of Works
Footnotes from Wikipedia article
Works Cited, Further Readings, and External Links
Author of the article?
The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson - rachelcarson.org
Information about the author of the website
Copyright Information from rachelcarson.org
Research Guide from rachelcarson.org
Information from a .edu website
Information for a .gov website
Information from a .com website
Next steps in researching
Rachel Carson⦿ Go to my local library to locate and check out books
written by Rachel Carson.
⦿ Check the library catalog for books about Rachel
Carson.
⦿ Check the library catalog for books about the
environmental movement.
⦿ Begin my search for additional primary sources
The National Archives because Rachel Carson was
a federal employee.
⦿Contact the Beinecke Library at Yale University.
⦿Contact other universities with Carson’s papers.
Historic Sites
Courtney Speckmann,
Director of Education, White House Historical Association
How can a historic site be used as a primary source?
Buildings can provide information about
● people who lived and worked there
● the time period when it was built
Decatur House Slave Quarters
Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), 1937
National Register
of Historic Places
http://pdfhost.focus.nps.
gov/docs/NHLS/Text/66
000858.pdf
http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/
oral Annotated BibliographiesAmy Page
Behring Teacher Ambassador
New Mexico
What format??????
Either format works: consistency matters!
process paper---bibliography---in project
Turabian is preferred by historians
What works best for the students?
What the English department is teaching?
“MLA”
Modern Language Association
-vs-
“Chicago” Turabian
Rumble in the Bibliography
for the
Welterwrite Championship
What should be included The bibliography
LEGITIMIZES research and JUSTIFIES analysis.
FAQs
How long should a bibliography be?
determined by the topic and resource availability
(15 pages is a safe average for Nationals)
How many Primary and Secondary sources should there be?
balance of both
The more reliable primary sources the merrier
Secondary sources are critical! They help to develop analysis and
the ‘so what” factor.
How should I format the Bibliography?
Be sure to to follow recommended format consistently
Variations from the rule: to double space or not
Teaching Bibliography SkillsClearly define primary and secondary
Define terminology i.e.: journal, manuscript,
anthology, etc
Separating and alphabetizing sources
Clarify annotation expectations
Explore where to find citation information
Tools: numerous online bibliography
generators
Avoiding pitfalls:Citation and annotation for a single source should be on same page
Include URLS
Make sure margins and spacing are consistent
Proofread, proofread, proofread
Number the pages , print single sided not double sided
Staple, don't clip
WARNING: ANNOTATION CREEP!
Annotations 2-3 sentences unless they are an interview, collection, or
source that requires longer explanation.
Bigger is not better if it is fluff.
About those Wikis…
“Wikis are inherently unequal….” - Amy Page, Nationals NHD Judge
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