This week we are doing something slightly different for our discussion – a primary source analysis. Remember a primary source is a document or image FROM the time period you are studying.

Please choose one of these main topics: Slavery during Antebellum period, abolition, or the New York draft riots (1848 – 1865). STAY WITHIN THE TIME FRAME. Your source should come from between 1848 and 1865.

After you have chosen your topic, use the internet to find a primary source related to your topic.

And remember – a primary source can also be a political cartoon or image.

Tell us your chosen topic and then complete a primary source analysis for your chosen source by answering the questions below. Answer them as a written paragraph and not just question/answer format. Make sure to provide the source for where you got the information (APA format).

1. What type of source is it? (political document, letter, flier, cartoon, drawing, illustration, poster, map etc.)
2. When was it created?
3. Who is the author/cartoonist/etc. ? What is important about that person that will provide us some insight into his beliefs to help us better understand the source?
4. What is your analysis of the source? Summarize the source, explain what information people today can learn from the source, and whether they may be bias in the source (and there almost always is).