5.5 – Document Lesson: Why do Historical Interpretations Change?

To Begin the World Over Again 5.5 – Document Lesson: Why do Historical Interpretations Change?

Why do Historical Interpretations Change?

Unit 5 Document Lesson

Before You Read

Before getting into the document lesson, print or download today’s guided notes, and follow them through today’s documents and questions.

* Note: The guided notes key, rubric, and handout on historical literacy can be found in the Materials tab above.

Objectives

After this session you will be able to:

offer a source-based argument for why historians have revised their understanding of Nathaniel Bacon over time
convincingly judge the relationship between what a source means and the context in which it was created

How should you read historical documents?

In each Document Lesson we’ll practice the skills involved in being historically literate. These skills can be divided into the following four categories:

1. Source

Who is the author of the source?
Is it affiliated with an institution?
When was the source created?
Where was the source created?
Does this information make you skeptical or trusting?

2. Contextualize

Why was the source created?
Who was the intended audience?
What else was going on at the time?
Does this information make you skeptical or trusting?
Based on the above, what predictions can you make about the source’s content?

3. Read & Infer

What claims are made?
Is the evidence convincing?
What is not said but implied?
What do these implications suggest?
Do the language and tone of the source reveal any biases?

4. Corroborate

Do other sources agree or disagree?
What explains their differences?
Does this information make you skeptical or trusting?

Focus!

In today’s lesson we’ll focus on our first and second skills for historical literacy (from the list above): sourcing and contextualizing. You’ll see how important contextualizing can be, as we look at very different historical interpretations of the very same event from periods of time with very different sensibilities.