Primary Source Analysis Worksheet

When you read a primary source, you have to interpret it and read between the lines. You have to determine whether or not the author had an agenda, whether or not he/she was speaking to a particular audience, etc. These things will help you, the historian, deal with the document more accurately and reliably. Get in the habit of asking the questions below with each primary source you read. These questions will help you with primary sources and they will help you dominate the DBQ. A good historian always asks these questions when dealing with a primary source.

1. WHAT IS THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT?

2. WHAT IS THE AUTHOR'S THESIS? 

3. WHAT WAS THE AUTHOR'S PURPOSE/AGENDA IN WRITING THIS DOCUMENT?

4. FROM WHAT POINT OF VIEW WAS THIS DOCUMENT WRITTEN?

5. FOR WHAT AUDIENCE WAS THIS DOCUMENT INTENDED?

6. DOES THE DOCUMENT SHOW ANY BIAS ON THE PART OF THE AUTHOR?

TEACHERS: For a downloadable, printer-firendly Primary Source Analysis Worksheet, click HERE.