History 121United States Since 1877

Week 6: Projects

Part I: Panel Discussion

• Give a brief 3-5 minute biography of your character

–focus on their contribution to US history

• You may be asked questions about your character, so be prepared!

Part II: Obituary• Write a 1-2 page “obituary” for your

character – The obituary should include basic

biographical information, such as: • birth date and place • death date and place• cause of death• family (marriage, children)• major accomplishments.

Sample Obituary: Henry Fielding

• The honorable Henry Fielding, late justice of the Peace for Westminster and Middlesex, passed away Tuesday, October 8, 1754 in Lisbon, Portugal, in his forty-seventh year. Suffering from gout, dropsy and an asthmatic condition, Mr. Fielding had recently removed, with his wife and daughter, from his home in Fordhook to Lisbon for the therapeutic benefits of the warmer climate.

• Born in Sharpham Park, Somerset, in 1707, Mr. Fielding studied at Eton between 1719 and 1725. He later spent a year studying literature at the University of Leyden in 1728, after which he began his career as a notorious playwright, producing such favorites as Tom Thumb: A Tragedy. Mr Fielding commenced reading law at the Middle Temple in 1738 and was called to the bar in 1740.

• Colleagues remember Mr. Fielding as being a man of high morals whose distaste for hypocrisy and injustice led him to lead crusades for social reform, especially after his appointment, in 1748, to Justice of the Peace for Westminster and Middlesex. Not one to submit to corruption, the only pay he accepted was from fees, and he refused to accept payment from the poor for his services.

• A controversial writer, a most honorable public figure and a beloved husband and father, Mr. Fielding’s passing is felt by all who knew him. Buried in the British Cemetery of Lisbon, Portugal, Henry Fielding was preceded in death by his first wife, the beloved Charlotte, and is survived by his second wife, Mary, his brother, John, his sister, Sarah and several children.

Biographical Essay

• Write a 3-4 page paper about an historical figure from US history from the list.

• The essay should include basic background information about the person in addition to a discussion of their contributions to US history.

Sources for Obituary or Biographical Essay

• You may use primary, secondary or tertiary sources in researching your subject– Use more than one source to verify

information

• If you find and use a primary source, you can earn extra credit

• All sources must be listed in a bibliography, whether or not you use direct quotes

Primary Sources

• What is a Primary Source?– Primary sources include source material that

is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied.

– They include artifacts, documents, recordings or other sources of information that were created at the time under study.

– In the study of history, primary sources are typically created by someone with direct personal knowledge of the events being described or the people involved in the events.

Examples of Primary Sources• Letters

– Personal correspondence– Official correspondence

• Documents– Treaties– Declarations– Acts of Legilative Bodies (Congress, Parliament, etc.)– Maps

• Personal Papers– Wills– Deeds– Titles– Identification papers

• Naturalization• Manumission• Military records, discharges, etc.

Other Primary Sources

• Newspaper Articles published at the time the event occurred

• Written accounts of events by contemporaries, published or unpublished

• Contemporary Artwork– Paintings– Sculpture– Political cartoons, illustrations

• Contemporary plays, music & lyrics, poetry, etc. • Photographs, lithographs, tintypes, etc.

Where do you find Primary Sources?

• Primary sources are housed in archives or private collections. – Many colleges and universities have archive

colletions where you can examine original artifacts and documents, however, you may need special permissions or appointments to examine items.

• Primary sources are also available in printed or digital form, often as part of a collection of related documents. – For most students and scholars, accessing

digital resources or printed compilations is acceptable for doing research

– Many items can be obtained through inter-library loans or document requests.

Secondary Sources

• Secondary sources are accounts written after the fact with the benefit of hindsight.

• They are interpretations and evaluations of primary sources.

• Secondary sources are not evidence, but rather commentary on and discussion of evidence.

Examples of Secondary Sources• Bibliographies• Biographical works • Commentaries, criticisms • Dictionaries, Encyclopedias • Histories • Journal articles • Magazine and newspaper articles• Monographs, other than fiction and

autobiography • Textbooks• Web sites

Tertiary Sources

• Tertiary sources consist of information which is a distillation and collection of primary and secondary sources.– Some sources, such as textbooks or

encyclopedias, can be classified as either secondary or tertiary

– Tertiary sources are further removed from the primary source

Examples of Tertiary Sources

• Almanacs• Bibliographies• Chronologies• Dictionaries and Encyclopedias• Directories• Fact books• Guidebooks• Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies used to locate

primary and secondary sources • Manuals • Textbooks

Example of Sources

• Subject: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.– Primary Source: letters written by Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

– Secondary Source: Journal article about King’s writings

– Tertiary Source: Encyclopedia article about the Civil Rights movement

Article Collection

Part I~Articles• Submit a collection of ten (10) current

articles from newspapers, magazines or journals (including online versions) that pertain to the period of US history since 1877

• Your collection must address at least three different issues, events, etc.

• Articles must relate to US history

Part II~Synopsis

• Each article must be accompanied by a one paragraph synopsis of the article in your own words that discusses what the article is about and why it is important– Is the article about a new discovery?– Is the article relating a past event to a current

event?

Part III~Reference• Each article also must include a

bibliographical reference citing where the article was published

• Articles must be recent – You will not receive credit for articles over 5

years old

EXAMPLE:Di Silvestro, Roger. “Teddy Roosevelt’s

Ride to Recovery.” Wild West. October 2009. http://www.historynet.com/teddy-roosevelts-ride-to-recovery.htm/

Where do you find articles?• www.Historynet.com

– American History– Aviation History– Military History– Vietnam– World War II– Wild West– MHQ (Military History Quarterly)

• www.smithsonianmag.com– Smithsonian

DO NOT USE:• Wikipedia• History.com (The History Channel)• Ask.com• Encyclopedias• Book Reviews• Abstracts of dissertations/theses

• Choose short articles: 1-5 pages max!– I don’t expect you to print out and read 50+

page articles

Next Week: Wars & Empire BuildingRead Chapters 22 & 23

HOMEWORK:

• The Monroe Doctrine(1823) asserted that the Western Hemisphere was not to be further colonized by European countries and that the US would neither interfere with existing European colonies nor meddle in the internal concerns of European countries. How did the Roosevelt Corollary (1904) change US foreign policy?