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Primary Source Analysis Guide
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Step One: Summary
• Read the primary source and create a one paragraph summary of the source. This should be DESCRIPTIVE rather than analytic.
o For example, descriptive would be “In this source, George Washington orders his officers to move directly toward the enemy forces at…” while analytic would be “George Washington planned a genius attack on his enemy.”
Step Two: Questions
• Reread the source and write down questions you have about the source as you read it. These can be as simple as asking “what does X mean?” or “Who is that?” OR can be much more complex and tie into historical context that you know of (or think you know of) from the readings or elsewhere.
Step Three:
• Find patterns in your questions. Consider which of them are related to similar themes. For example, are a number of your questions about issues related to race or other identity? Economics? Politics? Environment? Religion? Science? Or perhaps something more specific.
• Write down the 1-3 themes that show up by finding these patterns.
Step Four:
• Answer the questions you had by looking at the source itself, reputable sources online, and other historical context.
• Also answer the following questions:
o Who is the author?
o Who is the audience?
o Why did the author produce this when they did (ie. What events or actions led to it)? What is the historical context related to the themes of the source?
o What is the purpose of the source/why was it produced? What method is used to achieve that purpose?
o What is the tone of the source?
Step Five:
• Analyze all information discovered to determine the answer to the following question:
o What does this source tell us about the people who created it and the world they lived in (note, this is NOT asking what the authors wanted to tell us)?
