Analyzing Primary Sources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analyzing Primary Sources - Essay Example Second, primary sources are biased by the personal views of the narrator and may lack objectivity and neutrality. This is unavoidable, not because people have bad intentions but because humans are subjective. Our personal views and observations can be influenced by our ethical and moral standards and intentions, which can and do change the way we recount events. Third, primary sources vary in quality, so not all have equal credibility. Some people are more observant and notice details others do not, while others notice more details than are objectively evident and necessary. Examples are the "Georgia" article writer's obvious stand against slavery shown in the harsh comments against the slave buyers and Sadie's more credible cheery disposition in "Shorrow". Lastly, primary sources vary in degrees of reliability. Narrations close to the date and place of the events would be more reliable because personal experience shows that human memory fades over time. Primary sources need to be checked against other sources on the same event to establish truthfulness and credibility. Offhand, none of the documents is completely unbelievable because each one is based on firsthand accounts. ... Knowing all these, historians should practice critical analysis when studying primary sources. Was any document completely believable, or completely unbelievable Offhand, none of the documents is completely unbelievable because each one is based on firsthand accounts. Unless we can prove the person identified never existed, or the event recounted never took place (e.g., the sale of slaves in Savannah on March 2-3, 1859 as in "Georgia"), these primary sources should be given the benefit of the doubt. However, we can also state that none of the documents is completely believable for similar reasons until we can establish the actual existence of characters (of Mrs. Hawkes who wrote "Shorrow", the Holt family in Walton County who owned the slaves, etc.), of minor details (was there a Senator John Hill from Madison, Georgia who served two terms on the Whig ticket as in "Evans"), and of events (Mrs. Brice closing her school in June 1861 in "Freedmen"). All facts need cross-checking to definitely establish each document's credibility. Some sources seemed less believable, notably "Freedmen" because of its pompous and exaggerated tone, and "Georgia" because the author sounded like someone vehemently against slavery, giving these articles their biased tone. The others were more believable because they sounded like a recording, the characters in "Bowers", "Shorrow", and "Evans" speaking in a way that is verified by my personal experience. The documents provided a wide range of information about slavery in the U.S., from the harsh and cruel to the gentle and kind. While some slaves really suffered at the hands of their masters ("Freedmen" and "Georgia"), others enjoyed working and were treated well ("Shorrow", "Bowers", and "Evans"). The slaves' ambitions