Primary Source Analysis

Within the realm of history, a source of evidence is essential in order to differentiate the fact from fiction. This is why a primary source is so vital! Because, a primary source provides the reader with direct evidence of an event or a speech; giving them a better understanding of the material. The only problem is: these sources do not provide the full facts, leaving the readers with a plethora of questions. Don’t get me wrong though, the readers should be asking a lot of questions! Because, with all of those questions, the reader can be engaged with the content in order to find some concrete evidence.

“Letters to King Jao of Portugal,” was written by the king of Kongo, King Affonso, who’s real name was Nzinga Mbemba. King Affonso writes this letter directed to the king of Portugal, King Jao, to inform him about his concerns of his people. The letter is dated 1526 and takes place in the Kingdom of Kongo, which by during this time slave trade is going on (705). Throughout the letter of King Affonso seems to beg King Jao for help rather than being demanding, “again we beg of your Highness to agree with it”(707), remarks King Affonso.

What type of primary source is this? How is this type of primary source different from or unique when compared to other types of primary sources?

Primary documents such as diaries and journals have a vast importance to historians. First-hand accounts are praised in the historian community due to the accuracy, inaccuracy, or even the hyperbole that are found in these wonderful documents. Lamentably some primary documents are factual and some are incorrect or different. For example, a report from a major general from the union may be different from a major general from the confederates. The challenge of trying to decide what actually happened over the course of a battle that took almost 10 days makes the task at hand more demanding. Conflicting reports during the battle of Wilmington between US General Alfred Howe Terry and Confederate Army General Braxton

In general, primary sources are the original materials of history or the original documents and substances that were created at the time, either by a first-hand experience, picture, etc. To make the primary source, reliable and respectable, the source should be as unbiased as possible, objective, and state the facts of the time. Behind the Urals: An American Worker in Russia’s City of Steel is a book written as a firsthand account on writer John Scott’s life in Soviet Russia. First-hand accounts are generally biased to some extent but it is not hard to separate true facts and opinions. Behind the Urals is a good primary source and the author’s opinion, ideals, and beliefs are glossed over through the memoir, and his efforts to remain objective were recognized.

What type of primary source is this? How is this type of primary source different from or unique when compared to other types of primary sources?

Primary sources, in other words, are “firsthand” accounts. These accounts are based on original data and knowledge (i.e. the Fifteenth Amendment.) Primary sources impersonate real life experiences; however, these experiences were documented when the event happened. When a reader is looking for sources, primary sources are unlike secondary sources, they are the real deal, not someone’s interpretation, commentary or what they think may have happened. Princeton.edu states “Some types of primary sources include:

A primary source, as the name implies, is a primary or original document or physical object that was written or created. Primary sources are commonly used when studying history as they are raw and original and they are from the points of view of people who have direct experience of the past however there is the secondary source as well and it’s a sources that generalizes, analyses, interprets, synthesizes, evaluates, cites, comments on or discusses the original sources or situation under study. Such as books, magazines, and textbooks.

Primary sources are useful because they are the reports and interpretations of the historians that are closer to the event. Therefore, some of the primary sources that will be most helpful when researching to what extent did the military play a role in the decision to drop the atomic bomb on August 6, 1945. First, I would use the interviews and memos that lead up to the event; I will read some of the interviews that were conducted from sources like Robert Oppenheimer, Stanislaus Ulam, and Kathleen Maxwell, these people are important, because they are the individuals who actually worked on the bomb. I will pull the interviews from the Voices of the Manhattan Project. Then I would like to get into the actual decision and meetings in Potsdam, which will be pulled from a few memos,

In the comic book “Understanding Rhetoric” the viewer is guided through some key points in conducting research. These key points include primary sources, secondary sources ,source searching, paraphrasing etc. From pages 181-201 these key points are explained in it’s relation to conducting research. Like any great researcher one must prepare themselves for research. Understanding the difference between a primary and secondary source is important because it allows you to know which source is most appropriate to support a particular claim or argument. A primary source is an original or first hand account that provides an inside view. While in contrast, a secondary source provides a second hand information that has been digested, analyzed, reworded, or interpreted. The book recommends to devise a well thought out approach accompanied by tactics that allow you to organize these research findings. Such as storing research findings in accessible places, labeling, creating folders,etc. This will allow one to keep organization in a time consuming process.

While writing and synthesizing this article about the impacts of war on the human mind, I used three sources that were provided that supported my thesis as well as three additional sources that I found to have developed my position further. Each source chosen provides a unique insight to the effects of war, and also takes a side on the position I have created. The three sources provided that I chose to use were The Things They Carried, American Sniper, and Nick Niday; the three additional sources were the DSM-V, “PsychCentral,” and David Pridham.

This is a primary source because this article was written in History. It is the original article written by a former African slave. It is not written by a historian, it was written while slavery was current.

Primary resources are the most reliable and most objective. They consist of archives and manuscripts, journals, speeches, and government publications. For examples, the research found for this essay is primary. It consists of evidence found in the actual cases, from actual documentation of occurrences, and from the legal legislature of laws. These cannot be disproven since it is information taken from the matter itself.

The following primary source analysis is from Nikita Khrushchev’s speech delivered to the 20th congress of the Communist party of the USSR in Moscow on February 25 1956. In the speech Khrushchev heavily criticized the role played by the deceased Soviet leader Joseph Stalin and in particular the great purge of the communist parties at the end of the 1930s. He accused Stalin of constructing a leadership personality cult and still claiming to follow the beliefs of the communist party. Khrushchev’s primary objective was to turn back the communist party to follow Leninist communist ideals instead of the former Stalinist ideals, and to also gain further control of the communist party against other competitors.

Primary sources, in other words “firsthand” accounts. These accounts are based on original data and knowledge (i.e. the Fifteenth Amendment.) Primary sources are real life experiences; however, these experiences were documented when the event happened. When a reader is looking for sources, primary sources are unlike secondary sources, they are the real deal, not someone’s interpretation, commentary or what they think may have happened. Princeton.edu states “Some types of primary sources include: