History Essay 1

Submitted By max9146
Words: 1045
Pages: 5
Open Document
Charlie Penston
1

History Essay ­ Unit 1 Introduction to Historical Interpretation and source material Historians have to use a variety of different methods when evaluating source material in order to do so effectively and properly. In doing so, a historian can recognise the authenticity of a source and then ultimately establish a better understanding of the period in which the source originated. This essay will go over the importance of acknowledging the authenticity of a source, and the skills required by the historians to evaluate source material. As well as how History is open to a range of historical interpretation, and how my own bias could affect my own case study. There are many ways in which a historian can approach a source. Some follow a specific set of questions, others question the follow up information the source provides; it all depends on the historian. Besides the many ways a historian may approach a source, the fundamental question that they’re trying to answer is, is the source authentic? and if so, what does the source truly depict of the happenings of the time period? The concept seems simple, but a historian job is to construct an accurate interpretation of the past from the surviving remains, and therefore has to remain skeptical despite the appetite for the possible information the source may be able to provide. An initial basic skill a historian must take to a source to recognise the authenticity of it is to establish what type of source it is; a primary or secondary source. A primary source being a physical artefact or record created at the time makes it undoubtedly more reliable than a secondary source and without it history is open to too much subjectivity and therefore is not history at all “The discovery and analysis of primary sources alone does not make history, but without the study of primary sources there is no history” (Arthur
Marwick, The new nature of history, p 156). A secondary source is the accounts of the past created by the people at sometime after they happened, although not as reliable as a primary source it is equally as important and, as long as it’s authentic, can provide a very vivid portrait to the happenings of the time. After establishing what type of source it is the historian must ascertain what the source actually depicts both wittingly and unwittingly. The Witting testimony is the information that the source provides at face value, and therefore in a matter of speaking is the information that wants to be found, and perceived in the way that it was presented . The Unwitting testimony is the opposite, and refers to any information that is identified that wasn’t deliberately put there for the purpose of being useful “They may not be what they seem to be; they may signify very much more than is immediately apparent; they may be couched in obscure and antiquated forms which are meaningless to the untutored eye” (John Tosh, The Pursuit of History, p 91), and therefore even the most improbable sources may be the most important.
It is a hard concept to comprehend, that no matter how open minded, objective, or generally straight you may think you are it is impossible to avoid a degree of ambiguity and subjectivity when evaluating sources. This concept can be used in relation to the study of History itself, and how it’s open to a range of historical interpretation. You have to accept that everyone who

Charlie Penston
2

has ever lived has had a certain degree of bias, and their accounts of history (Being secondary sources), will definitely be slated a number of different ways depending on their environment, upbringing, lifestyle, financial situation, and the very fact that they are a completely different person to yourself. You’ll never truly be able to comprehend another person's thought process, or even why they think the way they do. Therefore, as a Historian, you have to accept this and ultimately use it to your
Show More

Related Documents: History Essay 1

Essay on history 1

destroy ourselves? Or are we truly individuals looking for solutions to assist us in our everyday life. Psychology has attempted to answers how we cope with commonplace problems by examining overt and conventional behaviors throughout the years. History enables humanity to gain, understand and accept the past as create a better future. Psychology is an evolutionary field. Years of research has presented numerous vicissitudes and growing interest in human behaviors. Psychology has offered therapist…

Words 3502 - Pages 15

history essay 1

Revolutionary Mothers The American Revolution was a “home-front” war that had a significant affect many lives of Americans. It brought danger to lives, scarcity, and consisted of lots of blood. Carol Berkin shares with us the multiple roles that women played throughout this struggle. In “Revolutionary Mothers”, one of the things that Berkin talks about is the different roles that women played during the American Revolution. Some were elite women that were wives of generals; some were Loyalists,…

Words 959 - Pages 4

History Final 1 Essay

HISTORY FINAL EXAM REVIEW: Three Essays: 1. Explain the decline of religion in the colonies and discuss the Great Awakening (25 pts): Unfaithful Pastors, Uninterested church members, unqualified educators, unstable communities. There was an enlightenment movement in Europe, which stressed human reasoning as a source of truth, as a result, faith in God was replaced by science. Then the Great Awakening occurred, which revitalized Christianity through preaches and making people have personal revelations…

Words 643 - Pages 3

History Essay 1

Ireland in the year 1014 From the year 1014 to the present day, Ireland has come a long way. Living in the United States, I have grown very accustom to having a structural government and a very unified country. The United States has no “social structure” as one would call it. The President is the “ruler” of the country and under him, the members of our Government work closely, but do not have a final say. As for religion, there is the freedom to choose what you believe in. In 1014, Ireland did…

Words 730 - Pages 3

History 11 Essay 1 1

Desirie Corona Professor Keily History 11 March 19, 2015 Chapter 5 The original 13 colonies were distinctly different from each other in terms of demographics, politics, economy and religion. The French and Indian War, the Tea Act, the Declaratory Act, the publication of Common Sense, and the Boycott of British Goods were all events that ultimately led to unify all the 13 colonies to break from England and to declare independence. The British victory, also known as the Seven Years war, ended the…

Words 1331 - Pages 6

History Essay 1 Word

Alana Gribble History 261 January, 9 2015 Essay 1 Politics and the English Language In George Orwell’s argument, “Politics and the English Language,” He discusses his belief that modern day english is on a downward spiral and it is full of bad habits which spread by imitation. He states that writers and speakers use dying metaphors, verbal false limbs, pretentious diction, and meaningless words. For the rest of his argument, he goes on to show examples of how speakers and writers are doing these…

Words 390 - Pages 2

Essay 1 Anceiont History

The code of Hammurabi was created over four thousand years ago. The code not only shows us the laws and punishments of the time but also gives us some insight as to what the morals of four thousand years ago looked like. I am going to share my thoughts and understanding of several codes of Hammurabi. To start off, code twenty two states,” If anyone is committing a robbery and is caught, then he shall be put to death.” This code to me is very simple yet surprising. In today’s day and age, in the…

Words 1232 - Pages 5

Essay History assignment 1

Angelica Garcia History 3/22/15 Writing Assignment #1 In the story A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on Her diary, 1785-1812 by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich I learned of about a woman named Martha Ballard. Reading about what she did is impressive, especially for her time period. If it weren’t for her diary we would not know about her many achievements and struggles that she overcame. Martha Ballard was a woman born into the 1700s. A woman who claimed a few titles a healer, a midwife…

Words 1098 - Pages 5

Mathurin Duckworth history essay 1

Mathurin Duckworth October 23, 2014 Knox 7th Both Christians and Muslims thought that that merchants and traders were cheaters, but only Christians thought of traders as sinful, while Muslims accepted it and thought it was better thing to do than stealing. But then, Christians began to think that God granted them with the ability to obtain riches, but Muslims began to think traders were uncaring for people. The Bible states that rich men should never be accepted into heaven. Christians thought…

Words 581 - Pages 3

Essay on History test ch 1

History test ch 1-4 Question 1 0 out of 1 points What principle did the Code of Hammurabi emphasize? Correct Answer: retribution Question 2 0 out of 1 points The earliest hominids Correct Answer: lived in Africa. Question 3 1 out of 1 points The people who created the first Mesopotamian civilization were the Correct Answer: Sumerians. Question 4 1 out of 1 points Successors to Cyrus were Correct Answer: Cambyses and Darius. Question 5 1 out of 1…

Words 2579 - Pages 11