PURPOSE: Analyzing and interpreting original documents is a vital skill that students acquire in college history courses. Primary sources offer a lens into how historical actors understood the world around them and this assignment asks students to place themselves into the position of those who lived in the past. Throughout the course, we will read and examine primary sources to help us gain further knowledge about Black life in the U.S. This assignment will allow students to apply knowledge and skills gained in class to examine historical African American newspapers.
ASSIGNMENT: Using the historical newspaper database available through the university library, students will write a 5-page essay that analyzes 1-2 news articles of their choosing. Student may choose 1-2 articles from the following newspapers to complete this assignment:
Atlanta Daily World
Chicago Defender
Los Angeles Sentinel
Pittsburgh Courier
To access newspapers, please use the following directions.
Go to https://catalog.library.txstate.edu/record=e1000511~S1aLinks to an external site.
Click the blue heading “Historical Newspapers”
Select “publications” at the top of the screen
Scroll until you find the publication of interest to you (from the 4 above)
Once you select your newspaper, use search terms to find articles of interest to you. Some examples of search terms include, “hair care,” “migration,” “Angela Davis,” etc. You can search for specific topics, events, and individuals. Please let me know if you need help with this process.
ESSAY STRUCTURE:
Introduction: Very briefly describe your source. For example, what are the source’s origin, date, author, place/location, and intended audience? Also, tell us what your source is about. Try to provide this information with as much specificity and brevity as possible.
Body Paragraphs: What is the broader time period that this source is being shaped by? How does this source reflect the time period in which it was written? Your analysis needs to be supported by at least two other sources from class (these can include in-class readings, discussions, and films). Use of outside materials will result in a deduction of points.
Conclusion: Describe your source’s historical significance. Why is the event/issue that was portrayed in your source important to the person who created the source? What can readers gain from this source in our present context
