History is an argument about the past.
Constructing a narrative about history involves several tasks:
• Analyzing Primary Sources
• Examining Source Information
• Reading Multiple Perspectives and Accounts
• Using Evidence to Support Claims
• Understanding Historical Context
Use this interactive poster to begin a conversation with students about what we know about the past—and how we know it.
How to Use This Interactive Poster
The poster is divided into four quadrants. Hover your mouse over a quadrant to highlight it and click. When the image of that quadrant appears, click on a bullet to learn about the image and find related learning and teaching resources.
Teaching Resources
Are you an elementary teacher?
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Teaching the Civil War?
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Interactive Historical Thinking Poster (Secondary)
History Is An Argument About the Past
an interactive poster
Hover your mouse over a section, click, and then click on a bullet to learn about the image and find teaching resources.
1860 Census Data
Consider the 1860 census. What questions did it ask? Why and how was it taken? Who filled it out? How did the U.S. government use this information?
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Teaching Resources
Source: Census data, 1860, United States Historical Census Browser.
Diary of Alice Williamson
Why did Alice Williamson, a Tennessee schoolgirl, keep this diary in 1864? How long did she keep it? Was it private or did she intend to share it?
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Teaching Resources
Map of Tennessee, 1857
What details does this map show? Who created it and how? Who might own a map like this and how might they use it?
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Teaching Resources
Examine Source Information
When you look at a source, ask, "Who wrote or created it? For whom? Why? When and where did it appear? How was it used? Where was this source discovered?"
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Teaching Resources
Lithograph, 1868
Examine this lithograph section by section, piece by piece. What do you see? How do the elements relate to each other?
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Teaching Resources
Source: Lithograph, Westward the Course of Empire Takes Its Way, J.M. Ives, 1868, Bancroft Library.
Analyze Primary Sources
The “stuff” of history—texts, images, music, film, data, or objects—can help you learn about the past. What kinds of clues can you gather from these sources?
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Teaching Resources
Using Evidence
When making a historical argument, always use evidence to support your claim.
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Teaching Resources
Rosa Parks, 1956
What does this photograph of Rosa Parks say about the 1955-1956 bus boycott in Montgomery, AL?
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Teaching Resources
Source: “Woman Fingerprinted. Mrs. Rosa Parks,” 1956, Library of Congress.
Mugshots, Civil Rights Protestors, 1961
What evidence could you use to research other protests during the Civil Rights Movement?
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Teaching Resources
Source: Mugshots, Civil Rights Protestors, 1961, Montgomery Public Archives.
Read Multiple Accounts & Perspectives
After examining one source, ask where else you could look to learn more about this topic or event. Then compare multiple sources. Where do the sources agree? Disagree? Why?
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Teaching Resources
Sioux Indians, 1891
How do accounts of battles (and peaceful meetings) differ depending on who tells the story?
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Teaching Resources
Source: “Sioux Indians in the Battle of Wounded Knee,” 1891, Denver Public Library
“The Bloody Massacre,” 1770
This broadside shows one view of the Boston Massacre. What led up to this event? What was happening elsewhere in the colonies?
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Teaching Resources
The Declaration of Independence
What influenced the writers of the Declaration of Independence? What was the broader historical context?
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Teaching Resources
Source: Declaration of Independence, 1776, National Archives and Records Administration.
Anti-Stamp Act Teapot
Why would colonists buy this teapot? How is the Stamp Act related to events like the Boston Massacre or the adoption of the Declaration of Independence?
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Teaching Resources
Source: “No Stamp Act” Teapot, 1776, National Museum of American History.
French Map of the Colonies, 1776
Why was this French map made? What events were taking place in the colonies when it was created?
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Teaching Resources
Source: Carte Nouvelle de l’Americque Angloise, 1776, Boston Public Library.
Understand Historical Context
Consider the time and place, paying close attention to when something happened and where. What else was happening at this time? What happened before and after this moment? What does it matter where it took place?