Primary vs. Secondary Homework Assignment

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Directions: For each number, determine which sources are primary and which are secondary. Explain your answer. 1) A. Letter from Benjamin Franklin to Vice President John Adams transmitting a petition from the Society for the Abolition of Slavery and an … Continue reading →

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created at the time.
A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are at least one step removed from the event. This means, someone created them while looking back at the event.

How to look for primary sources?

• Look for items that were published, written, or produced at the time of the event.
• Look for items made by eyewitnesses, like diaries, letters, and artwork

How to look for secondary sources?

• Look for books or newspaper articles written about events AFTER they happened.
• Look for videos or films about events AFTER they happened.
• Look for paintings and other artwork created about events from the past.

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Sources about the Middle Colonies

This is part of a series of posts created for the 6th grade history class at the Morristown-Beard School.

Go back to Sources about Southern Colonies.

Here are some resources about the Middle Colonies:

General Information from the Independence Hall Association to get you started.

Culture

Get a sense of daily life in the city by learning more about William Penn’s vision for Philadelphia.

Did you know New York used to be Dutch? Learn more about Dutch history in the Middle Colonies.

Religion

Listen to a few short lectures by Professor Jean Soderlund about Quakers in New Jersey.

Learn more about the different religions in the Middle Colonies at this National Humanities Center website. Scroll down to the end of the page for a link to more online resources.

Economics

Slavery was not only a big part of the southern colonies, it played a significant role in the northern and middle colonies. Read this article by historian Douglas Harper to learn more about slavery in New Jersey.

Sources About Southern Colonies

This is part of a series of posts created for the 6th grade history class at the Morristown-Beard School.

Go on to Sources About the Middle Colonies.

Go back to Writing a Research Paper.

These are some resources about the southern colonies:

From the Independence Hall Association

Culture:

Life in early Virginia was tough. This introduction to Virginia history will teach you more.

Jamestown was the first English settlement in North America. Virtual Jamestown is a digital archive that offers lots of resources to read up on geography and history.

Williamsburg was a major colonial city in Virginia. Learn more about it on the Colonial Williamsburg website.

St. Mary’s City was Maryland’s first capital. Today, Historic St. Mary’s City is like a museum and their website will provide you with more information.

Here is some information about the Southernmost colonies: North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

Learn more about Southern culture by watching this video on courtship rituals.

Economics:

Jamestown, like other settlements in Virginia, became built on the tobacco trade. Learn more about tobacco by reading this statement by historian Betty Wood and this website from the National Park Service.

What did it mean to have money in colonial times? This website from the North Carolina Digital History Project explains all the different types of money used by colonists. Browse this site for more information about North Carolina.

Religion:

Maryland is particularly important because it was established as a Catholic Colony.  This website will teach you more about its religious history. The Maryland Tolerance Acts established religious freedom to all Christians. 

Writing a Research Paper

This is part of a series of posts created for the 6th grade history class at the Morristown-Beard School.

Go back to How to Evaluate Internet Resources.

Go on to Sources About Southern Colonies

There are a lot of things to think about when starting a research paper. Here are some resources to help you out.

Your teacher will do exercises with you to help you pick out a topic. Once you’ve decided what you want to research, you can look at a couple of websites to help you plan your paper.

Purdue University has an online writing lab called OWL. This page lays out the steps of writing a research paper.

An important part of writing a research paper is acknowledging the ideas of others. When you use someone else’s information, even if you paraphrase it, you should cite it. This guide from Capital Community College in Hartford, CT, explains more about what is considered good paraphrasing and what is plagiarism.

If you still want to learn more about how to write a research paper, you can take a look at this video made by the University of South Florida Libraries: