Problem
Choose ONE of the following sources that I have assigned from the American Perspectives reader:
• "How the Other Half Lives (1890), pp. 158-164
• "Testimony of Benjamin Singleton (1880)," pp. 61-66
• "The History of the Standard Oil Company: The Oil War of 1872," pp. 33-48
• "Albert Beveridge Defends U.S. Imperialism (1900)," pp. 247-250
• "Excerpts from The Jungle (1906)," pp. 185-190
Task:
• What is the title of the source? Who wrote it? What type of source is it?
• Based on what we've covered in class, what did you ALREADY know about the time period before you read the source? (Saying you knew nothing about this time period is not an acceptable response-you have been assigned reading and lecture material covering the time period, so I expect a substantive answer to this question.)
• Give a 10 to 15 sentence summary of the source.
• What are THREE new things you learned about the time period from the source?
• Evaluate the veracity and usefulness of the source. Are there any problems with it? Are there any biases in either the source or the author? Do those problems affect how useful the source is? Do you find it to be a trustworthy source overall? (Be critical! Saying that there are no issues whatsoever with relying on this source is not an acceptable response.)
• How can a historian USE this source? (Be specific-don't just tell me that "it tells us more about what happened in the past" or something similar. How can THIS particular source be more useful than other primary or secondary sources? Is there a piece of information or a perspective that we can only get from this source?)
The response must include a reference list. Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.