Assignment: What is the ACAPS method?
Any time you read and analyze a primary source, there are a few things about the source you need to think about and use to understand its historical significance. Each of the steps below build on one another, from simple facts to your understanding of the source. We will be completing this process for different sources throughout the term.
1. Author- Who or what is the author of this source? For example, if you are looking at a letter the person who wrote the letter is the author. If you are looking at a speech, the person who wrote the speech and the person who gave the speech are the authors. If you are looking at a film, the production company that created it is the author.
2. Context- Who or what is the author of this source? For example, if you are looking at a letter the person who wrote the letter is the author. If you are looking at a speech, the person who wrote the speech and the person who gave the speech are the authors. If you are looking at a film, the production company that created it is the author.
3. Audience- Whom did the author(s) intend to see this source when it was created? If you are looking at a letter, the audience is the person the letter was addressed to. If you are looking at a speech, the audience is the people or organization to whom that speech was given. If you are looking at a film, the audience will depend on what kind of film it is. Is it a news film? A piece of fiction?
4. Purpose- These last two steps are the most important for history. Why did the person or people who created this source make it? What is their purpose in putting it together?
5. Significance- Up to this point, all the steps have been things we could learn just by looking at the source. For this last step, we need to combine what we know about the context and history to determine why this source helps us understand history better. We could also use the word "meaning" instead of significance. There are so many artifacts from the past. Why does this one help us understand the past?