History

• Is the study of people and events of the past…• It includes-– WHAT happened– WHY it happened

– Definition for notes-– (History is the study of people and events of the past

including what happened and why it happened)– Historiography is the study of how history is studied

and written.

Historical Method

• Historical method uses techniques and guidelines by which a historian uses primary sources and other evidence to research and write history.

Historical Method Process

1. Ask Questions- 5 W’s and 1 H and Gather Evidence

2. Create an Inference3. Evaluate Evidence4. Corroborate the Evidence5. Write a Historical Account

Note: this is a fluid process

EvidenceEvidence - records of the past

Primary• (sources)- come directly

from the past, first hand account

• Examples include:– Letters, witnesses, diaries,

film, etc

– Breakfast speech

Secondary• (sources)- are second hand

accounts, recorded after the event happened at a later time.

• Examples include:– Textbooks, encyclopedias,

etc.

Accounts can be…

Objective

• Account based on facts which are accurate and fair

Subjective

• Account that is influenced by personal opinion and feeling

EVIDENCE MUST BE RELIABLE AND AUTHENTIC

Reliable – being able to trust the truth of the source

Authentic- real, not fake

Information must corroborate

Corroboration is when you find several pieces of evidence that tell

the same story.

Perception in History

Perception:- process of absorbing and interpreting information through your senses.

Inference: - a guess or theory about what happened.

Fact: - something that can be proven

Frame of Reference: - viewing people and events according to your own

personal feelings, values, customs and experiences

Cause and Effect: - the events that lead up to or cause another event

to happen.

Chronology

• Chronology is a list of events in the order in which they happened.

• You must make sure you keep the information “IN CONTEXT” known as its natural setting. Taking information out of its natural setting is known as “OUT OF CONTEXT”.