In this assignment you will practice one of the most fundamental tasks undertaken by historians: primary source analysis. In this specific case, you will be analyzing a primary source from the civil rights period.
Note: You might find it easier to analyze the primary source after you have watched the videos on the civil rights movements in Unit 3.
Note: It is important that you review Rael’s “How to Read a Primary Source” and organize your thoughts using the CLUE worksheet (or one that you create using Rael’s PAPER). This chapter from his Reading, Writing and Researching for History will provide you with insight on how to approach answering the questions that are asked below.
Please choose one of the following primary sources found in Unit 3:
Malcolm X, “The Ballet or the Bullet”
Based on your chosen primary source, answer the following questions:
What is at stake for the author in this text? Why do you think they wrote it? What evidence in the text tells you this?
What is the document trying to do? How does it make its case? (Similar to why they wrote the document).
Are there arguments or concerns in the document that the author has not clearly stated or argued? If yes, provide a specific example and explain why. (In other words, are there gaps in their reasoning and/or logic? Have they left out key information that could mislead the reader?)
Is this primary source reliable and/or credible? In other words, would you use quotations and/or paraphrases from this primary source as evidence/support in a research essay? Use at least one specific example to explain why.
Remember that I am asking you to base your answer JUST on the primary source. You don’t need to do any further research. Connect your interpretation (your answer to the questions) to specific evidence you find in the article.
Compose a 600-800 word response which addresses the questions above, based on specific examples found in the primary source.
Evaluation/Rubric
Your analysis will be evaluated based on the following criteria. The analysis:
is within the required range of 600-800 words,
is free of any errors in spelling and grammar,
is written in your own words,
provides Chicago Style citations for any quoted or paraphrased material,
answers questions clearly and effectively,
uses direct, specific examples from the primary source, and
analyzes (not summarizes) the primary source.
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