Imagine being at a family gathering, listening to elders trading stories about an event from their youth. How often do all the details agree? Constructing knowledge from historical primary sources is much like trying to figure out what happened based on what the various aunts, uncles, and cousins recount. You might need to:
- consider what you already know about the event;
- identify who was actually there and who is repeating what they heard others say about it;
- factor in the perspective of each person reporting on the event and how that might influence word choice.
In both personal and historical examples, when