Credibility and Evaluating Sources

Historical Question:

Who was present at the signing of the Declaration of Independence?

Which source do you trust more? Which source is more credible?

• Source 1: Hollywood movie about the American Revolution made in 2001.

• Source 2: Book written by a famous historian who is an expert on the American Revolution, published in 1999.

Historical Question:

What was slavery like in South Carolina?

Which source do you trust more? Which source is more credible?

• Source 1: Interview with former slave in 1936. The interviewer is a black man collecting oral histories for the Federal Writer's Project.

• Source 2: Interview with former slave in 1936. The interviewer is a teenager collecting oral histories for the Federal Writers' Project.

Historical Question:

What was the layout of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz?

Which source do you trust more? Which source is more credible?

• Source 1: Interview with 80 year-old Holocaust survivor in 1985.

• Source 2: Map of concentration camp found in Nazi files.

Historical Question:

Why were Japanese Americans put in internment camps during WWII?

Which source do you trust more? Which source is more credible?

• Source 1: Government film explaining internment from 1942.

• Source 2: Government report on Japanese internment from 1983 based on declassified government documents.

Historical Question:

Did American soldiers commit atrocities during Vietnam War in 1969?

Which source do you trust more? Which source is more credible?

• Source 1: Sworn testimony by American Sergeant in Congressional hearings in 1969.

• Source 2: Speech by American General touring the United States in 1969.

Historical Question:

What happened at the Battle of Little Bighorn?

Which source do you trust more? Which source is more credible?

• Source 1: High school history textbook from 1985.

• Source 2: Newspaper account from the day after the battle in June 1876.

• Neither source is credible.

Historical Question:

How do the principles of the Constitution prevent tyranny?

Which source do you trust more? Which source is more credible?

• Source 1: An article from a database, with the following citation, "Federalism." American Government, ABC-CLIO database, 2020, americangovernment.abc-clio.com.

• Source 2: A movie produced in 2011 by an expert who has extensively researched the time period of the Constitution.

Can a secondary source be a credible, trustworthy source?

• Yes, a secondary source interprets, summarizes, and analyzes primary data. Also, secondary sources include findings based on primary studies.

• No, since a secondary source does not include a first-hand account of what happened during the time period it would not be considered credible or trustworthy.