Credibility and Evaluating Sources

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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Map of concentration camp found in Nazi files.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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Neither source is credible.

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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.

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

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Can a secondary source be a credible, trustworthy source?

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