Confused about types of sources?
This video uses humor and exaggeration to teach the difference between popular, substantive, and scholarly sources.
In this assignment, you’ll use both primary and secondary sources to build a strong, well-informed argument.
Primary sources—like letters, speeches, laws, acts, or newspaper articles from the 1760s and 1770s—give you a direct window into what people thought, said, and experienced at the time. Think of primary sources as the raw materials of history.
Secondary sources—like textbooks, biographies, and scholarly articles—help you understand the bigger picture. These sources analyze and interpret the primary documents, providing context and expert insight.
As you explore each possible turning point on the path to revolution, use primary sources to hear the voices of the past, and secondary sources to help you understand what those voices meant—and why they still matter today.
