United States History Student Edition

there was no proven scientific explanation for that event. We have to understand their frame of reference so we can interpret what they say about events in the proper context. Considering Bias Sometimes a writer’s point of view is expressed as a bias , or an unreasoned judgment about people and events. A bias is a one-sided, unexamined view. A person who is biased has made a judgment about an event, a person, or a group without really considering the many parts of the situation. Biased speakers and writers can be detected in various ways. Their statements use words expressing strong opinions or emotions, such as stupid, ignorant, impossible, great, and wonderful . They also tend to use words that allow no exception, such as all, always, and never . Multiple Perspectives It is important to be aware of point of view, frame of reference, and bias in your own study of history. Historians seek to uncover them by looking for the ideas and facts that the author of a source emphasizes. They also think about what ideas and facts the author might be leaving out. Is this the whole story? To get a balanced picture, historians examine several sources on the same event or subject so they can have multiple points of view. It is important to consider multiple perspectives, or different views. Not all people or groups experience the same event in the same way. Good students of history piece together different perspectives of the past to help them interpret history. In this way, they get a clearer, well- rounded view of events that occurred. 7 CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING 1. Summarizing What is a historian’s job when looking at primary sources? 2. Describing What are some ways you can identify bias in a source? Researching and Writing About History GUIDING QUESTION How do historians determine if information is worth using for research? You may be given an assignment that calls on you to conduct research and write about a topic in history. How should you go about doing that research? Finding and using sources are important skills.

Political cartoons such as this one criticizing Thomas Jefferson have long been part of the political and cultural conversation in the United States.

Identifying Point of View A point of view is a general attitude about people or life. The creator of a source has a point of view that selects what event to focus on, who the important participants are, and which details are worth recording. It is important to identify the creator’s point of view in order to evaluate the credibility of the source. In other words, how does this person’s point of view affect the way the facts are recorded? Frame of Reference When interpreting a writer’s words or a historical person’s actions, one should also consider the individual’s frame of reference . This refers to the experiences and historical and cultural factors that influence a person or a group at a specific time. Historical influences are especially important when analyzing past events or writings. For example, we might find early peoples’ fears of events such as solar eclipses amusing. At that time, however, point of view a personal attitude about people or life frame of reference the experiences and historical and cultural factors that determine how something will be understood bias an unreasoned, emotional judgment about people or events

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