United States History Student Edition

04

How Does a Historian Interpret History? Interpreting History GUIDING QUESTION

READING STRATEGY Analyzing Key Ideas and Details As you learn about the different types of social studies skills, list them in a graphic organizer like the one below.

Why do historians draw different conclusions about events of the past? You may have heard the phrase “The facts speak for themselves.” Historians do not think that facts alone explain history. Like pieces of a puzzle, the facts have to be put together by people using their reason in order to explain events. More Than Facts Historians must use their knowledge to give historical facts (names, dates, places, and events) meaning and put them in an order that people can easily understand. Historians piece together the credible evidence and draw conclusions. They use their own thinking and knowledge of the past to interpret , or explain, the meaning of events. Then they present their findings in a clear, readable, and convincing form. Understanding Time and Place Historians look at people and events in the setting of time and place. They connect historical people and events to central issues. These central issues are the main ideas, or patterns, that we see in human societies.

Interpreting History

Analyzing Information

interpret to explain the meaning of

Historians make connections over time and place. For example, many have studied how the ideas of thinker John Locke, an English philosopher, shown here, influenced the people who formed the American government.

FLORIDA BENCHMARKS

• SS.8.A.1.1 • SS.8.A.1.2 • SS.8.A.1.5 • SS.8.A.1.6

• ELA.K12.EE.1.1 • ELA.K12.EE.3.1 • ELA.K12.EE.4.1 • ELA.K12.EE.5.1

National Gallery of Art

HT17

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