Historical Event
Primary Source:
Primary Source:
Media Accounts
created at the time
of an event
Primary Source:
Photographs of a
historical event
Tertiary Source:
Encyclopedia (or
other reference
work) article about a
historical event
Primary Source:
Artifacts created or
used during a historical
event
Official or legal
documents created at
the time of an event
First-hand accounts
of a historical event
from someone who
witnessed it
Secondary Source:
Secondary Source:
Journal article about a historical event
based on primary and secondary
sources
Paper about a historical event written
by a student based on primary and
secondary sources
Secondary Source:
Book about a historical event based on
primary sources and secondary sources
Primary Source:
Tertiary Source:
Tertiary Source:
Tertiary Source:
Video or documentary
about a historical event
Book or article about a
historical event that is
not based on primary
sources
Educational website
about a historical event
Tertiary Source:
Textbook
Primary Sources
What are Primary Sources?
Primary sources are documents or artifacts created
during a historical event or by someone who personally
witnessed a historical event.
Primary sources can take many forms, including:
o First-hand accounts—oral histories, memoirs,
diaries, letters, interviews, etc.
o Media accounts—newspaper or television report
o Political or legal documents—Congressional
Records, Presidential Papers, Court rulings,
Speeches, census or tax records
o Artistic works—Photographs, paintings,
sculptures, films
o Artifacts—clothing, buildings, pottery
All primary sources, except first-hand accounts, must
have been created at the time of the historical event that
you are researching.
First-hand accounts must be an explanation of the
historical event that you’re researching by someone who
personally witnessed the event.
Where Can I find Primary Sources?
There are many places to find primary sources online, like websites for archives and museums.
Here are some places where you can find primary sources:
Library of Congress
Herbert Hoover Library
National Archives and Records
Administration
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
History Matters
Dwight D. Eisenhower Library
National Security Archive
John F. Kennedy Library
FBI Archive
Lyndon B. Johnson Library
Foreign Relations of the United States
Richard Nixon Library
Tenement Museum
Gerald Ford Library
Harry S. Truman Library
Secondary Sources
What are Secondary Sources?
Secondary sources are accounts of historical events written after the event took place and by
individuals who did not personally witness them.
They are based on primary sources and backed up by other secondary sources.
Often, the term “secondary source” is used interchangeably with the terms “academic source” or
“scholarly source.”
You should usually interpret instructions that ask for secondary sources as asking you for a peerreviewed journal article or book.
Where do I find Secondary Sources?
Secondary sources are the product of the
analyses of primary sources, with context
provided by secondary sources.
They are generally written by professional
historians or students to build on the work
of other historians.
The best place to find secondary sources for
your work is the Ashford University
Library.
What separates a Secondary Source from a
Primary Source?
Secondary sources and memoirs and oral history interviews are all created after a historical event
happened.
The important difference is that secondary sources are not first-hand accounts, like memoirs or
oral history interviews.
What about textbooks and encyclopedias? Are they Secondary Sources?
Textbooks, encyclopedias and other reference works, and most documentaries and educational
websites are not secondary sources because they are based only on secondary sources. They are
called tertiary sources.
Although they provide some good general information that can help students begin the research
process, they are generally not acceptable for use in university-level work.
WK3 Final Project Framework Worksheet
This worksheet will help you prepare for your final project by organizing the information that
you’ll need for your final paper and walking you through the process of defining your topic,
researching and analyzing primary and secondary sources, crafting a thesis, and creating an
annotated bibliography. Once you have completed the worksheet submit it to the online
classroom for grading.
After your instructor has graded the worksheet, please be sure to use it and the feedback
provided to you by your instructor as you construct your final project.
1. Statement of Topic:
What topic will you be researching for your final project? You have the choice of:
African Americans
Native Americans
Women
Immigrants
You must choose only ONE of the above groups. Which group have you chosen? African
Americans
2. Events
You will need to choose at least 4 specific events that you plan to discuss in your final project.
You should choose events that show how life in the United States changed over time for the
group that you chose. Two events must be from the period between 1877 and 1945 and two
events must be from the period 1945 to the present. On this worksheet and in your final
project, be sure to discuss the events you’ve chosen in the order that they happened. This will
help you put together a project that makes historical sense.
Event 1: 1877 to 1945
Event: Enactment of Jim Crow Laws
When: Jim Crow laws were enacted February 23, 1875
_________________________________________________________________________
Where: Where did the event happen? In a specific city, state, or region of the country?
Throughout the country?
The Jim Crow Laws were first enacted in the state of Tennessee but other Southern states
enacted a similar law which allowed the segregation of African Americans and white people. As
a result of Jim Crow laws, African Americans were segregated from society, in the South, until
the 1960’s. As a result of these laws, African American were lynched or treated with
discrimination in society.
Who: Who were the main people involved in the event? What specific group of people was
involved? Are there specific individuals associated with this event?
Southern people supported Jim Crow laws creating a racial caste system which resulted in many
violent or unjust acts angst African Americans.
Why: What events or issues contributed to this event happening?
The south was angered when they learned slaves had been freed and did not initially follow the
law. Once slavery was abolished from the South, Southern people continued to treat African
Americans as second class citizens. As a result of extreme prejudice, African Americans were
lynched for the most minor of crimes or just out of pure hate.
How: How is this event historically significant?
Jim Crow Laws allowed the continued discrimination of African Americans.
Event 2: 1877 to 1945
Event: Civil Rights Case
When: October 17, 1883
Where: Where did the event happen? In a specific city, state, or region of the country?
Throughout the country?
This event occurred at the Supreme Court when they declares the Civil Rights Act of 1883
invalid. The high court ruled the federal government cannot bar businesses or individuals from
discriminating on the basis of race.
Who:
The Supreme Court made the ruling which would negatively impact African Americans for the
next 75 years.
Why: What events or issues contributed to this event happening?
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 forbid discrimination on the basis of race but even with this law in
place, discrimination continued. When the laws was struck down by the Supreme Court, African
American were once again subjected to extreme racism and discrimination.
How: How is this event historically significant?
Members of the civil rights movement, of the time, continued their fight for equal treatment in
American society eventually resulting in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Event 3: 1945 to the present
Event: Brown v. Board of Education
When: May 17, 1954
Where: Where did the event happen? In a specific city, state, or region of the country?
Throughout the country?
The United States Supreme Court and impacted the entire country especially the South.
Who:
Brown v. Board of Education declares segregation in all public schools in the United States
unconstitutional. This ruling nullified the separate but equal doctrine. The ruling stopped the
segregation of public school guaranteeing African Americans get an equal education.
Why: What events or issues contributed to this event happening?
This ruling came after centuries of fighting to be free from slavery and to be treated like equal
citizens in society.
How: How is this event historically significant?
Racial segregation resulted in discriminatory treatment for African American even in public
school. This ruling paved the way for the elimination of segregation in the south.
Event 4: 1945 to the present
Event: The Civil Rights Act of 1964
When: July 2, 1964
Where: Congress
Who: Who were the main people involved in the event? What specific group of people was
involved? Are there specific individuals associated with this event?
Martin Luther King and other African American members of the civil rights movement as well as
John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and U.S Congress.
Why: What events or issues contributed to this event happening?
Years of fighting for equal treatment in society accumulated with the Civil Rights Act.
How: How is this event historically significant?
Fully ended segregation in the South.
3. Sources
You will need to locate two primary sources and two secondary sources related to your topic.
Use the primary source analysis tool for help with analyzing primary sources.
Primary Sources
APA Citation for Primary Source 1:
Provide the APA citation for your source. Here are some examples of APA citations.
Kennedy, S. (1990). Jim Crow guide: The way it was. Boca Raton, FL: Florida Atlantic University
Press.
Annotation for Primary Source 1:
Provide an annotation explaining what the source is, where it came from, what this source can
tell us about your topic, what questions it raises, and how this source will help you prove your
thesis. Be sure to clearly identify which specific event this source relates to. Here are some
examples of annotations.
This book provides important information about the Jim Crow Laws and their impact on African
Americans especially in Southern States. Jim Crow laws resulted in the segregation of African
Americans in Southern society which led to all types of injustice and acts of violence. This
source will be beneficial to understanding the plight of the African American.
APA Citation for Primary Source 2
Wasby, S., DeMato, A. & Metrailor, R. (1977). Desegregation from Brown to Alexander: An
Exploration of Supreme Court Strategies. Chicago, IL: Southern Illinois University Press
Annotation for Primary Source 2:
This source provides a first-hand account of the Supreme Court Strategies resulting in the
desegregation of African Americans. Through the source, the reader can understand the ruling
made by the Supreme Court leading up to Brown v. Education.
Secondary Sources
APA Citation for Secondary Source 1:
Provide the APA citation for your source. Here are some examples of APA citations.
Lado, M. (1995). A Question of Justice: African-American Legal Perspectives on the 1883 Civil
Rights Cases - Freedom: Constitutional Law. Chicago-Kent Law Review, 70(3): 1123-1195
Annotation for Secondary Source 1:
Provide an annotation explaining what the author's thesis is, how they prove their thesis, and
how this source will help you prove your thesis. Be sure to clearly identify which specific event
this source relates to. Here are some examples of annotations.
This source provides a first person legal perspective of African Americans after the
announcement of the Civil right Case. The Civil Rights Case ruling resulted in the Civil Rights Act
of 1875 being invalidated. This ruling set the civil right movement back a seventy five years and
outraged African Americans and supporters of equality. The thesis for this source is “For the
majority of African-American political leaders, religious figures, and editors, whose thoughts
have been preserved in printed form, the Court's opinion was a profound disappointment, the
probable end of an era in which some hope had remained that the federal government would
provide legal protection of the rights of citizenship” (Lado, 1995). The author proves this by
showing the continued struggle of African American until they gained equality in 1964 with the
Civil Rights Act.
APA Citation for Secondary Source 2:
Levy, P. (1998). The Civil Rights Movement. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press
Annotation for Secondary Source 2:
The thesis in this book “even though the Civil Rights Movement did not achieve all of its goals,
nearly a half century after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in
Montgomery, Alabama, it continues to have an impact on the course of history, serving as an
agent and as a model of the quest for human rights.
4. Thesis Statement
Once you have analyzed your sources, consult the AWC’s “Thesis Statement” and use the writing
center's Thesis Generator to craft a thesis on your topic, based on your findings from your
sources.
Please remember that there are primary listed in the Week3 Discussion Board 1. You are free to
use one or more of those primary sources or you may find your own. You are also welcome to
use the secondary sources throughout the course listed as “recommended sources.”
Thesis:
Even though African Americans currently enjoy the same freedoms as other citizens in America,
they struggled for many decades, after to being freed from slavery, to be treated equally, fairly,
and without discrimination.
WK3 Final Project Framework Worksheet
This worksheet will help you prepare for your final project by organizing the information that
you’ll need for your final paper and walking you through the process of defining your topic,
researching and analyzing primary and secondary sources, crafting a thesis, and creating an
annotated bibliography. Once you have completed the worksheet submit it to the online
classroom for grading.
After your instructor has graded the worksheet, please be sure to use it and the feedback
provided to you by your instructor as you construct your final project.
1. Statement of Topic:
What topic will you be researching for your final project? You have the choice of:
African Americans
Native Americans
Women
Immigrants
You must choose only ONE of the above groups. Which group have you chosen? African
Americans
2. Events
You will need to choose at least 4 specific events that you plan to discuss in your final project.
You should choose events that show how life in the United States changed over time for the
group that you chose. Two events must be from the period between 1877 and 1945 and two
events must be from the period 1945 to the present. On this worksheet and in your final
project, be sure to discuss the events you’ve chosen in the order that they happened. This will
help you put together a project that makes historical sense.
Event 1: 1877 to 1945
Event: Enactment of Jim Crow Laws
When: Jim Crow laws were enacted February 23, 1875
_________________________________________________________________________
Where: Where did the event happen? In a specific city, state, or region of the country?
Throughout the country?
The Jim Crow Laws were first enacted in the state of Tennessee but other Southern states
enacted a similar law which allowed the segregation of African Americans and white people. As
a result of Jim Crow laws, African Americans were segregated from society, in the South, until
the 1960’s. As a result of these laws, African American were lynched or treated with
discrimination in society.
Who: Who were the main people involved in the event? What specific group of people was
involved? Are there specific individuals associated with this event?
Southern people supported Jim Crow laws creating a racial caste system which resulted in many
violent or unjust acts angst African Americans.
Why: What events or issues contributed to this event happening?
The south was angered when they learned slaves had been freed and did not initially follow the
law. Once slavery was abolished from the South, Southern people continued to treat African
Americans as second class citizens. As a result of extreme prejudice, African Americans were
lynched for the most minor of crimes or just out of pure hate.
How: How is this event historically significant?
Jim Crow Laws allowed the continued discrimination of African Americans.
Event 2: 1877 to 1945
Event: Civil Rights Case
When: October 17, 1883
Where: Where did the event happen? In a specific city, state, or region of the country?
Throughout the country?
This event occurred at the Supreme Court when they declares the Civil Rights Act of 1883
invalid. The high court ruled the federal government cannot bar businesses or individuals from
discriminating on the basis of race.
Who:
The Supreme Court made the ruling which would negatively impact African Americans for the
next 75 years.
Why: What events or issues contributed to this event happening?
The Civil Rights Act of 1875 forbid discrimination on the basis of race but even with this law in
place, discrimination continued. When the laws was struck down by the Supreme Court, African
American were once again subjected to extreme racism and discrimination.
How: How is this event historically significant?
Members of the civil rights movement, of the time, continued their fight for equal treatment in
American society eventually resulting in the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Event 3: 1945 to the present
Event: Brown v. Board of Education
When: May 17, 1954
Where: Where did the event happen? In a specific city, state, or region of the country?
Throughout the country?
The United States Supreme Court and impacted the entire country especially the South.
Who:
Brown v. Board of Education declares segregation in all public schools in the United States
unconstitutional. This ruling nullified the separate but equal doctrine. The ruling stopped the
segregation of public school guaranteeing African Americans get an equal education.
Why: What events or issues contributed to this event happening?
This ruling came after centuries of fighting to be free from slavery and to be treated like equal
citizens in society.
How: How is this event historically significant?
Racial segregation resulted in discriminatory treatment for African American even in public
school. This ruling paved the way for the elimination of segregation in the south.
Event 4: 1945 to the present
Event: The Civil Rights Act of 1964
When: July 2, 1964
Where: Congress
Who: Who were the main people involved in the event? What specific group of people was
involved? Are there specific individuals associated with this event?
Martin Luther King and other African American members of the civil rights movement as well as
John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and U.S Congress.
Why: What events or issues contributed to this event happening?
Years of fighting for equal treatment in society accumulated with the Civil Rights Act.
How: How is this event historically significant?
Fully ended segregation in the South.
3. Sources
You will need to locate two primary sources and two secondary sources related to your topic.
Use the primary source analysis tool for help with analyzing primary sources.
Primary Sources
APA Citation for Primary Source 1:
Provide the APA citation for your source. Here are some examples of APA citations.
Kennedy, S. (1990). Jim Crow guide: The way it was. Boca Raton, FL: Florida Atlantic University
Press.
Annotation for Primary Source 1:
Provide an annotation explaining what the source is, where it came from, what this source can
tell us about your topic, what questions it raises, and how this source will help you prove your
thesis. Be sure to clearly identify which specific event this source relates to. Here are some
examples of annotations.
This book provides important information about the Jim Crow Laws and their impact on African
Americans especially in Southern States. Jim Crow laws resulted in the segregation of African
Americans in Southern society which led to all types of injustice and acts of violence. This
source will be beneficial to understanding the plight of the African American.
APA Citation for Primary Source 2
Wasby, S., DeMato, A. & Metrailor, R. (1977). Desegregation from Brown to Alexander: An
Exploration of Supreme Court Strategies. Chicago, IL: Southern Illinois University Press
Annotation for Primary Source 2:
This source provides a first-hand account of the Supreme Court Strategies resulting in the
desegregation of African Americans. Through the source, the reader can understand the ruling
made by the Supreme Court leading up to Brown v. Education.
Secondary Sources
APA Citation for Secondary Source 1:
Provide the APA citation for your source. Here are some examples of APA citations.
Lado, M. (1995). A Question of Justice: African-American Legal Perspectives on the 1883 Civil
Rights Cases - Freedom: Constitutional Law. Chicago-Kent Law Review, 70(3): 1123-1195
Annotation for Secondary Source 1:
Provide an annotation explaining what the author's thesis is, how they prove their thesis, and
how this source will help you prove your thesis. Be sure to clearly identify which specific event
this source relates to. Here are some examples of annotations.
This source provides a first person legal perspective of African Americans after the
announcement of the Civil right Case. The Civil Rights Case ruling resulted in the Civil Rights Act
of 1875 being invalidated. This ruling set the civil right movement back a seventy five years and
outraged African Americans and supporters of equality. The thesis for this source is “For the
majority of African-American political leaders, religious figures, and editors, whose thoughts
have been preserved in printed form, the Court's opinion was a profound disappointment, the
probable end of an era in which some hope had remained that the federal government would
provide legal protection of the rights of citizenship” (Lado, 1995). The author proves this by
showing the continued struggle of African American until they gained equality in 1964 with the
Civil Rights Act.
APA Citation for Secondary Source 2:
Levy, P. (1998). The Civil Rights Movement. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press
Annotation for Secondary Source 2:
The thesis in this book “even though the Civil Rights Movement did not achieve all of its goals,
nearly a half century after Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in
Montgomery, Alabama, it continues to have an impact on the course of history, serving as an
agent and as a model of the quest for human rights.
4. Thesis Statement
Once you have analyzed your sources, consult the AWC’s “Thesis Statement” and use the writing
center's Thesis Generator to craft a thesis on your topic, based on your findings from your
sources.
Please remember that there are primary listed in the Week3 Discussion Board 1. You are free to
use one or more of those primary sources or you may find your own. You are also welcome to
use the secondary sources throughout the course listed as “recommended sources.”
Thesis:
Even though African Americans currently enjoy the same freedoms as other citizens in America,
they struggled for many decades, after to being freed from slavery, to be treated equally, fairly,
and without discrimination.
Purchase answer to see full
attachment