Primary Document Analysis
Notes

Objectives
Students will be able to analyze historic documents by using their reading skills and strategies to gather information and interpret written messages

Terms to know:
Amendment - a change or addition
Abridging - reducing, to shorten
Redress - set something right, to correct 

Notes:
1. Primary Document help student to determine the basic principles of United States government and apply them to real‑ world situations
2. Primary source documents are original materials that were written or created during the historical period under study. 
3. They were produced by eyewitnesses of, or participants in the historical events.
4. The Bill of Rights
A. The First Amendment protects individuals’ right to worship, to speak freely, to assemble, to petition, and to criticize the government.
B. The Bill of Rights was declared in force on December 15, 1789
C.  The author was James Madison
D. Madison was a delegate at the Constitutional Convention and member of the House of Representatives
E. It was added so that the state legislatures and people in the thirteen states would approve the Constitution.
5. Primary Documents - are writing that are in the author’s exact words. (Writings that have quotation marks are primary documents)
6. Source - where the information originates  
	(the publication that the QUOTATION originates)

								
Primary Document Analysis
Template
Explanation
	Primary source documents are original materials that were written or created during the historical period under study. They were produced by eyewitnesses of, or participants in the historical events.

Model for Analysis
	What is this document? When was it created?

	Who wrote the document? Give the background of the author if known.

Who do you think was the intended audience? What is the purpose of this document?

What words are not familiar to you? What do they mean?

Is any part of the document unclear? Why? What is the most important information in this document?

Why is this document important?

Describe how you were able to analyze this document.

Primary Document Analysis
Sample
Model for Analysis
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.                          
						Bill of Rights, First Amendment, 1789
		What is this document? The Bill of Rights 
		When was it created? 1789

Who wrote the document? Give the background of the author if known. 
		James Madison, a delegate at the Constitutional Convention and member of the House of Representatives.

Who do you think was the intended audience?
The intended audience was the legislatures and people in the thirteen states.

What is the purpose of this document?
The purpose is to satisfy the demand of several states to guarantee individual rights when ratifying the Constitution.

What words are not familiar to you? What do they mean? 
		amendment = a change or addition
abridging = reducing, to shorten
redress = set something right, to correct

Is any part of the document unclear? Why?
The "run‑on" sentence style makes is hard to understand all of the parts.

What is the most important information in this document?
It lists our rights: freedom of religion, free speech, free press, freedom to gather together, freedom to petition the government.

Why is this document important?
Without it' who knows how we would have obtained these rights.

Describe how you were able to analyze this document.
I looked up words that I did not know, and used the meanings to understand what freedoms this amendment provided.