What is one reason historians often interpret historical events in different ways brainly

What is historical interpretation?

Historical interpretation is the process by which we describe, analyze, evaluate, and create an explanation of past events. We base our interpretation on primary [firsthand] and secondary [scholarly] historical sources. We analyze the evidence, contexts, points of view, and frames of reference. Yes, it is a complicated process, but historical thinking improves with practice. Interpretation might explore causality (what made something happen), processes (revolutions, economic depressions), conflicts (social class, race, gender), historical outcomes (effects of past events), or many more topics (creative thinking).

So what are primary sources in history? We get this definition of primary sources from the Society of American Archivists.

"Material that contains firsthand accounts of events and that was created contemporaneous to those events or later recalled by an eyewitness. � Primary sources emphasize the lack of intermediaries between the thing or events being studied and reports of those things or events based on the belief that firsthand accounts are more accurate. Examples of primary sources include letters and diaries; government, church, and business records; oral histories; photographs, motion pictures, and videos; maps and land records; and blueprints."

Historical Interpretation requires synthesizing (combining) a variety of evidence, primary and secondary (critical thinking). Historical thinking involves the ability to arrive at meaningful and persuasive understandings of the past by applying all the other historical thinking skills, by drawing appropriately on ideas from different fields of inquiry or disciplines and by creatively fusing disparate, relevant (and perhaps contradictory) evidence from primary sources and secondary works. Additionally, synthesis may involve applying insights about the past to other historical contexts or circumstances, including the present. These insights (secondary sources) may come from social science theories and perspectives and/or the writings of other historians (historiography).

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The above adapted by Prof. Slatta from materials developed by AP Central, Collegeboard.com.

Another view of historical interpretation

adapted from Richard Drew [UK]

Interpretations are in essence thoughtful efforts to represent and explain past events. Interpretations include 3 vital elements:

1. Purposeful, thoughtful efforts--Interpretations are conscious reflections on the past, not simply irrational spur-of-the-moment opinions. Take time to apply logic and organization to your explanation of the past-not merely emote or react to the evidence.
2. Representations--Interpretations are efforts to give an audience an image or description of the event/issue being focused on. We cannot recreate the past perfectly, but we can try to represent faithfully how events transpired by ground our version in the historical evidence.
3. Past events--Interpretations are the reflections of those of us studying the past, not of the participants in those events. We refer to the collection representations of the past done by historians as historiography. The views of participants from the past constitute our primary sources or historical evidence. Without the process of reflection removed from the event by time the creator of the view is inevitably partially influenced by the impact the person/event had on them.

Put these 3 elements together, linking them to the historical evidence surrounding your topic. The result will be a defensible, intelligible historical interpretation.

Primary Sources for Historical Research

What are primary sources? Why are they useful?

Primary sources refer to documents or other items that provide first-hand, eyewitness accounts of events. For example, if you are studying the civil rights movement, a newspaper article published the day after the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march and a memoir written by someone who participated in the march would both be considered primary sources.

Historians use primary sources as the raw evidence to analyze and interpret the past. They publish secondary sources - often scholarly articles or books - that explain their interpretation. When you write a historical research paper, you are creating a secondary source based on your own analysis of primary source material. 

Examples of primary sources include diaries, journals, speeches, interviews, letters, memos, photographs, videos, public opinion polls, and government records, among many other things.

Online Databases - Poll, Survey, & Demographic Data

Online Databases - U.S. Government Information

Along with the below databases, there is also a huge collection of government information in Randall Library. Much of it is findable in the library catalog and is able to be checked out like other books.

Finding Published Primary Sources in Randall Library

Primary sources are available both online and in the library. To locate published primary source materials in Randall Library, use the UNCW Library Catalog. You can start with a keyword search for your topic (e.g. "civil rights movement"), which will retrieve secondary sources as well as primary. From there, drill down to focus on primary sources by:

 1. Clicking on a relevant record, such as this book.

 2. Scrolling down to the section labeled "Subject" and clicking on a relevant subject term. Subject terms are "controlled vocabulary" terms that classify all items in the library catalog to make it easier to find things on those topics. In this example, you can click on the subject "Civil rights movements -- United States -- History -- 20th Century."

 3. After you've done that, you'll see a list of subject terms in alphabetical order. Use the search box and add words onto the end of the subject term that signify primary sources. Sources is always a good places to start, but you can also try words such as correspondence or diaries. Since the list is in alphabetical order, you can also scroll through to find subject terms that sound like they'd relate to primary sources. 

4. So, in this example, you would add " -- Sources" onto the end of the existing subject term - "Civil rights movements -- United States -- History -- 20th Century -- Sources" - and search for that. If you click on the resulting term, you will see a list of all items in Randall Library that have been given that classification - including, for example, this book entitled Eyes on the Prize that probably contains a number of useful primary sources for this topic.​

Finding Archives and Special Collections in Randall Library

Randall Library also contains some unpublished materials in its archives and special collections departments. These are primary source materials that are often one-of-a-kind or rare. The University Archives collects materials on the history of UNCW, and Special Collections focuses on the history of Southeastern North Carolina, but both of these collections have significance beyond just our university or our region. For example, if you are researching the civil rights movement, you might use University Archives to investigate how college students in the South responded to this movement.

To find these collections, you can use the search box on the Archives and Special Collections webpage, but definitely also contact the University Archives or Special Collections staff. They know best what's in the collections and can tell you if anything they have is relevant to your research.

Online Databases for Historical Research

Below, I've listed some primary source databases that are freely available online. These only scratch the surface of online collections of primary sources. To search more specifically for your topic, try searching for the topic plus archives, primary sources, or digital collection. For example, doing a quick search for civil rights primary sources in Google finds this Civil Rights Digital Library, containing important documents, photographs, and videos from the Civil Rights era. 

PLEASE NOTE: Randall Library also pays for access to a number of primary source databases. These are listed here (or, from the library homepage, go to Databases --> By Type --> Primary Sources (Historical)). They cover both U.S. and international topics, stretching back centuries.

Before you begin

Before you start your search, make a list of the terms, places, people, and specific events about which you want to find primary resources. Remember to keep in mind the language used during the time period you are researching, as those words will allow you to find materials that you might not otherwise locate using modern terms. For example, during the Civil Rights era, some newspapers might have used the term "Negro," rather than "African American" as we use today. Keep this list handy and add to it as you learn more about the topic.

History Librarian

Kiana Webster

Social Sciences & History Librarian

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