Question

Identify whether each item is a primary source.

A letter from a president to his daughter
O primary
O not primary

News footage of a terrible fire
O primary
O not primary

A book written in the 1980s about the American Revolution
O primary
O not primary

An oral history collected in 2005 about life in the 1940s
O primary
O not primary

Answer 1

A letter from a president to his daughter and news footage of a terrible fire are primary sources as they provide direct evidence from their respective time periods. A book about the American Revolution written in the 1980s is not a primary source, as it is an interpretation and analysis of past events. An oral history collected in 2005 about life in the 1940s is considered a primary source because it contains firsthand accounts.

Step-by-step explanation:

To identify whether each item is a primary source, we should consider if the item is an original document or object from the time period under study. Let's evaluate each one:

1. A letter from a president to his daughter Primary - This is a primary source as it is a firsthand account or direct evidence from that specific time.
2. News footage of a terrible fire Primary - The footage is a primary source since it directly captures the event as it happened.
3. A book written in the 1980s about the American Revolution Not Primary - The book would be a secondary source as it likely provides analysis or interpretation of the events after they occurred.
4. An oral history collected in 2005 about life in the 1940s Primary - Though it was collected later, it contains firsthand accounts of the 1940s, making it a primary source.