Name: Adam J Scott

HISTORY SOURCE EVALUATIONS AND ANALYSIS

eLearn Source Evaluation and Analysis
Read and analyze the eLearn documents associated with your chosen question and evaluate two
of the documents here. The sources are selected to help you answer the question and give you
ideas about what to research next. Make sure to read all the suggested eLearn sources before you
start researching your own sources.
eLearn Source One (5 points)
Analyze one required eLearn source by answering the following questions:
 Your chosen topic question: What role should the US government have played in
regulating the economy during the Gilded Age?

 Document title: How the Other Half Lives

In the space provided below the line, answer the following questions in paragraph form.
1. Is the document a primary or secondary source? NOTE: a primary source is a source
that originates from the time period under study. A secondary source is a source that
critically analyzes and interprets the past from a modern context, often using primary
sources as evidence (your textbook is a secondary source).
2. Who is the author/speaker? What is the thesis (main point or goal) of the source/author?
3. Who is the author’s/speaker’s audience? What might that indicate about the author’s
purpose?
4. Are there indications of bias, slant, or maneuvering in order to achieve a goal? How do
you know?
5. How does the source help you answer the question? Explain HOW and WHY,
providing a few examples and specifics from the source that you foresee using in
your essay. (worth three out of the five points)

This would be considered a primary source as Jacob Riis wrote the segment at the time of
the event with firsthand experience. I believe his goal for this work is to pull back the curtain to
show the middle and upper class the world that the lower classes have been subject to. This is a
firsthand account of what it is like when a group of people get left behind by a developing
society. This would be a good source for me because the author takes time to share the struggle
shared by many in great detail. For us to recognize a problem, we need people like Jacob Riis to
tell us this story.
eLearn Source Two (5 points)
Analyze one required eLearn source by answering the following questions:
 Your chosen topic question: What role should the US government have played in
regulating the economy during the Gilded Age?

 Document title: Workers React to Capitalists

In the space provided below the line, answer the following questions in paragraph form.

1. Is the document a primary or secondary source? NOTE: a primary source is a source

that originates from the time period under study. A secondary source is a source that
critically analyzes and interprets the past from a modern context, often using primary
sources as evidence (your textbook is a secondary source).
2. Who is the author/speaker? What is the thesis (main point or goal) of the source/author?
3. Who is the author’s/speaker’s audience? What might that indicate about the author’s
purpose?
4. Are there indications of bias, slant, or maneuvering in order to achieve a goal? How do
you know?
5. How does the source help you answer the question? Explain HOW and WHY,
providing a few examples and specifics from the source that you foresee using in
your essay. (worth three out of the five points)

The segments in the document would be considered primary sources. The first segment is from
an essay “Wealth” which was a sarcastic critique of the new bourgeois overlords, specifically
naming Andrew Carnegie. The third segment is probably the most helpful. George Engel gives a
first hand account of the capitalist power arising from the industrialization of nations. He
identifies as one of the proletarians and shares his personal struggle with living as the working
poor. The strongest line in the document to me was “I came to the opinion that as long as
workingmen are economically enslaved they cannot be politically free”. This was an observation
made by a man in 1878 that still hold true today. This is a known issue of industrialization and
capitalism and would be good to research further for this project.
Researched Source Evaluation and Analysis
Find, read, and analyze two sources that will help answer your question. The categories
below- Authority, Accuracy, Objectivity, Currency, and Usability- aid the evaluator in
determining the credibility of a source, and thus its value for research. The Vol State Library
has an article to help you evaluate web-based resources.

Requirements:

 You may not use crowd-edited websites (Wikipedia, Answers.com, etc.). Avoid general
reference sites like history.com, Britannica, Kahn Academy, etc. Your textbook is your
general reference.
 The sources you evaluate (and ultimately use in your paper) need to be of good quality,
relevant to your topic and contribute new ideas and information that you would not find in
the Elearn sources or textbook. The relevance, depth, and quality of your source is part of
your grade.
 You are required to evaluate (and use in your paper) at least one scholarly journal or book.
Consider going to the Vol State Library collection of history databases.
 NOTE: The sources you evaluate here do not have to appear in your essay (though that is
obviously the easiest way to go). If I (the instructor) recommend further research or you find
better sources after completing the evaluations, feel free to use them in your essay. The
quality and relevance of the sources you use in your essay will count in your essay grade as
well.

Researched Source One (10 points)

Citation Information
Author: Schneirov, Richard

Title: “Thoughts on Periodizing the Gilded Age: Capital Accumulation, Society, and Politics,
1873-1898.”

Title of Journal, Volume Number, Issue Number: The Journal of the Gilded Age and
Progressive Era, vol. 5, no. 3, 2006, pp. 189–224

Title of Website: JSTOR

Complete Website URL: www.jstor.org/stable/25144440

Category: Authority and Currency
In the space below the line, answer the following questions in paragraph form.
1. What are the author’s credentials, expertise, or experience?
2. Is this a primary or secondary source?
3. What is the URL type (.com, .edu, .gov, .net, etc.)?
4. Is there advertising on the site? If so, is it related to the content?
5. Is the research recent (within 20-30 years)? Provide a publication date/stamp.
6. What do your answers to the above questions indicate about the quality of the source?
7. Authority Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

This journal excerpt would be considered a secondary source. It is written by Richard Schneirov
who is a recognized scholar and a professor in history. For research, I generally stick to JSTOR.
My previous history teacher introduced me to it, and it has been a valuable resource. The journal
was published in 2006 so I feel that it would still be relevant to today’s discussion.

Category: Objectivity
In the space below the line, answer the following questions in paragraph form.
1. Does the author recognize points of view other than their own?
2. Does the argument appeal to emotion or logic?
3. If the source is biased, tell how you know NOTE: see the evaluate web-based resources
article for more information on bias
4. What is thesis (main argument) of the source/author?
5. What do your answers to the above questions indicate about the quality of the source?
6. Objectivity Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

Yes, the other does a good job at examining the issue with little bias. Strictly a scholarly
approach to a known issue and appeals to logic. In his own words, “This essay offers
some thoughts and suggestions relevant to constructing a historical paradigm or
periodization for the Gilded Age”. I will want to explore each point and use them in my
supporting argument.
Category: Accuracy and Usability
In the space below the line, answer the following questions in paragraph form.
1. Is there a bibliography, footnotes, or work cited?
2. What evidence did the author include to support their opinions?
3. Is the information error-free?
4. Is the site reliably accessible?
5. What do your answers to the above questions indicate about the quality of the source?
6. Accuracy Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

There are footnotes on nearly every page. The author cites some of his own work as well as work
from Karl Marx. He uses a mix of primary and secondary sources. From current studies to
news/magazine article from the time period to support his essay. I have not read the entire
journal word for word. With that being said, it is a scholarly journal written by a history
professor that is listed on JSTOR. From what I have read, the information seems accurate and
reliable.

Category: Point Sum and Use of Source (worth five out of the 10 points)
In the space below the line, answer the following questions in paragraph form.
1. What was the total of your points from the evaluation categories? (1-5 poor, 6-10 fair, 11-
15 strong)
2. Consider the difference between sources you may have used in the past (general
reference, crowd edited websites) and the high-quality sources you evaluated here. What
differences do you notice?
3. How does the source help you answer the question? Explain HOW and WHY,
providing a few examples and specifics from the source that you foresee using in
your essay.

The total points that I gave the source is a 14. The different here is that I am researching a source
that is a product of the author’s research. The biggest difference between this journal and a
general reference is the amount of critiqued, detailed information within. Essentially, the author
is attempting to detail events and social issues that lead up to the Gilded Age. Understanding
these issues will give me a better idea on how to argue ways the government should have played
in regulating the economy.
Researched Source Two (10 points)
Citation Information
Author: Charles W. Calhoun

Title: Major Party Conflict in the Gilded Age: A Hundred Years of Interpretation

Title of Journal, Volume Number, Issue Number: OAH Magazine of History, vol. 13, no. 4

Title of Website: JSTOR

Complete Website URL: www.jstor.org/stable/25163303

Category: Authority and Currency

In the space below the line, answer the following questions in paragraph form.
1. What are the author’s credentials, expertise, or experience?
2. Is this a primary or secondary source?
3. What is the URL type (.com, .edu, .gov, .net, etc.)?
4. Is there advertising on the site? If so, is it related to the content?
5. Is the research recent (within 20-30 years)? Provide a date stamp or publication date.
6. What do your answers to the above questions indicate about the quality of the source?
7. Authority Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

This journal excerpt would be considered a secondary source. It is written by Charles Calhoun
who is a professor in history. For research, I generally stick to JSTOR. My previous history
teacher introduced me to it, and it has been a valuable resource. The article was written in the
summer of 1999.
Category: Objectivity
In the space below the line, answer the following questions in paragraph form.
1. Does the author recognize points of view other than their own?
2. Does the argument appeal to emotion or logic?
3. If the source is biased, tell how you know NOTE: see the evaluate web-based resources
article for more information on bias
4. What is thesis (main argument) of the source/author?
5. What do your answers to the above questions indicate about the quality of the source?
6. Objectivity Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

The author shares other, traditional view points before presenting his own. I don’t believe his
work is bias. In his own words “This essay offers a brief account of the origins of the old
conventional interpretation of Gilded Age politics, its persistence for nearly a century, and
the challenge to it by more recent scholars”. I feel that this source is high quality and will
work well with my argument.
Category: Accuracy and Usability
In the space below, answer the following questions in paragraph form.
1. Is there a bibliography, footnotes, or work cited?
2. What evidence did the author include to support their opinions?
3. Is the information error-free?
4. Is the site reliably accessible?
5. What do your answers to the above questions indicate about the quality of the source?
6. Accuracy Rating: 1 2 3 4 5

The author includes endnotes citing his information. I read the whole document and did not find
any errors. It’s only about 4 pages of reading. He states that H. Wayne Morgan's From Hayes to
McKinley: National Party Politics, 18774896, published in 1969 is the only major study of the
politics of the Gilded Age. The glaring fact of the time was that major political party conflict
kept bipartisanship off the table, leaving the lower classes and working classes to fend for
themselves so to speak.
Category: Point Sum and Use of Source (worth five out of the 10 points)
In the space below the line, answer the following questions in paragraph form.
1. What was the total of your points from the evaluation categories? (1-5 poor, 6-10 fair, 11-
15 strong)
2. Consider the difference between sources you may have used in the past (general
reference, crowd edited websites) and the high-quality sources you evaluated here. What
differences do you notice?
3. How does the source help you answer the question? Explain HOW and WHY,
providing a few examples and specifics from the source that you foresee using in
your essay.

I gave a total of 14 points to the source. The article gives useful information on the state of
political parties at the time. On page four, “By the mid-1880s the tariff question had emerged as the
defining issue differentiating the economic philosophies of Republicans and Democrats”. This brought
up an issue that could directly answer my question. Understanding the tariff situation art the time would
give me a better idea on how the government could have improved.