Description
A. Directions
Step 1: Choose Two Primary Sources
Review the Touchstone 4: Primary Source List and select two primary sources from the list for your assignment. The primary sources you choose should come from different time periods. Submissions that analyze primary sources that are not on the provided list will be returned ungraded.
Step 2: Read and Analyze Each Source
Read and analyze each source by following the instructions outlined below. Record your responses in the Touchstone 4: Analyzing Primary Sources Template.
Part 1: Meet the Primary Source
What type of primary source is this?
Types could include a letter, speech, court transcript, legislation, diary entry, photograph, artifact, map, broadside, circular, political cartoon, artwork, etc.
Provide a brief description of something you notice about the source, as if you were explaining to someone who can’t see it.
For example, you might describe its physical appearance, its formal title (if it has one), its type of language, its size or length, or anything else in particular that stands out to you.
Part 2: Observe its Parts
Who wrote it or created it? Was it one person, or was it a group, like an organization?
When was it written or otherwise created?
What are two things you know about the personal background or beliefs of the person or group who created it?
Was the source meant to be public or private? If public, who do you think was the intended audience?
HINT
You may need to use the internet to help you research these questions.
Part 3: Interpret its Meaning: Historical Context
Describe two other things that were happening at the time the source was created.
Careful! In some cases, this could be different from the time the source describes or portrays.
How does that context (or background information) help you understand why it was created?
Part 4: Interpret its Meaning: Main Point and Purpose
What is the main idea or point of the source? Use specific evidence from the source itself to support your answer.
Why do you think this primary source was made? Provide evidence from your prior responses to support your answer.
For example, was its purpose simply to inform? To persuade? To sensationalize? Or something else?
Part 5: Use it as Historical Evidence
What are two historical questions this source could help you to answer?
What are two pieces of information the source presents that you should “fact check” (verify as true) by checking other primary or secondary sources?
This primary source shows one perspective on this event or topic. What are two other perspectives you should get to better understand this event or topic, and why?
Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
❒ Did you select two primary sources from the Touchstone 4: Primary Source List?
❒ Did you select sources from different time periods?
❒ Did you complete all sections of the template for both sources?
❒ Did you review the grading rubric and compare it to your responses?
❒ Did you review the sample to see an example of a completed assignment?
❒ Did you proofread your work for proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization?
Requirements
The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:
Choose primary sources only from the provided list.
Use a readable 11- or 12-point font.
Composition must be original and written for this assignment and all writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Submission must include your name and the date.
Include all of the assignment components in a single .doc or .docx file.
Unformatted Attachment Preview
Name:
Date:
US History I
Touchstone 4: Analyzing Primary Sources Template
Complete the following template, including all parts, for each primary source you chose from the Touchstone 4: Primary Source List. Fill
out all cells using complete sentences.
Part 1:
Meet the Primary
Source
Write the title of the
primary source
from the
Touchstone 4:
Primary Source
List, and paste the
web link here.
NOTE:
Submissions that
discuss primary
sources that are
not on the provided
list will be returned
ungraded.
Primary Source 1
Primary Source 2
What type of
primary source is
this?
(Types could
include a letter,
speech, court
transcript,
legislation, diary
entry,
photograph,
artifact, map,
broadside,
circular, political
cartoon, artwork,
etc.)
Provide a brief
description of
something you
notice about the
source, as if you
were explaining to
someone who can’t
see it.
Part 2:
Observe its Parts
Primary Source 1
Primary Source 2
Who wrote it or
created it? Was it
one person, or
was it a group, like
an organization?
When was it
made?
What are two
things you know
about the personal
background or
beliefs of the
person or group
who created it? (45 sentences)
Was the source
meant to be public
or private? If
public, who do you
think was the
intended
audience? (4-5
sentences)
Part 3:
Interpret its
Meaning: Historical
Context
Primary Source 1
Primary Source 2
Primary Source 1
Primary Source 2
Describe two other
things that were
happening at the
time the source
was created. (4-5
sentences)
How does that
context (or
background
information) help
you understand
why it was
created? (4-5
sentences)
Part 4:
Interpret its
Meaning: Main
Points and Purpose
What is the main
idea or point of the
source? Use
specific evidence
from the source
itself to support
your answer. (4-5
sentences)
Why do you think
this primary source
was made?
Provide evidence
from your prior
responses to
support your claim.
(4-5 sentences)
Part 5:
Use it as Historical
Evidence
What are two
historical
questions this
source could help
you to answer?
Primary Source 1
Primary Source 2
What are two
pieces of
information the
source presents
that you should
“fact check” (verify
as true) by
checking other
primary or
secondary
sources?
This primary
source shows one
perspective on this
topic. What are
two other
perspectives you
should get to
better understand
this event or topic,
and why? (4-5
sentences)
Reflection: What
perspective do
you bring to this
topic and source?
How does your
background and
the time in which
you live affect your
perspective? (4-5
sentences)
Checklist for Success:
❒ Did you select two primary sources from the Touchstone 4: Primary Source List?
❒ Did you select sources from different time periods?
❒ Did you complete all sections of the template for both sources?
❒ Did you review the grading rubric and compare it to your responses?
❒ Did you review the sample to see an example of a completed assignment?
❒ Did you proofread your work for proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization?
Name: US History I Sample
Date: 3/31/2022
US History I
Touchstone 4: Analyzing Primary Sources Template
Complete the following template, including all parts, for each primary source you chose from the Touchstone 4: Primary Source List. Fill
out all cells using complete sentences.
Part 1:
Meet the Primary
Source
Primary Source 1
Write the title of the “The Bostonians in Distress”
primary source
from the
https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3a13536/
Touchstone 4:
Primary Source
List, and paste the
web link here.
NOTE: The sample
submission
analyzes primary
sources that do not
appear on the
Touchstone 4:
Primary Source
List.
Primary Source 2
“Letter from a freedman to his old master”
https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/reconstruction/j
ourdon-anderson-writes-his-former-master-1865/
What type of
primary source is
this?
“The Bostonians in Distress” is a print. It looks like an
early political cartoon.
This primary source is a letter.
The image was originally printed in a London
newspaper in 1774. It depicts American colonists from
Boston in a cage hanging from a “Liberty Tree.”
Cannons and infantry with drums form a cordon
around the tree. The infantry are herding flocks of
livestock away from the caged men. Three men are
feeding them fish by passing them through the bars of
the cage with sticks. One of the caged men holds a
paper that says, “They cried unto the Lord in their
Trouble & he saved them out of their Distress. Psalm
cvii 13.” Another prisoner has a scroll named
“Promises” whereas a man outside the cage has a
document saying, “To _ from the Committee of __.” A
fleet of ships looms on the horizon.
The original manuscript has not survived, so this is a
transcription of a handwritten letter. In it, former slave
Jourdon Anderson writes “To my old Master, Colonel
P. H. Anderson, Big Spring, Tennessee.” There are
five paragraphs of text and a date: August 7, 1865.
(Types could
include a letter,
speech, court
transcript,
legislation, diary
entry,
photograph,
artifact, map,
broadside,
circular, political
cartoon, artwork,
etc.)
Provide a brief
description of
something you
notice about the
source, as if you
were explaining to
someone who can’t
see it.
Part 2:
Observe its Parts
Primary Source 1
Primary Source 2
Who wrote it or
Philip Dawe created the image and it was printed by a
created it? Was it London printseller, R. Sayer and J. Bennett.
one person, or
was it a group, like
an organization?
Former slave Jourdon Anderson wrote this letter.
When was it
made?
The image displays a date of November 19, 1774.
August 7, 1865.
What are two
things you know
about the personal
background or
beliefs of the
person or group
who created it?
We may infer information about Philip Dawe from the
image. First, Dawe likely sought to portray the
colonists of Massachusetts as lawbreakers whose
disruptive actions earned their imprisonment. The
caged crowd is in a hunger-driven frenzy, two men are
fighting over a fish, and the cage hanging from the
Liberty Tree resembles a gallows.
However, even if Dawe disagreed with their message,
the image leaves open the possibility that Dawe
sympathized with the colonists’ cause. The caption
“The Bostonians in Distress” seems to ask viewers to
identify with the prisoners. Dawe’s inclusion of the
Bible verse seems to give the caged men a sense of
religious authority.
Jourdon Anderson states he was the slave of Colonel
P.H. Anderson (hereafter referred to as “the colonel”).
Anderson was enslaved for 32 years but “got my free
papers in 1864” from the United States ProvostMarshal General in Tennessee. Jourdon Anderson’s
last name is the same as the colonel’s, probably
indicating that he adopted or was assigned his master’s
last name while enslaved. Anderson has nothing but
scorn for slavery and his former master, stating, “We
trust the good Maker has opened your eyes to the
wrongs which you and your fathers have done to me
and my fathers.” Further, Anderson now lives in
Dayton, Ohio. His letter conveys that he values what
the North offers: freedom, paid employment (as
opposed to unfree labor), respect for his wife or
partner, and a good life and education for his three
children.
Given that the image appeared in a London
newspaper, it was meant to be public and reach a wide
readership of literate people. The intended audience
could include the general public, members of
Parliament, colonial administrators and other officials
involved in making decisions for Britain’s North
American colonies.
The source is addressed to Anderson’s “old master” in
1865. However, it was republished the same year in
Lydia Maria Child’s The Freedmen’s Book. This
probably indicates that Anderson intended the letter for
wider circulation to prove a point about slavery,
especially since Lydia Maria Child was a well-known
abolitionist.
Interpret its
Meaning: Historical
Context
Primary Source 1
Primary Source 2
Describe two other
things that were
happening at the
time the source
was created. (4-5
sentences)
1 – Coercive Acts
To protest “taxation without representation” and the
1773 Tea Act, colonists dumped tea worth £10,000 into
Boston Harbor in what became known as the Boston
Tea Party. In response, Parliament passed the
Coercive Acts in 1774 to block Boston Harbor off from
trade and force the Massachusetts colonial
government to answer to Crown officials. The fleet of
ships in the image could represent British ships
enforcing this blockade. In reaction to the Coercive
Acts, colonists formed a Continental Congress
composed of delegates from twelve of the thirteen
When the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 freed
slaves in Confederate territory, thousands of slaves
claimed their freedom and fled to federal troops in the
South to get their free papers. These runaways who
came under the protection of federal troops were
known as “contrabands.”
Was the source
meant to be public
or private? If
public, who do you
think was the
intended
audience?
Part 3:
The year 1865 is also regarded as the beginning of
Reconstruction, the period of rebuilding the former
Confederacy and re-incorporating it into the United
States following the war. The Civil War ended in April
1865, four months before Anderson’s letter. The
colonies. The Continental Congress boycotted
imported British goods, sent a formal protest to King
George III against the Coercive Acts, and took steps
toward the raising of militias if the British military tried
to use arms to force colonists to accept imported
goods.
Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery in the United
States was proposed in January 1865 and ratified in
December of that year.
2 – The Boston Blockade
British General Thomas Gage set up a military
headquarters in Boston in May 1774 with 3,500 troops
and began seizing weapons the colonists had
stockpiled. The presence of these troops in Boston can
be seen in the image. Tensions between the British
soldiers and the colonists were high. Finally, conflict
between colonists and British troops broke out in
Lexington and Concord in 1775 when colonists
attacked a patrol of Gage’s troops moving from Boston
to Concord, Massachusetts.
How does that
context (or
background
information) help
you understand
why it was
created? (4-5
sentences)
This contextual evidence indicates that Dawe used
specific figures in the image to depict events and
people in 1774 in Massachusetts. First, the image
represents General Gage’s military occupation of
Boston. The drilling infantry, cannons and ships
represent Gage’s blockade and his strategy to block
the colonists from smuggling tea in and out of Boston.
The infantry have flocks of livestock with them, again
likely representing Gage’s decision to blockade Boston
and starve out colonial resistors. Second, the men
feeding fish through the cage are probably other
colonists trying to aid the hungry Bostonians trapped
by the blockade. The cage symbolizes the blockade
Anderson states that he got his “free papers in 1864
from the Provost-Marshal-General of the Department of
Nashville,” suggesting he may have run away from the
colonel as a contraband. This is also suggested by the
fact that the colonel shot twice at Anderson before he
left. But Anderson wrote from Dayton, Ohio, where he
lived with his partner Mandy. Anderson uses the letter
to contrast the relative freedom he has enjoyed in the
North with the unpaid toil he was subjected to in the
colonel’s household, stating, “as to my freedom, which
you say I can have, there is nothing to be gained on
that score.” As a former slave who now lives in the free
North, Anderson depicts the life of a slave as one of
itself and the imposition of a royal governor (Gage) on
Massachusetts. Taken as a whole, this information
suggests Dawe was trying to show his audience the
dire situation in Boston.
subjection, violence, and shame, whereas the North
offers the chance to attend church and school and find
meaningful work.
Interpret its
Meaning: Main
Points and Purpose
Primary Source 1
Primary Source 2
What is the main
idea or point of the
source? Use
specific evidence
from the source
itself to support
your answer. (4-5
sentences)
It would be a mistake to suggest that this image shows
revolutionary or separatist ideals. Independence from
Great Britain was not necessarily the first priority of the
Committees of Correspondence at the time this image
was created. Nevertheless, the main point of the
image is to show the widening rift between Great
Britain and its colonies as a result of the Coercive Acts,
the actions of Committees of Correspondence, and
General Gage’s blockade. Evidence from the image
supports this. The overwhelming naval and artillery
presence seems disproportionate compared to the
unarmed men in the cage. Further, Dawe might have
been trying to humanize the colonists – they are the
main focus of action and the only figures with faces
The letter comes from a viewpoint of righteous
indignation, perhaps informed by an abolitionist
perspective. Anderson mocks slave owners, especially
those bold enough to request former slaves to come
back to work for them. For example, since Anderson
now has a job that pays $25 a month, he makes a dryly
humorous demand that the colonel repay his 32 years
of labor with $11,680 and directs the colonel to mail the
money to an address in Ohio. The tongue-in-cheek
request is clearly not one that Anderson expects the
colonel to satisfy. Rather, he goes on to remind the
colonel of judgment to come: “Surely there will be a
day of reckoning for those who defraud the laborer of
his hire.”
Part 4:
represented, whereas the distant infantrymen have no
personality.
Why do you think
this primary source
was made?
Provide evidence
from your prior
responses to
support your claim.
(4-5 sentences)
The image was made to highlight the role of the
Coercive Acts in stimulating revolutionary activity.
First, the Boston Blockade in 1774 is depicted as a
cause of Bostonians’ hunger. Clues from the image,
including the ships, the livestock being taken away,
and the caption “Bostonians in Distress,” corroborate
this. Second, the frenzied faces of the caged men
make it look like the colonists’ anger at the Tea Act of
1773 and Coercive Acts of 1774 is about to break out
in violence. Third and perhaps most importantly, the
image points to colonists’ subversive communications.
The documents that say “Promises” and “To _ from
the Committee of __” indicate that Bostonians were
secretly communicating with Committees of
Correspondence during the blockade.
From these examples it is clear that Anderson is
passing judgment on slaveholders. He uses the letter
to contrast these traumas with what freedom in the
North offers: wage work, education and church
attendance. The physical distance between Anderson
in Ohio and the colonel in Tennessee now affords
Anderson an opportunity to strike back at slavery.
Thus, the letter is a slave’s retribution against the
master class and is an authentic description of what
slaves may have wished to tell slave owners but could
not without fear of retaliation.
Use it as Historical
Evidence
Primary Source 1
Primary Source 2
What are two
historical
questions this
source could help
you to answer?
The image can help us understand this question: What
were the sentiments of the British population regarding
the North American colonies? As it was published
several months after the Boston Blockade began and
printed in a London newspaper, it is a clue that literate
Anderson’s letter helps us understand a question about
slave life: What did slaves want to tell their masters
without fear of retaliation? With Anderson in Ohio,
there is no risk of punishment from the colonel for
speaking freely.
Part 5:
Britons of the mid-1770s were thinking about and
discussing this topic.
Secondly, it suggests another question: What were the
causes of the military conflict at the beginning of the
American Revolution? The image supports the
conclusion that Gage’s blockade was directly related to
the subversive activities of the Committees of
Correspondence.
A second question on which the letter can inform us is:
What did newly freed slaves experience in the North?
Anderson recounts strikingly different experiences in
Tennessee and Ohio.
What are two
pieces of
information the
source presents
that you should
“fact check” (verify
as true) by
checking other
primary or
secondary
sources?
It is not immediately clear if the prisoners are sending
or receiving the documents – one is in the hand of a
prisoner whereas another is on a pile of fish. Further
reading may indicate what were the “Promises” that
one of the documents alludes to.
This primary
source shows one
perspective on this
topic. What are
two other
perspectives you
should get to
The source depicts only white, male colonists and
British troops. For a more well-rounded understanding
of the events leading to the outbreak of the War of
Independence, we would need sources by or about
women, African Americans, and Native Americans.
Anderson mentions his partner, Mandy, and two
daughters, Milly and Jane. The perspective of female
contrabands is something I should pursue to better
understand how women experienced selfemancipation.
Secondly, as an image printed in a London newspaper
the source seems to depict a British perspective on
Secondly, Anderson writes from the relative safety of
Dayton, Ohio, a state that had previously abolished
The image uses three colonists feeding the caged men
to suggest that other colonists came to Boston’s aid.
Other primary and secondary sources could
corroborate this by indicating how many other colonies
responded by sending food, militia and weapons to
Boston in 1774. Was Boston left to fend for itself or did
other colonies send help?
Anderson states he is responding to an earlier letter
that the colonel had sent him, asking him to return to
Big Spring, Tennessee to work. By examining the
earlier letter we could determine the exact nature of the
colonel’s request, including the tone of the letter. We
would also be able to determine if Anderson chose not
to respond to parts of the letter. This may indicate
more about his relationship to the colonel.
A second source to consult would be statistical
information on the number of contrabands. This would
enable one to determine the size and geographic
scope of the population of contrabands like Anderson
in 1864.
better understand events. It would be interesting to find similar political
this event or topic? cartoons published in Boston, New York or
Philadelphia at the same time to compare and contrast
colonists’ view with that of Londoners.
Reflection: What
perspective do you
bring to this topic
and source? How
does your
background and the
time in which you
live affect your
perspective? (4-5
sentences)
I have some familiarity with the history of prerevolutionary America from previous education, but my
prior learning focused mostly on written documents
from this time period, not images. This political cartoon
helps provide a visual illustration to familiar events.
Reading this source in 2023, in a world saturated in
images from TikTok to Youtube to Instagram, it is more
important than ever to analyze images critically. Any
visual media, whether a political cartoon or a Youtube
video, can adjust reality to fit a particular viewpoint.
Checklist for Success:
❒ Did you select two primary sources from the Touchstone 4: Primary Source List?
❒ Did you select sources from different time periods?
❒ Did you complete all sections of the template for both sources?
slavery. Thus, I should also seek writings by freed
slaves who remained in the South after the war.
From my perspective, this letter fills an important role in
informing twenty-first century readers about the legacy
of slavery. Although the letter was composed over 150
years ago, it has relevance today because it reveals
the long-term impacts of slavery on American society.
The generational impacts of slavery and systemic
racism are one such example of a connection from this
source to the present-day. For instance, Anderson
mentions the “violence and wickedness” of slave
masters, an environment that prevents children from
learning “virtuous habits,” and being made to “toil for
you for generations without recompense.” There is no
doubt these hardships would affect Anderson and his
family, financially and emotionally, even after the
abolition of slavery.
❒ Did you review the grading rubric and compare it to your responses?
❒ Did you review the sample to see an example of a completed assignment?
❒ Did you proofread your work for proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization?
B. Rubric
Meeting the
Primary Source
(10 points)
Identifies and
describes the source.
Observation of its
Parts (20 points)
Identifies the author,
date, and audience.
Interpreting
Meaning:
Historical Context
(20 points)
Interprets the
historical context of
the source.
Interpreting
Meaning: Main
Point (20 points)
Interprets the main
point of the source.
Interpreting
Meaning: Purpose
(20 points)
Interprets the purpose
of the source.
Advanced (100%)
Proficient (85%)
Acceptable (75%)
Needs Improvement (50%)
Non-Performance (0%)
Shows a detailed understanding of
what types of primary sources
have been selected, and provides
a description of one aspect of both
sources.
Shows a general understanding of
what types of primary sources have
been selected, and provides a
description of one aspect of both
sources.
For one or both sources, shows a
limited understanding what type of
primary source has been selected, but
still provides a description of one
aspect of both sources.
Shows little to no understanding of
what types of primary sources have
been selected, and/or the
descriptions of the sources are
inaccurate or confused.
Both sources are entirely
misidentified, or so little work
has been submitted that no
points can be given.
Author, date, and likely intended
audience are fully and accurately
identified for both sources. Two
insights into the author’s
background are provided or, if the
author is anonymous or
unidentifiable, informed
speculation is made about the
likely background of the source’s
author.
Most of the elements are met for both
sources: author, date, and likely
intended audience are accurately
identified; two insights into the
author’s background are provided;
or, if the author is anonymous or
unidentifiable, informed speculation
is made about the likely background
of the source’s author.
Some of the elements are met for one
or both sources: author, date, and likely
intended audience are accurately
identified; two insights into the
author’s background are provided; or,
if the author is anonymous or
unidentifiable, speculation is made
about the likely background of the
source’s author.
Few of the elements are met for one
or both sources: author, date, and
likely intended audience are
accurately identified; two insights
into the author’s background are
provided; or, if the author is
anonymous or unidentifiable,
speculation is made about the likely
background of the source’s author.
Both sources are entirely
misidentified, or so little work
has been submitted that no
points can be given.
Demonstrates in-depth
knowledge of the time period in
which the sources were written,
and relates each primary source
to its specific historical context.
Demonstrates general knowledge of
the time period in which the sources
were written, and relates each
primary source to its specific
historical context.
For one or both sources, demonstrates
general knowledge of the time period
in which the source was written, but
may not relate the primary source to its
specific historical context.
For one or both sources,
demonstrates very limited
knowledge of the time period in
which the source was written and
therefore cannot relate the primary
source to its specific historical
context.
For both sources, completely
misidentifies the historical
context, or so little work has
been submitted that no points
can be given.
Clearly interprets the main idea or
point of both sources using
specific evidence from the sources
themselves to support the
interpretation.
Clearly interprets the main idea or
point of the sources using specific
evidence from the sources
themselves to support the
interpretation, but the interpretation
of one source may be stronger than
the other.
Interprets the main idea or point of
both sources, but one or both
interpretations may show a more
limited understanding of the sources or
lack specific evidence to support the
interpretation.
Attempts to interpret the main idea
or point of both sources, but one or
both interpretations show
substantial misunderstanding or
incompleteness.
Both sources are completely
misinterpreted, or so little work
has been submitted that no
points can be given.
Clearly interprets the purpose of
both sources by drawing specific
connections to other aspects of
the sources such as author,
audience, or historical context.
Clearly interprets the purpose of
both sources by drawing specific
connections to other aspects of the
sources such as author, audience, or
historical context, but the
interpretation of one source may be
stronger than the other.
Interprets the purpose of both sources
by drawing general connections to
other aspects of the source such as
author, audience, or historical context,
but one or both interpretations may
show a more limited understanding of
the sources.
Attempts to interpret the purpose of
both sources, but one or both
interpretations show substantial
misunderstanding or incompleteness.
Both sources are completely
misinterpreted, or so little work
has been submitted that no
points can be given.
Use as Historical
Evidence (20
points)
Identifies historical
evidence for the
source.
Conventions (10
points)
Submission follows
conventions for
standard written
English and meets
requirements.
For both sources, two relevant
historical questions, two pieces of
information to fact check, and two
other needed perspectives are
identified. Response
demonstrates thoughtful
reflection and a strong
understanding of how to use
primary sources as historical
evidence.
For both sources, two relevant
historical questions, two pieces of
information to fact check, and two
other needed perspectives are
identified. Response demonstrates a
general understanding of how to use
primary sources as historical
evidence.
Most of the elements are met for both
sources: two relevant historical
questions, two pieces of information to
fact check, and two other needed
perspectives are identified. Response
demonstrates a more limited
understanding of how to use primary
sources as historical evidence.
Few of the elements are met for one
or both sources: two relevant
historical questions, two pieces of
information to fact check, and two
other needed perspectives are
identified. Response demonstrates a
very limited understanding of how to
use primary sources as historical
evidence.
Response shows little to no
understanding how to use
primary sources as historical
evidence, or so little work has
been submitted that no points
can be given.
There are almost no errors in
grammar, punctuation, spelling,
and capitalization; all length and
formatting requirements are met.
There are minor errors in grammar,
punctuation, spelling, and
capitalization that do not impede
readability; length and formatting
requirements are nearly met.
There are frequent errors in grammar,
punctuation, spelling, and
capitalization that somewhat impede
readability; length and formatting
requirements are nearly met.
There are consistent errors in
grammar, punctuation, spelling, and
capitalization that significantly
impede readability; length and
formatting requirements are not met.
Submission does not meet the
minimum threshold for points
to be awarded.
US History I Touchstone Primary Sources
Review the primary sources from the following list and choose two for your assignment.
The sources you select should come from different time periods.
Settling the Americas, 10,000 BCE – 1700
● Privileges and Prerogatives Granted by Their Catholic Majesties to Christopher
Columbus: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/15th_century/colum.asp
● Letter of Christopher Columbus on his First Voyage to America:
https://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/pds/amerbegin/contact/text1/columbusletter.
pdf
● Excerpts from Nova Britannia:
https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/powhatan-people-and-the-english-at-jamestown
/sources/1403
● Richard Frethorne’s Letter to his Mother and Father, concerning the experiences
of an indentured servant:
http://www.virtualjamestown.org/exist/cocoon/jamestown/fha/J1012
● The Mayflower Compact:
https://constitutioncenter.org/education/classroom-resource-library/classroom/ma
yflower-compact
● John Winthrop Dreams of a City on a Hill:
http://www.americanyawp.com/reader/colliding-cultures/john-winthrop-dreams-ofa-city-on-a-hill-1630/
● Map of North America from the Moll Atlas:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/map-north-america-1712
● John Lawson Encounters Native Americans:
https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/colliding-cultures/john-lawson-encounters
-north-american-indians-1709/
● Examination of Bridget Bishop, as Recorded by Samuel Parris:
https://salem.lib.virginia.edu/n13.html#n13.1
● Germantown Friends’ Protest Against Slavery:
https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbpe.14000200/?st=text
The Road to Revolution, 1600-1783
● The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street, Boston on March 5th 1770 by a
Party of the 29th Reg:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/bloody-massacre-king-street
● The Bostonian’s Paying the Excise-Man, or Tarring & Feathering:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/bostonians-paying-exciseman
● The Battle of Bunker’s Hill: https://artgallery.yale.edu/collections/objects/41
● The Able Doctor, or America Swallowing the Bitter Draught:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/able-doctor-draught
● Deposition of Captain John Parker Concerning the Battle at Lexington:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/john-parker-lexington
● The Battle of Lexington, April 1775: https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.39753/
● Boston Non-Importation Agreement, August 1, 1768:
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/boston_non_importation_1768.asp
● Patrick Henry, Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death:
https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/patrick.asp
● William Jackson, an Importer; at the Brazen Head:
https://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=365
● Virtual Representation:
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1868-0808-4531
● By the King, A Proclamation for Suppressing Rebellion and Sedition:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/by-the-king-a-proclamation-forsuppressing-rebellion-and-sedition
The New Nation, 1776-1840
● George Washington’s First Inaugural Address:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/washington-first-inaugural
● Memorial From the Yearly Meeting of the Quakers:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/1-memorial-yearly-meeting
● Illustrated Family Record:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/illustrated-family-record
● Naturalization Act of 1790:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/naturalization-act-of-1790
● Petition Against the Slave Trade:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/petition-against-the-slave-trade
● Sedition Act of 1798:
http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/disp_textbook.cfm?smtID=3&psid=4126
● Congressional Pugilists:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/388906
● Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/act-prohibit-importation-slaves
● Testimony of Deborah Sampson Gannett:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/testimony-deborah-sampson-ga
nnett
● President Jefferson’s Message About Lewis and Clark’s Discoveries:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/discoveries-lewis-clark
● Speech of Captain Meriwether Lewis to the Otto Indians:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/lewis-speech-otto
● Cherokee Petition Protesting Removal:
https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/manifest-destiny/cherokee-petition-protes
ting-removal-1836/
A Nation Divided, 1800-1877
● Bill of Sale for a Slave Named George:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/bill-of-sale-for-slave-named-geo
rge
● The Declaration of Sentiments:
https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/senecafalls.asp
● Anti-Slavery Petition from the Women of Philadelphia:
https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/antislavery-petition-women-phil
adelphia
● The Way They Go To California: https://www.loc.gov/item/91481165/
● Westward the Course of Empire Take Its Way:
https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/westward-course-empire-takes-its-way-mural-s
tudy-us-capitol-14569
● Declaration of Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify th
