Primary Source Analysis: Columbus Letter

Primary Source Analysis:  The essay should be clearly organized around a central thesis statement, with successive paragraphs developing ideas that reinforce the central claim.

Survey the sources formal characteristics: What is it titled? When was it
published? What kind of document is it? These details are significant to
contextualizing the source in the historical period it was produced.
2.
Consider its authorship: Who wrote or produced it? What is the authors identity
(race, gender, work, social status, political affiliation, and other life details might
matter greatly to the production of the source)? What is its intended audience? If
applicable, how was it received when it was first published or examined?
3.
Contextualize the source: Why was the source produced? What environmental or
contextual factors influenced its production (economic, social, political, cultural
conditions)? How does the source reflect its historical context?
4.
Analyze the sources contents: What is the sources purpose and function? What
opinions or points of view does the source convey or imply (intentionally or
unintentionally)? How is it organized and why?
5.
Your own interpretation: What do you, the reader, learn from this source? What
does the document tell us about the past, and what argument or statement can be
made from reading it? What is its lasting historical significance? What contextual
details does the source exclude or omit from view? What can be concluded about
the reliability or validity of the source (what are its limits in revealing a detailed
picture of the past)? How might historians use it in constructing a narrative

The essay should NOT incorporate any references to outside source materials. Instead, students should focus entirely on a close reading of the one source, referring heavily to passages or ideas directly from the text. References should be in text parenthetical citations, noting author and page number/ paragraph and line number (when applicable). Formal works cited pages are NOT required and are actively discouraged. The chosen source should be the only work referenced in the paper