Introduction to American Studies
Dr. Kyle Riismandel
Primary Source Response Assignment Sheet
Instructions
Your responses should be no more than 600 words.
You must complete two Primary Source responses.
Rather than a summary, your response should address the following questions:
When was it from? Who created it? Who was the audience?
What did the source communicate about the values, ideals, and culture of its time and place?
In particular, you will want to articulate what the source(s) help us understand about the larger themes of that week and of the course—What is America? Who is an American? in that particular time and place.
Don’t describe, analyze! This means you will:
Identify the significance of the source and its meaning.
Explain how and what it helps us understand about ideas, people, and events of its time.
Be as specific as possible – link examples to your analysis
Always come back to the “So what?” question
