Signature History

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OBJECTIVE
Language Arts Goal: To read and analyze historical documents
Social Studies Goal: To identify and effectively use primary and secondary sources

MATERIALS
Pen and paper; Signature History Student Reproducible 3 (PDF)

REPRODUCIBLES

1. Signature History Student Reproducible 3 (PDF)
   

DIRECTIONS
BACKGROUND DISCUSSION (20 minutes)

PART A

1. Review the definition of primary sources (records that have survived from the past; examples include diaries, memoirs, letters, maps, census data, and newspapers). Provide the definition of secondary sources (accounts of the past created by people writing about events sometime after they happened). Source: The Library of Congress, "The Learning Page: What Are Primary Sources?" http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/psources/source.html.
   
   
2. Instruct students to select three different things that they have created this year (homework assignments, drawings, letters, etc.). Explain that these simple items are primary sources that show what life is like in 21st-century schools. Ask: What makes these items different from a textbook describing 21st-century schools? (Answer: A textbook is a second-hand account while homework is a first-hand account.)
   
   
3. Discuss how researchers locate primary sources through searches on government Web sites, and in museums, libraries, archives, etc. Review some of the key characteristics of a primary source (first-person perspective, information about daily life, spelling and grammar errors, signatures, etc.).

PART B

1. Highlight signatures as a key characteristic of many primary sources. Review the following:
   
• The act of signing one's name is a powerful action that signifies a person's commitment to certain ideas.
• Signing a document can create a feeling of ownership and pride.
• Signatures inform our study of history. For example, they can be a personal affirmation that an event occurred (e.g., a marriage), a law was put into effect, or a transaction took place.
  
  
2. Ask: What items have your name or your signature on them? What makes these items different from the ones that you did not sign?
   
   
3. Identify the types of primary sources that might include a signature (letter, contract, library card, etc.). Ask: Why would a signed primary source be a particularly valuable research tool? (Answer: Signatures can help to confirm the document's authenticity and provide a personal link to the past.)
   
   
4. Highlight several documents whose historical significance is partially due to a signature (e.g., The Declaration of Independence, letters written during the Civil War, laws bearing the U.S. President's signature).

WRITING ACTION (20 minutes)

Distribute Signature History Student Reproducible 3 (PDF) and instruct students to read the letter and answer the questions alone or in pairs. As a class, review the answers together. The complete letter text can be found at: www.si.umich.edu/SPIES/index-people.html.

ANSWER KEY

1. This letter from George Washington provides instructions to a new spy regarding how to safely communicate.
   
   
2. General Washington asks the new spy to sign any letters that he sends, so that the letter's authenticity can be confirmed. Washington also describes the kind of enemy information that the American army needs.
   
   
3. Washington can only be certain that the letters came from his spy if they contain the spy's signature as well as a secret code or mark that is not described in this letter.
   
   
4. From this letter, George Washington seems to be a leader who cares deeply about the safety of his men. He also displays leadership by clearly outlining what he expects from his spy so that there is no confusion later.
   
   
5. This primary source illustrates the stress that Washington feels and the danger that the spy is in. Washington's intensity, leadership, and emotional involvement in the Revolutionary War come across in this letter in a way that would not be possible in an encyclopedia excerpt.
   
   
6. Answers may vary.

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