Read the following two selections:

Mackenzie decided to take advantage of the political unrest. He began to ride around the countryside north of Toronto, stirring up people against the government. Those who became most rebellious were called Radicals. (Penney Clark and others, Canada Revisited 7 [Edmonton: Arnold Publishing, 1999]: 308.)

Brave Canadians! The law says we shall not be taxed without our consent by the voices of the men of choice, but a tyrannical government has trampled upon the law-robbed the exchequer-divided the plunder-and declared that, regardless of justice they will continue to roll their splendid carriages. (Quoted in Penney Clark and others, Canada Revisited 7 [Edmonton: Arnold Publishing, 1999]: 212.)

Be prepared to discuss the following questions.

• Which of these selections is a primary historical document, and which is the secondary historical source?
• What is different about the two selections?
• What are the characteristics of these two sources of information?
• What potential problems are associated with each one?
• Can you explain how both selections help students understand a historical topic, but in different ways?

Go to Characteristics of primary and secondary sources to see if your ideas are correct and to examine some key questions that historians must consider when analyzing each source.