Ontario History Quest > Grade 8 > Introductory Activities > Understanding Primary & Secondary Sources

1890s-1920s, Canada at the turn of the Century: The Impact of Industrialization

Read the following two selections:

Soldiers ate, fought and slept in trenches. During the day, some men were always on guard…Others did necessary tasks like repair collapsing trench walls. In the spring and summer, they often worked in knee-deep water, sometimes filled with bodies. In the winter, they felt the cold of snow and sleet. (Phyllis A. Arnold, Penney Clark, and Ken Westerlund, Canada Revisited 8 [Edmonton: Arnold Publishing, 2000]: 308.)

"Forward," commanded our officers ahead of us. We keep on going. Ahead of me I see men running. Suddenly their legs double up and they sink to the ground. Here's a body with the head shot off. I jump over it. Here's a devil with both legs gone, but I am still alive. (Daniel G. Dancocks, Welcome to Flanders Fields [Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1989]: 200.)

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Which of these selections is a primary historical document, and which is the secondary historical source?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.