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Analysis
African Americans
1800 ~ 1870
"Historians analyze historical sources in different ways. First, historians
think about where, when and why a document was created. They consider
whether a source was created close in location and time to an actual
historical event. Historians also think about the purpose of a source. Was
it a personal diary intended to be kept private? Was the document prepared
for the public? Some primary sources may be
judged more reliable than others, but every source is biased in some way.
As a result, historians read sources skeptically and critically. They also
cross-check sources against other evidence and sources. Historians follow
a few basic rules to help them analyze primary sources."
The above link
to the Library of Congress Learning Page will explain the Time &
Place Rule, Bias Rule and provide questions to help you Analyze
Primary Sources
 Dispelling
Myths
It is often a difficult task to distinguish fact from fiction and as
time passes, folktales and myths are interpreted as truth by misguided
individuals. Three articles below dispel the recent theory that quilt
patterns were used as a code to help slaves escape on the Underground
Railroad.
Rocky
Road to Analysis: Interpreting Quilt Patterns
Barbara Brackman ~ Quilt Historian
Keynote Address at American Quilt Study Group, Dallas TX, 10 Oct. 2003
The
Underground Railroad Quilt "Code": Betsy Ross redux
Leigh Fellner ~ Quilt & Fabric Historian
Article published in Traditional Quiltworks magazine, 2003
Young
Readers at Risk: Quilt Patterns & the Underground Railroad
Deborah Foley ~ Information Literacy Instructor
Article for Crafting Freedom Project 2004
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