Analyzing Objects

Porcelain

Musket Ball

Smallpox

Nail

Reaper

Shirtwaist

Transistor

Coffee

Record

Tire

Dishwasher

Dress

Stereograph

Stone

Mail

Shoe

Question 1:
Historical thinking involves starting with evidence or sources, and then considering the deeper meanings and implications of that evidence. Just compiling historical sources is of limited value; you must think of the biases that the sources bring, and the biases that you bring into your interpretation.
Question 2:
Objects can spark critical thinking and analysis in a way that a document or text excerpt might not. An object may not have an obvious historical value, or you may not even be sure what it is. By hypothesizing and thinking critically, you are developing historical thinking skills.
Redirect: /content/what-historical-thinking
Module Id: 689
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
It appears to be part of a set of china, and it looks to be expensive, so I assume it belonged to someone in a higher social class. It looks like it could be from the 1700s or early 1800s.
Question 2:
I first thought of tea drinking and how it played into the early protests against colonial taxation. Looking at it again, it looks like it could also be closer to a coffee cup, so perhaps it could show changing social patterns and customs in the U.S.
Redirect: /content/porcelain-resources
Module Id: 951
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
My first thought was that it was a musket ball from the 18th or 19th century, which attracted my interest as a military history buff. Looking at it more closely, it could be that, but it is also a vague enough object to attract more speculation.
Question 2:
Assuming it is a musket ball, then it is a very real connection to the military history of our country. It is a simple object that vividly shows the dangers of war in our country's history and shows what soldiers in our history faced.
Redirect: /content/musket-ball-resources
Module Id: 955
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
Without being able to read the inscription, this appears to be a monument, or perhaps a gravestone. The weathered condition of the stone and the type of script makes it appear that the stone has considerable age to it.
Question 2:
By determining what the stone memorializes, it can tell us a great deal about what people think is important to memorialize. The people from the time and place of the stone's placement obviously thought that there was something important enough to memorialize in their society and location.
Redirect: /content/stone-resources
Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
These appear to be shoes from the 1800s or early 1900s based on their style and construction. They seem to be plain, ordinary shoes, so they presumably did not belong to a wealthy individual. They seem to be working class shoes.
Question 2:
Presenting an everyday object like this can help students understand that history does not just involve the famous and wealthy. This artifact can be used as an example of what an average student might have owned in past times.
Redirect: /content/shoe-resources
Module Id: 1002
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
These appear to be old nails and at least some of them seem to be wrought by hand, which makes me think that they are at least as old as the 1800s.
Question 2:
If these were made by a blacksmith and then used to construct something, then they could serve as an example of how life went on in pre-industrialization America. These are the artifacts that an average person in the 1800s would be familiar with producing, so it tells the story of an ordinary person.
Redirect: /content/nail-resources
Module Id: 953
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
Nescafe is still produced today, so I immediately recognized what it is. The can is quite old looking, so it may be from when Nescafe was a new and exciting piece of technology.
Question 2:
This could speak to the development of food technologies. Products like Nescafe meant that people no longer had to rely on fresh foods, or grind their own coffee beans in this case.
Redirect: /content/coffee-resources
Module Id: 1147
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
The envelope says "Confederate States of America" and "Official Business", so it apparently is a communication between members of the Confederate government. It's labeled "Auditor's Office", so I presume that it is a simple bureaucratic piece of business from the Confederacy.
Question 2:
It highlights the fact that the Confederacy was a (at least self-proclaimed) country within our borders from 1861-1865. Regardless whether someone thinks secession was legal or not, the Confederacy saw itself as an independent country, and as such, it had to oversee mundane business such as this envelope is evidence of.
Redirect: /content/mail-resources
Module Id: 1021
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
Historical thinking is based around the analysis of primary sources, including artifacts. It involves looking at a possibly unfamiliar object or source and asking key questions that lead to a deeper analysis and understanding of its importance.
Question 2:
Objects that do not have an obvious historical value, or even an obvious use, can be shown to students to spark critical thinking. Students can be guided by questions that will have them examine an object closely and which will lead them towards an understanding of the historical importance of the object.
Redirect: /content/connections-essay-historical-thinking
Module Id: 689
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
I was on the right track initially when I thought of the tea controversy in colonial America. It also ties into the idea of mercantilism, where the colonies were expected to ship raw goods to England while importing goods like this porcelain only from the mother country. It shows that colonists were tightly controlled in at least some of their economic transactions, and this largely led to the American Revolution.
Question 2:
I would want to know what percentage of the American population was directly affected by things like the Townshend and Stamp Acts. Were the wealthy classes more or less inconvenienced by the acts than lower classes and to what extent where colonial economics actually tied to these acts? More data would be useful to determine how large of an impact economic influences made versus more abstract political/representation issues.
Redirect: /content/porcelain-connections-essay
Module Id: 951
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
The musket ball connects to the type of warfare that was fought during the American Revolution. It shows how the available technology dictated how battles were fought. Understanding the tactics of the era helps explain why the new country struggled to form a professional army.
Question 2:
You could look at contemporary letters and diaries from a variety of perspectives: soldiers, civilians (both Loyalist and Patriot), and political leaders. Political cartoons from those who supported and from those who opposed a standing army could be useful.
Redirect: /content/musket-ball-connections-essay
Module Id: 955
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
The boundary stone tells the story of how Washington, DC was split by the debate over slavery. Virginia regained the portion of the state originally contributed as part of DC primarily due to DC's prohibition of the slave trade. This was a temporary solution to the slavery debate that is representative of the larger debate that would eventually lead to the Civil War.
Question 2:
Boundaries can help students understand the goals of governments and societies at a specific time and place. It is important for students to understand that boundaries are not just random lines on a map, but rather that they can tell us a great deal about why a government would want a boundary to achieve a particular goal.
Redirect: /content/stone-connections-essay
Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
These are an example of shoes that would have been supplied by the government to soldiers in the Civil War. They are an example of how the government used contracts from suppliers to supply the largest army in U.S. history. They represent the increased level of government control and involvement necessary to conduct what was then the largest war in America's history.
Question 2:
Primary sources dealing with the introduction of the draft could reveal opinions about increased government control and involvement. Looking at the letters of drafted soldiers who entered the army, and those people who protested or were involved in draft riots, could explain to what extent citizens accepted government control. The same could be done with the subject of government taxation during the war.
Redirect: /content/shoe-connections-essay
Module Id: 1002
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
Mass-produced nails were one of the key reasons that building styles were able to change. By having nails readily available, homes were quicker and easier to construct. This was important, because America's population grew throughout the 19th century and moved westward. Lots of housing was needed and the ability to build it quickly helped encourage further growth.
Question 2:
Westward expansion is often seen as a means of excess populations that were not thriving in the East to move into new territories and start a new life. Nails made it easier for these populations to uproot and quickly build at least a simple life for themselves in the west. The Homestead Act provided free land, and cheap and readily available news would be a major benefit to quickly settling and starting a farm on that new land.
Redirect: /content/nail-connections-essay
Module Id: 953
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
It is an example of how after World War II, the American food industry focused on advertising and selling prepared and instant foods. The production that had geared up for the needs of the military meant that it was profitable to sell similar instant products to the general public.
Question 2:
Advertising presents an idealized view of women that is being created and pushed by (presumably male) marketers. It's not clear just by looking at advertising if their perceptions resonate with women. Women of different socioeconomic classes than the marketed ideal might not have followed the same roles and trends as the ideal.
Redirect: /content/coffee-connections-essay
Module Id: 1147
User Id: 1293
Question 1:
The envelope is evidence of how important the Post Office was in 19th century America. To us, mailing letters seems almost obsolete, but in the lead up to the Civil War, it was the primary to spread both pro-slavery and abolitionist propaganda. Most Americans learned information largely through what they received in the mail.
Question 2:
The module raised a good point about how the Founding Fathers, even Southerners, truly did look upon slavery as a negative institution. Even though they were not able to effectively find a way forward for gradual emancipation, their views were a far cry from what the Southern leaders of the Civil War era believed. The political view of slavery in the South transitioned from a necessary evil to a positive good, which shaped the Confederacy's ideals.
Redirect: /content/mail-connections-essay
Module Id: 1021
User Id: 1293
Title: Guided questioning of artifacts
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I liked the examples of guided questioning when exploring a historical object, like the list of questions on the National Park Service worksheet. By having "leading" questions that will get students to think about an unfamiliar object, they will start thinking historically. They can record their thought process as they answer the questions on the worksheet and eventually will come up with at least a hypothesis about the importance of the object. This could also be used with historical documents that may be difficult for students to understand at first.
Redirect: /content/analyzing-objects-wrap
Module Id: 689
User Id: 1293
Title: Objects as Symbols
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
The use of something like a porcelain cup could be used to show how an object is representative of a much larger issue. I could show my students an example or photo of an object like this; while the connection to colonial protests was obvious to me, it probably would not be to most of my 7th graders. They could speculate about what the object is, and once they identify it, think of how it connects to the larger historical event. This could be done with everyday objects from many eras, such as showing a cotton gin and exploring how that object represents the much larger issue of the expansion of slavery.
Redirect: /content/porcelain-wrap
Module Id: 951
User Id: 1293
Title: Military artifacts
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I teach in Stafford, which is very close to multiple major Civil War battlefields, so I could use a Civil War bullet or similar military artifact as a starting point to discuss the war. While students don't necessarily need to know a great deal about the tactics of the war, it is important that they have some idea of what the soldiers faced. I have many students from military families in my class, and I have a military background, so it would be interesting to compare and contrast what past U.S. soldiers faced with what their parents are used to.
Redirect: /content/musket-ball-wrap
Module Id: 955
User Id: 1293
Title: Boundaries
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I might come up with an activity that involves changing boundaries, like the example of Virginia regaining their portion of DC. By showing students historical maps with changing boundaries, I could have them speculate about what historical events could lead to a new boundary. The example of West Virginia being created from Virginia could be an easy way to explore boundaries and how economics and slavery explains why Unionism existed more strongly in what's now West Virginia.
Redirect: /content/stone-wrap
Module Id: 1039
User Id: 1293
Title: Everyday items
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
By presenting an everyday item related to the Civil War, it can present a more personal connection. Teaching in Stafford, we are surrounded by Civil War history. Talking about battles or campsites may not interest students, but showing them artifacts that belonged to an average soldier could spark a discussion about some of the larger ideas discussed in this module. Inexpensive Civil War artifacts like bullets are readily available, and these could be used in class, as well as pictures of artifacts like the shoes.
Redirect: /content/shoe-wrap
Module Id: 1002
User Id: 1293
Title: Everyday objects
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
Other tools that we take for granted could be examined, as well as nails. Asking students why they were important (without historical context) would probably show that students take these items for granted. Providing historical context about how people had to construct their homes, or repair things, would show them how important these items were. Farming equipment or tools might be another good item to have students think about.
Redirect: /content/nail-wrap
Module Id: 953
User Id: 1293
Title: Food products
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I think students could get interested by presenting them with a familiar food product and using it to show how food has changed through the years. An example could be Spam, and a discussion could follow about meat rationing in World War II and why preserved meats were developed. This could also tie into a current events discussion of how fresh foods are often now widely marketed as the ideal, not necessarily instant foods.
Redirect: /content/coffee-wrap
Module Id: 1147
User Id: 1293
Title: Letters from the past
Grade Level: Middle
Short Answer:
I think it would be interesting to introduce a new topic through several letters that students "receive" from people in the past. For example, some students might receive several propaganda letters from an abolitionist, and then describe how those letters would shape their world view. Other students might receive pro-slavery propaganda letters, and then describe how their world view might be shaped if that was the only information they were able to receive.
Redirect: /content/mail-wrap
Module Id: 1021
User Id: 1293