I understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed through analysis of primary sources of many kinds

A primary source is an artifact, created during a time period, that assists in one's analysis of that period of history. The primary source could be anything from relics to photographs to journals. For instance, a letter found in Germany that was dated back to the era of World War I could be used to analyze what that time period was like. Primary sources could analyze what the time period was like, what view a country or person had on a certain issue at this time, and/or how this pointed toward an event that happened in later years.

In order to discuss primary sources in more detail, I present to you... The Archive of New Imperialism! This "museum" of primary sources will help analyze the period of the New Imperialism and how life was impacted by it.

The first artifact that is presented in the Archive of New Imperialism is an advertisement for Pears' Soap. What can be analyzed from this artifact? The advertisement describes the "cultured of all nations" and "Civilization", indirectly referring to the

Europeans while they indirectly refer to other nations as "the dark corners of the earth". This places Europeans above all other nations present on the planet. The ad also talks about bringing the light of the "cultured" to "brighten the dark co

rners of the earth". The credibility of this source is acceptable as it was located on a .edu website and the website is also analyzing the advertisement.

A major branch of primary sources is artwork. To analyze how life was affected by the New Imperialism, the

following piece of art was found. This piece of art depicts the famed French Hall of Mirrors, where the French were forced to surrender to the German forces, to whom they were at war. One important piece of information that was conveyed through this piece is nationalistic feelings. This is conveyed by the people present. Most of the people are wearing black uniforms and are staring at the m

en in white. This can be said to be the French watching as they are forced to surrender. These feelings of nationalism can only increase international tensions between the French and the Germans in the succeeding years. The source that this came from is reliable because the site is a college's website (Presbyterian College).

Photographs are also important primary sources as they are actual footage of an event as it happened. These particular photographs display two men from the years of WWI. The war, which began because of nationalistic beliefs, brought a large amount of casualties with it. Some of these casualties had parts of their face blown off due to grenades or artillery blasts. What is seen here is the first attempt of rebuilding someone's face, which is the predecessor to today's plastic surgery. Seeing as the website that this photo came from is of United Kingdom origin,

where these attempts occurred, this site is very reliable; however, it would be more reliable if it came from a university website rather than a newsfeed since the photo came from the early twentieth century.

Finally, when it comes to primary sources, the best one that people can possibly get their hands on is an actual item from that period. These actual objects are called "relics".

Relics can be anything, from documents to statues to bullet casings. This particular artifact represents the actual Treaty of Versailles. As it is well known, the treaty was established by the allies, specifically the French, after World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was extremely unfair toward the German nation, making them make reparations for all the damage caused by the war, whether they caused it or not. One reason why it may be unfair is that the French were involved in the writing of it. The French were most likely still flipped about the Franco-Prussian War many years before, leading to biased terms of agreement in ending the war. The site that this source came from was a course introductory site from Mount Holyoke College, meaning that this source is reliable.