Post # 2: I understand how our knowledge of the past is constructed through analysis of primary sources of many kinds

My knowledge of the past has come from many different places, and a textbook can only go so far. One of the best sources for information is a primary source. A primary source is a sort of evidence created or produced during the time of study. A primary source can range from official documents to a soldier's diary to propaganda psoters and various artifacts. To be a primary source, the source must be original- not a quotation or a reflection on what it means. It must be the genuine letter, poem, poster, artifact or whatever else it may be. Primary sources tend to provide much more information than a textbook, because rather than a historian's perspective, these sources are a sort of window to the past, showing exactly what the writer was thinking. They can tell what the public was like at that time, through propaganda, or what sort of technologies there were, by the actual artifacts. Nowadays, the primary sources will be most likely found in places such as museums and historical locations.

A Library of Primary Sources Documenting the New Imperialism:

Propaganda:
This propaganda is a political cartoon representing Japan's attitude towards the various treaties and such presented to it in the age of the New Imperialism. From this image, it can be surmized that Japan's newfound military strength as a result of its modernization was being used as a means of rejecting any and all treaties and means of compromise it faced.

This image was retrieved from this source. This website is a reliable source, as it is the webpage for the New York State Education Department's Global History and Geography online research guide, which provides much information and many images concerning many events in history, and is aimed at assisting students in increasing their knowledge.

Artwork:
This artwork is a water color painting of a Boer War soldier, a 21st Lancer, and was painted by an S. O'Beirne in 1899. This painting shows clearly the equipment and ride of a Boer War 21st Lancer: they wore metal armor and helmets, carried spears and rifles, and rode horses. It also provides some insight as to the artist's view of the soldier. The soldier seems to be regarded as a hero, prepared to charge into battle, rather than as a villain or an enemy.

This image was retrieved from this source. This website is a reliable source because it is the webpage of Bristow & Garland Booksellers, a British company that sells authentic documents and paintings to any interested party. The images are not frauds, as they are described to be able to be returned within 7 days if not found as described: authentic.

Photograph:
This photograph shows some men during the time of the Boxer Rebellion, in summer of 1900, possibly in Peking, the capital of China at that time. From the photograph, it can be deduced that the men are prisoners, by the weights on thier feet or hands. They are most likely prisoners of the rebellious Boxers: the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fist, showing the suffering endured during this period of fighting, not just by soldiers, but by prisoners as well.

This image came from this reliable source. It is the website for BBC, the British Broadcasting Corporation, at a page discussing the history of ideas, in our time. The page is identified as providing factual information, and has many links to further research sources.

Artifact:

This artifact is, quite simply, a map of Africa, showing the land claims, and borders thereof, by Eurpoean empires in 1910. What can be learned from this artifact is exactly what it shows: the partitioning of Africa and its borders in 1910. It identifies through colored areas which countries had which territores, and deductions can be made from these, such as which country was most successful, possibly most powerful, and which countries were simply less powerful or were later to join the scramble for Africa.

This image was retrieved from this reliable source. This source is reliable because it is the website for the New World Encyclopedia, which is stated to organize knowledge for happiness, prosperity, and world peace, and states that "research begins here". The site presents a massive wealth of information cocnerning near all topics across history, provides sources for all information present, and conforms to such standards as being historically (and gramatically) accurate, and providing resources and bibliography for all articles.