There are a number of points you should be sure to consider with each document. You should check the date on the document you are considering against the timeline of reconstruction we have provided. It's important to know, as precisely as possible, what was going on at the time. Sometimes there is a single point, sometimes there are many points which together lead to a single conclusion. This sort of phrase is powerful, but also revealing.
History is a creative endeavor.
Try to approach these sources without preconceived ideas, and open your imagination to the difference between the past and the present. You are constructing an interpretation, an argument. Your papers and essay answers will be your opinions, supported by historical evidence. We welcome speculation, creativity, and risk taking, but we insist that you prove your arguments.