Understanding Context and Bias in World History

An excerpt from Prime Minister Winston Churchill's radio address to the people of the United Kingdom on May 8, 1945 ¹ :
Yesterday morning at 2:41 a.m. at Headquarters, General Jodl, the representative of the German High Command, and Grand Admiral Doenitz, the designated head of the German State, signed the act of unconditional surrender of all German Land, sea, and air forces in Europe to the Allied Expeditionary Force, and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command.

When was this source created?

• May 8, 1945

• Before the beginning of World War II

• After the end of World War I

• 2:41 a.m.

An excerpt from Prime Minister Winston Churchill's radio address to the people of the United Kingdom on May 8, 1945 ¹ :
Yesterday morning at 2:41 a.m. at Headquarters, General Jodl, the representative of the German High Command, and Grand Admiral Doenitz, the designated head of the German State, signed the act of unconditional surrender of all German Land, sea, and air forces in Europe to the Allied Expeditionary Force, and simultaneously to the Soviet High Command.

What type of source is this, and how do you know that?

• A primary source, because it is an excerpt of a radio address given by the prime minister

• A secondary source, because it is an excerpt of a radio address given by the prime minister

• A primary source, because Churchill speaks directly to the people of the United Kingdom

• A secondary source, because it is a radio address and not an actual speech

Patricia Nee is the author of A Woman in Military Fatigues , a memoir about her time in the U.S. military. Nee served as a soldier in Afghanistan and Iraq. She is also the founder of Skills for Girls, an after-school program that focuses on training girls for nontraditional careers, such as engineering and the military.

Which statement best describes a bias the author of A Woman in Military Fatigues might have?

• Nee supports the presence of women in the military.

• Nee opposes the presence of women in the military.

• Nee believes women do not make acceptable soldiers.

• Nee doesn't understand women who want to go into the military.

Daniella McKee is the author of Men on the Wrong Side of History , a book about the women's suffrage movement in Great Britain during the 1800s. She is the granddaughter of one of the founding members of the National Society for Women's Suffrage, a group that rallied to change laws in the United Kingdom that prevented women from voting. McKee is a professor of feminist studies at Windsor College and has written several other books on feminism and women's rights.

Which statement best describes a bias that the author of Men on the Wrong Side of History might have?

• McKee supports women's rights.

• McKee opposes women's rights.

• McKee thinks women are uninformed voters.

• McKee feels women in Great Britain shouldn't vote.

What is a primary source?

• an artifact, a document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, a recording, or other source that was created at the time of study

• created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events researched

• prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair

• an educated guess based on evidence & prior knowledge

What is a secondary source?

• an artifact, a document, diary, manuscript, autobiography, a recording, or other source that was created at the time of study

• created later by someone who did not experience first-hand or participate in the events researched

• prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair

• an educated guess based on evidence & prior knowledge