Transcript Analyzing Multiple Accounts of the Same Event

Analyzing Multiple Accounts of
the Same Event
Putting together all the pieces…
Think of a time when you have
been in a situation with a friend and
when you talk about it later, your
friend has a different summary ( or
account) of the situation.
Share with the class.
Your version, or account, of the
situation may be different than
another person’s, because you
noticed different things. You have
different perspectives. The same
thing happens in the news and in
history. There are first-hand
accounts in informational text, and
there are second-hand accounts.
A firsthand account of an event or
topic is based on an author’s personal
experience. Diaries, autobiographies,
and letters are considered to be
firsthand accounts. The author’s
perspective with regard to the event or
topic may be influenced by his or her
feelings about it.
A secondhand account of an event or
topic is based on an author’s research,
rather than personal experience.
Encyclopedia entries, biographies, and
textbooks are considered to be
secondhand accounts. The author’s
perspective with regard to the event or
topic is usually neutral. The author
simply states facts about it.
Take a look at the following
accounts. Read each one, and
discuss with a partner if it is a
firsthand account or a secondhand
account. Be ready to share your
answers. Be able to cite evidence
from the text that supports your
answer.
Indentured Servants
Early settlers in the American colonies had a lot of land but not
enough people to work on it. So, beginning in the decade after
the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, many men and
women came to the colonies to live as indentured servants. In
exchange for their passage overseas and room and board,
these men and women agreed to work for a period of between
four and seven years. Then they would be considered free.
Until then, they had to fulfill their contracts by working very
hard. Their lives were harsh and restricted. People who tried to
run away could be punished by having their contracts
extended. If they survived the hard labor, however, indentured
servants received freedom packages which sometimes
included at least 25 acres of land.
What type of account was it?
Secondhand!
How do you know?
The author of this passage was not an indentured servant and has
no personal experience with indentured servitude.
Instead, the author uses researched information to tell about
indentured servants.
The author’s purpose for writing is to inform readers.
The author’s perspective with regard to indentured servitude is
neutral. The author states facts about both the drawbacks and the
potential outcomes of being an indentured servant.
Adapted from a letter by Richard Frethorne, an Indentured Servant:
Virginia, 1623
Loving and Kind Father and Mother,
There is nothing here to comfort me. Since I left the ship, all I have eaten is watery
porridge and peas. There is not enough meat or poultry to be had; I haven’t seen any
deer around, and I am working too hard to hunt for fowl. Early until late I work and work,
awarded for my labor with yet more porridge. Four men have to share a meager serving
of bread, so it’s little wonder that so many have fallen ill.
Not only am I hungry, I hardly have any clothing. My cloak was even stolen by a man
whom I believe sold it for food. Fortunately, Mr. Jackson in Jamestown is kind to me and
has given me some fish, but I am still miserable and hungry. I want nothing more than to
go home. I do beg you, good Father, to release me from my great grief. I know you
would cry if you saw my pathetic state. Give my love to all my friends and family. The
answer to this letter will mean life or death for me; please, Father, send for me as soon
as possible.
Richard
What type of account was it?
Firsthand!
How do you know?
The author of this letter is a young man named Richard Frethorne. He is
telling about his personal experiences of living in Virginia as an indentured
servant.
The author’s purpose for writing is to persuade his parents to let him
come home.
The author’s perspective with regard to indentured servitude is negative.
His experience as an indentured servant has been very harsh. He is trying
to convince his parents to send for him by showing just how harsh it has
been.
Adapted from an advertisement in the Virginia Gazette, Parks from
November 12, 1736:
A white servant boy named John Turner, belonging to Mr.
Darby Skinner of Hampton, was sent to Williamsburg and
has not returned. It is suspected that he has run away. He
had on a blue jacket and trousers and had with him a small
bay horse. . .Whoever will bring the boy and horse to Mr.
Darby Skinner shall have a reasonable reward, over and
above what the law allows.
Credit:Virginia Gazette (Parks), Williamsburg, November 12, 1736.
What type of account was it?
Firsthand!
How do you know?
The author of this newspaper advertisement is a man named Darby
Skinner. He is telling about how his servant, John Turner, ran away.
The author’s purpose is to persuade anyone who might find John
Turner to bring the boy and the horse back to Hampton.
The author’s perspective with regard to indentured servitude is
unsympathetic. According to Darby Skinner, John Turner belongs to him
just as much as the horse does. Skinner feels that Turner owes him a
debt, and he is trying to convince others to find Turner by offering a
reward.
All three passages are written on
the same topic, yet they probably
affected you, the reader, in different
ways. Discuss with a partner the
similarities and differences between
the three accounts. Talk about the
effectiveness of each.
Let’s try a few more.
Lewis and Clark’s Trip
In the early 1800s, Meriwether Lewis and William
Clark took their famous trip through the West. Lewis and
Clark crossed the Rockies and reached the Pacific Ocean.
Along the way, they made maps and kept records
of animals and plants they saw.
A Shoshone woman named Sacagawea
accompanied Lewis and Clark and their group. She was
very helpful in getting the explorers safely through Native
American territory and across the mountains.
Lewis and Clark saw the Rocky Mountains for the
first time, from a distance, on May 26, 1805.
What type of account was it?
Secondhand!
How do you know?
Passage from Meriwether Lewis’s journal, May 26, 1805
“these points of the Rocky Mountains were
covered with snow and the sun shone on it in such
manner as to give me the most plain and
satisfactory view.”
Lewis also noted:
“the joy I . . . felt in the first moments in which I
gazed on them.”
What type of account was it?
Firsthand!
How do you know?
Summary of an original journal entry kept by a member of Lewis and Clark’s
group, May 4–28, 1805
“By now Lewis and Clark were growing ever more
anxious to catch sight of the Rockies, the mountain barrier
they knew they would have to cross. In the last week of May,
Lewis saw the mountains for the first time.
He was filled with joy, immediately tempered by a realization
of the challenge that lay ahead.
The captains were eager to reach the Rockies, but
progress was slow along the frequently bending river, which
was now shallow and filled with jutting rocks.”
What type of account was it?
Firsthand!
How do you know?
Think of the author’s perspective in
each of these accounts. In each
account, is the author’s perspective
positive, negative, or neutral? Refer
to specific lines in the text that
support your answer.
Do you think it is important to
read firsthand and secondhand
accounts when learning about
history or news? Why or why
not? Give at least three
reasons for your answer.