Primary Source Interpretation of Puerto Rico
or this assignment, please write 1000-1250 words (not including notes and bibliography), about a primary source related to Puerto Rican history
The source you will be writing about is (see separate PDF for the article): “Island of Puerto Rico: History and Characteristics of the Spanish Colony Attacked by Sampson’s Fleet.” New York Times (New York, NY), May 15, 1898.
In writing about this primary source, please address the topics below. Also, make sure to learn from my comments on your first paper, and try not to repeat actions that I corrected. Refer to Katherine Antonova’s chapter, “Primary Source Interpretation,” for more information on each of these topics:
Text: What does the document say? What message was it conveying to its original readers? Since this is a long primary source, give an overview. You do not need to address every single point. Instead, give me a summary of the main points. One way to do this is to give an overview of main points, and then zoom into a particular section of the document and summarize that section. For example, something like, “this document explains the process of making chocolate chip cookies, from mixing the ingredients, to cooling the baked cookies. One section explains how to place the cookies on the baking sheet so they are not too close together. The author suggests that one do a, b, c, and d so that the cookies are not too close together…etc.”
Context: 1. Who wrote the document? When did they write it? 2. Why did they write it? What circumstances inspired it? 3. Where how, when, and by whom was it read? What influence did it have? 4. In what ways does it reflect the time and place from which it came?
Subtext: What was being said indirectly, or “between the lines”? What was left unsaid
This assignment is worth 10% of your grade. The grade breakdown is as follows: • Summarizing the text: 2% • Addressing the four elements of context, listed above: 4% • Pointing out at least one example of the document’s subtext: 1% • Your argument about why this document is important historically: 1% • Proper citations (use footnotes) and bibliography of all sources used at end of paper: 1% o Look up the Chicago Manual of Style online, Here is a page that explains the basics of how to format your footnotes and bibliography: https://www.
