Primary sources are an invaluable source of historical evidence, and it is important to know how to read them. Below you will find questions to ask yourself while reading primary sources, as well as examples of information that primary sources can provide.

Consider NAACP investigator Walter White’s essay on the Tulsa Massacre and compare with news coverage from The Outlook.

Who is the intended audience for each text?

White’s essay is likely intended for people familiar with the NAACP and already concerned about the terrorism of African Americans. It is meant to spur the sympathetic into action. Readers of The Outlook are probably educated, interested in current events and politics but are more interested in race issues an intellectual exercise than a social justice issue.

How does each text explain the cause of events? How do they differ?

Both texts pointed to the alleged assault of a female elevator worker by a Black man as the catalyst, but White’s essay doubts the truth of this accusation and provided abundant context to explain racial violence and harassment leading up to the Tulsa Massacre.

Which version of events do you find more believable and why?

White’s essay is a longer, more detailed analysis of racial tensions and ties the massacre to broader historical and cultural issues pertaining to race in the U.S. It is a more compelling case compared to The Outlook which ultimately frames the Tulsa Massacre as a law and order issue.

What were some of the responses to Andrew Johnson’s vetoing of the Civil Rights Act of 1866?

· The periodical Liddell’s Living Age published a denunciation of the president as a “man of small intellect and small passions,” suggesting that he be impeached for opposing Congress and obstructing legislation that would guarantee the rights of African Americans as U.S. citizens.

· The periodical Zion’s Herald and Wesleyan Journal accused Johnson of “allying with traitors” and refusing to do what the Constitution “permits and requires” while upholding pre-war restrictions on African Americans.

· According to the Christian Advocate, after Johnson’s veto, the bill returned to the Senate and House where it was again passed by a majority vote and became “among our regularly enacted statutes.”