READING AND UNDERSTANDING DOCUMENTS

To help you read and understand the documents, a brief paragraph at the beginning of each chapter sketches the larger historical context, which your textbook explains in more detail. A headnote precedes each document and identifies its source, explains who produced it and when, and suggests why it is revealing. Questions to aid your reading and discussion follow each selection and point you toward key passages and fundamental ideas and ask you to consider both what a document says and what it means. More questions at the end of each chapter encourage you to compare and find connections among the different documents.

While reading the documents in this book, it’s important to keep in mind the historical context; the author, date, and audience; and the meanings of the words themselves. Below are some guidelines and questions to consider while reading any primary document.