Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:

This will be the first week when you will analyze a primary document.

First, watch this episode of History Detectives: A Mormon Tale-https://www.pbs.org/video/history-detectives-1856-mormon-tale/

Then, read the Authorized Rules of the Shakers-https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31175000041197&view=1up&seq=6&size=300

Then, read this primary document written by Mary Dyer, a woman whose husband and children joined the Shakers.-https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433082356829&view=1up&seq=7

Pick one of the two primary documents (Authorized Rules or Mary Dyer) and analyze it using the SOURCE method. (See how the first letters of the steps spell out SOURCE!)

Series of Steps:

Origin: Who is the author of the document? What is the document?  Where was it produced? When was the document produced? (You can do outside research to answer questions about the author. Your answer should included information beyond the name of the author. Provide qualities and experiences of the author that might influence the creation of the document.)


Use: Why was it produced? How did the author intend for it to be used at the time of its creation? If it makes an argument, what is that argument? How was it actually used?

Red Flags: Every document contains bias, because all authors harbor biases? What biases did this author hold? Did the author have ulterior motives, like a motivation to stretch the facts for financial gains or to bolster their own reputation? Despite the presence of inevitable bias, can you trust the document?

Context: What was going on at the time that the document was produced that affected the creation of the document? Use this section to show that you have read the book. Quote directly from Morris. ( American Messiahs) Adam Morris

Evidence: What direct quotations from the document could you use as evidence in a paper in a history class. In this case, find evidence in your document to support one of two arguments: either that Shakers were a dangerous cult or that Shakers were not a dangerous cult.

In this assignment, your answers can be separate bullet points or paragraphs. You do not have to write a paper with transitions.