1. Choose a twentieth century event – one you’re interested in or one you have a personal connection to (maybe you have a family member who is a Vietnam Vet, for example)
2. Collect 3 newspaper articles on your event (it would be a good idea, if possible, to have a national newspaper, a local newspaper, and a foreign newspaper. Each newspaper will cover the event a little differently.)
3. Compare the newspaper’s coverage of the event. Where do the stories align? In what ways do they differ? What different perspectives are represented? What context or “texture” do you learn about your historical event? [At least two paragraphs here]
4. Compare how your event was reported in newspapers to how it was presented in the textbook or another secondary source or article. What details does the newspaper provide that secondary sources written long after the event do not provide? [at least one paragraph]
5. What are the strengths and limitations of using historical newspapers as sources for research? As we move further into a technological era, what sources do you think will be most valuable for learning the details of events that occurred in the 21st century? [at least one paragraph]
Digital Newspaper Collections:
• Chronicling America
• New York Times Historical Newspaper (Bankier Library Database)
• Google News Archives
• https://newspapers.ushmm.org/
https://www.nypl.org/research/collections/articles-databases/americas-historical-newspapers
