How do you analyze a primary source?

In my research on educational initiatives that were started as part of the Civil Rights movement, I found this archival-type primary source in the Wisconsin Historical Society's digital Freedom Summer collection. Based on the archival description and a quick glance, I think it will have relevant information for my paper. I'll start by examining the content because that's something I'm used to doing when I read articles and book chapters for class.

There are a few questions I can use to guide my close reading of the primary source. I can ask myself: What assumptions does the creator make? What information is included or excluded?

and What kind of spin is placed on the information? After reading the introductory essay, "Introduction to the Summer," I can tell that the author assumes the reader has some background knowledge about the publishing organization and the overall situation. The author has assumed that the abbreviation "COFO" is recognizable to readers because the full organization name, Council of Federated Organizations, isn't printed anywhere.

Even though the author introduces the situation, she assumes that readers know that the young people she is referring to haven't received a good education because of segregation in Mississippi. Though a broad historical perspective isn't included, the author does include personal experiences and perspectives that new teachers are likely to encounter. The document also uses a lot of rhetoric.

There is a good deal of repetition in word choice and the author uses a variety of sentence lengths to make certain phrases stand out. To me, it seems like the author is trying to convince readers of the importance of the work they will do in Mississippi. I found a lot of useful information by reading the content closely but having a digitized copy of the original source means I also have access to how the content was presented.

I can use a few questions to help me do a close reading of the organization and design of this primary source. I'll ask: How is the content organized? What information is highlighted and why?

and What other design elements are or are not present? This page is the first in the "Lessons and Study Materials" packet. It is laid out in a way that makes skimming very easy.

The document title stands out and I can easily tell that it is organized in sections. Even the text is clearly organized into themes. One thing that stands out to me is that the author of each section is very clear.

From the other research I've done, I know that fighting segregation could be dangerous, both socially and physically. The creators of this packet have decided against being anonymous and are clearly taking ownership of their statements. In addition to using underlines to organize the content, the author has also underlined certain words in order to emphasize them.

In my research notes, I've written myself a reminder to do another close reading of these sentences, this time asking myself why these words have been singled out as important. Even though the creators use some basic formatting, I notice that this packet does not have any purely decorative elements. This gives me a clue that the packet is a practical working document.

The lack of decorative elements was one clue about the creation process of this document. I can find more clues by examining the physical characteristics of the document. In order to do so, I can ask myself a few questions about the materials and condition.

I'll ask: What is the source made of? Was the source made to last a long time or be thrown away after it was used? and What does the source's condition tell me about this item's history?

This document looks like it was printed on regular copy paper. It wasn't bound professionally, just stapled together. It also has some printing errors, like these patches of faded or missing ink, as well as these photocopy marks.

All of this points to pretty cheap production. I'm guessing the organization made lots of these packets. Because they seem to be so cheaply made, I think they were probably meant to be used and then thrown away.

They definitely weren't made to last a long time! This information fits what I learned from the archive that holds the document. This is an unpublished educational document made for circulation within the organization and not meant to be published formally, like a journal article or book.

All three of these aspects - content, presentation, and materiality - work together to make primary sources rich sources of information.