Second and primary sources

 Lilly Ciurca

Though they may state nearly the same information, primary and secondary sources have different viewpoints and facts. When reading an article, or researching something historical, it is important to know what kind of source you are learning from. Is it a source that came from the current time when nobody was 100% sure, or is it from after the fact, when the facts were separated and placed into a trustworthy text? Primary sources tend to come from the time what is being written about took place. This may not be trustworthy because there was no time for investigation, checking everything over, and proof! Primary sources over time can make their way into secondary sources where they can then be more reliable. Secondary sources are usually written by a historian after the event has taken place. During this time, everything is checked over for false information. When studying history, it is important to make sure your information is coming from a second source, so that you can know what you are reading is factual. 

Studying history can be difficult for some, because of the centuries of information that is included. Personally, I was never good at history and got confused about timelines, names, and locations. I now know there is so much more to the study of history. When studying history, you can learn about your past, and where you came from. There are a lot of similarities in culture from the past and today.  It is interesting to find out where things originated along with their original meanings. When learning about another culture historically, it's interesting to learn why they do the things they do, even if it doesn't personally affect you. You can use the information you learn to understand others better, as well as respect and treat them better. Knowing how things in the past started, can help keep an open mind for the future. The world wars were big events in history, where many people lost their loved ones. Knowing what to do in that situation if it ever occured, and how to prevent it (if possible), can keep you feeling confident and ready for something to happen. It is also important to honor those who served, and not to forget them. I view history as a cheat sheet for our future. We can learn from past mistakes so we are not repeating them.