Creator: Library of Congress | visit site
Grade Range: 8 - 11
Observations of foreigners (especially Alexis de Tocqueville) have long been a staple of secondary American history classes. This Library of Congress resource offers a searchable collection of reflections by other authors, including Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur and Charles Dickens. While their observations are not always flattering, these writings can be a great way to get students to “think outside the box” when discussing American institutions.
In the Classroom
Use the primary sources in this site in a "survivor" activity that not only teaches the content how teaches students how to analyze primary sources too. Separate students into groups and assign each group a different primary source to analyze and interpret with the intentions of presenting their findings to the class. After presentations, have a representative from each group go to the front of the class and present an argument why their source is the most reliable and why it presents the clearest picture of the early US government. Have the class vote off the least reliable in rounds until there is just the one left! Students will leave the class understanding the content AND how to analyze sources for future reference.
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