Download WWII: Canada Mobilizes & The Battle of Britain

The Battle of Britain
An Examination of Visual
Primary and Secondary
Sources
PRIMARY vs. SECONDARY
PRIMARY
• A primary source is one
which is created AT the
time
• VISUAL: photo, a
propaganda poster, a
political cartoon, diagram,
chart, etc.
• WRITTEN: news article,
a letter or diary entry.
SECONDARY
• A secondary source is
one which is created
AFTER the event, and
usually provides some
element of interpretation
of the event.
Examining Visual
Primary Sources
• What KIND is it?
– Map? Political Cartoon? Propaganda Poster?
Photo? Diagram?
• What do you see? Record the details
• What do you learn about the events? the
people? the circumstances?
• What questions arise?
PRIMARY WRITTEN:
What do the headlines and lead paragraphs tell you?
SECONDARY
VISUAL SOURCES
• When time has passed, people often create
various art forms to reflect their view of what has
happened; the art is a reflection not only of the
event or events, but also of their “world view”, of
their values—how they “see” the events.
• Look at the following and answer the following:
– What historically accurate details/circumstances of
the Battle of Britain are captured?
– How does the person’s viewpoint get expressed?
What effect do you think the artist wanted to have
upon the viewer?