Minute Man National Historical Park - View of the Participants (U.S. National Park Service)

Using Primary Resources

History is not just a parade of facts, names and dates laid out in a perfect and unchangeable order. History, or more correctly, how we perceive it, is constantly changing! Much of what we “know” about events of the past is based upon how different historians interpret these events through the study of primary resources. Primary resources, first-hand accounts, are the tools that historians use to unlock the secrets of the past.

Theme: Primary resources are the keys to unlocking history’s mysteries. The events of the North Bridge Fight can be pieced together from an analysis of sources from multiple perspectives.

Objective: Students examine the sources of history and draw their own conclusions about whom and what they believe. Following this lesson, participants will become more familiar with the sources of history and how to interpret them.

Subject: The North Bridge Fight. Concord, Massachusetts, April 19, 1775

Method: The resources listed on this page are relative to the fight at the North Bridge and were written by people who participated in the North Bridge fight in some way.

Divide the class into small groups.
Assign each group one primary resource to read.
Each group will answer the questions corresponding to each resource.
Once the groups have finished, reunite the class and have each group report their findings of the North Bridge Fight from the perspective of the participant they were assigned.
You will notice that some participants agree on certain aspects of the fight and others disagree. Use this as a subject for a class discussion of who you believe and why. The students should be prepared to back up their beliefs with evidence taken from the primary resources.

Sources you will need:

Colonial

British

Lt. William Sutherland

Question Sheets