Question

Examine these two paintings that depict famous events from American history. The image on the left, painted in 1940, shows the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787. The image on the right, painted in 1836, shows the American victory at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.Which of these paintings should be considered a secondary source?

Answer 1

The settlement of permanent English colonies in North America, beginning with Jamestown in

1607, further cemented the development of an already emerging and complex Atlantic World. The

convergence of North American, South American, European, and African peoples in the western

hemisphere was a complicated mix of conquest, trade, and religious mission. Spanish, French, and

English colonies existed simultaneously in North America, each with different objectives and different

approaches to the American Indians they encountered. Likewise, differences among the thirteen English

colonies existed in terms of their founding purposes, interaction with American Indians, and economic

development. England’s various North American colonies were, however, united under their mother

country’s strong focus on extracting colonial resources through mercantilism and trans-Atlantic trade

even though this objective did not always align with the colonists’ growing desire for economic, religious,

and political autonomy.

Emphasis should be placed on the regional geographic, economic, religious, and political

differences that existed between England’s Southern, Mid-Atlantic, and New England c

Answer 2

The painting on the left is "Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States". It was painted by Howard Chandler in 1940.

The one of the right is "Siege of Yorktown". It was painted by Louis-Charles-Auguste Couder in 1836. In this image you can see George Washington and the comte of Rochambeau giving orders during the siege.

Based on the definitions of primary and secondary sources we can infer to which category they belong.

A primary source is the one produced by a witness of the event, that means he/she was present during the event. In this category creations that are very close to the original source are included.

A secondary source are interpretations or analyses based on primary sources.

In conclusion:

- "Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States" is a secondary source. The author was born in 1872 and the event painted uccured in 1787, he obviously based his information on primary sources, the image is an interpretation.

- "Siege of Yorktown" can be considered a primary source as the author was born in 1789, eight years after the event took place. He could have based his painting on testimonials of people that actually was there.