This is NOT a research paper on the book, but is meant to be a close reading and analysis of this book, using the historical thinking skills we have been discussing and building. Read and evaluate a particular primary source.
1.Briefly describe the document. What is it, who authored it, when, and for what purpose? This should be done in the space of a paragraph or so.
2. Analyze the document. When developing your analysis, consider the following points (with the understanding that not every question will apply to each document):
What is the purpose of the document? Why was it written?
What is its argument? How does analyzing that argument help us understand this movement?
What point/points does it try to convince us to believe or agree with? How does it attempt make these points?
How does it reflect the historical context in which the document was created?
How can this document help us to understand the Chicano social movement?
The heart of the essay should not be a report on the person or group who created the document, or the period in which it was created, or even on the document itself. Rather, it should be a close reading and analysis of what the document says, how it says this, and how that relates to the historical context in which it was created.