APUSH - Historical Thinking Skills

Historical thinking skills

Used to make arguments about how/why history happened as it did

Change

Explains what is different from one moment to the next

Continuity

Things that stay the same across history

Periodization: Time period

Group years defined by commonalities/characteristics

Periodization: Turning points

Moments when things change to from one way to another

Marks the end of one time period and beginning of another

Comparison

Explains how/why 2 aspects of history are similar/different

Ex. Geographical regions, groups of people, and time periods

Contingency

Recognization that outcomes are rarely predetermined, unplanned, or result of one’s will

Causation

Explains the “why” behind all other historical thinking skills

Contexualization

Used to determine what the evidence tells about the past, and how the evidence supports the argument

Contextualization: Historical Context

The important background information

Contextualization: Intended Audience

Who is and is not meant to read the source?

How did it shape what the author wrote?

Contextualization: Purpose

What was the author trying to do by writing this?

How might the goals have influenced the author’s writings?

Contextualization: Perspective/Point of View

What is the background and potential biases of the author?

How did their perspective influence their writings?

What makes us more/less likely to trust the reliability of the source?

Interpretation

Use information from sources, historical knowledge, and creativity to determine what most likely happened, and how and why it did.