006 How Historians Read Historical Sources

Doing History

In this episode, we continue our behind-the-scenes tour of how historians work with Zara Anishanslin, an Assistant Professor of History at CUNY’s College of Staten Island and author of Portrait of a Woman in Silk: Hidden Histories of the British Atlantic World.

During our investigation of how historians read historical sources, Zara reveals what historians mean when they talk about primary and secondary historical sources; How historians read and interpret primary historical sources; And details about the lives of four, everyday people who lived during the 18th century: Anne Shippen Willing, Robert Feke, Anna Maria Garthwaite, and Luke Sweetland.