Question

reliability: usefulness and limitations depend on an author’s purpose and intended audience

source
an author’s purpose and intended audience of a source can make it useful or limit its reliability for a historian.

if a historian 150 years from now wrote a book about the president, they might evaluate the following source in this way...

type of source | author’s purpose | intended audience | could be useful for a historian whose purpose is to... | limitations
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
president’s speech | to convince their audience of something | whomever they are speaking to- usually people who agree with them | find out the speaker’s point of view on an issue | information could be added or left out to make argument more convincing

could use biased language

president’s diary entry | reflection | the author | get an eyewitness account of an event | leaves out other perspectives on an event

find out how the president felt about an event

president will probably write about themselves in a positive way, so they will leave out some details and include others

autobiography written two years after they left office | to tell their side of a story | whomever reads the book | get an eyewitness account of an event | leaves out other perspectives on an event

to document an event for the future

find out how someone felt about an event

author will probably write positively about their involvement in an event, so they will leave out some details and include others

practice
imagine that a historian 150 years in the future writes a book about you. how would they fill in the chart about the sources listed below that you created?

directions: choose two of the following sources, then fill out the chart below as a future historian researching your life. source options: the last text message conversation you had, your last social media post, the last classwork you completed, or the last note you wrote, or the last drawing you created.

type of source | author’s purpose | intended audience | could be useful for a historian whose purpose is to... | limitations

Explanation:

To solve this, we'll pick two sources (e.g., Last Social Media Post and Last Note Written) and analyze each as per the chart's columns.

Source 1: Last Social Media Post

Step 1: Author’s Purpose

Social media posts often aim to share updates, express opinions, or engage with followers. So, purpose: To share my thoughts/experiences with followers

Step 2: Intended Audience

Social media posts target followers (friends, acquaintances, or public). So, audience: My social media followers (friends, followers online)

Step 3: Usefulness for Historian

A historian studying my life could use this to:

• Understand my current interests/opinions
• See how I engaged with online communities

Step 4: Limitations

• Biased (shows only my perspective, not others’)
• May omit negative details (to appear positive online)

Source 2: Last Note Written

Step 1: Author’s Purpose

Notes are personal—maybe to remember tasks, reflect, or communicate. Purpose: To remind myself of a task/reflect on a thought

Step 2: Intended Audience

Often intended for myself (private) or a specific person (e.g., a family member). Audience: Myself (or a specific person like a family member)

Step 3: Usefulness for Historian

A historian could use this to:

• Understand my daily priorities/tasks
• Gain insight into my private thoughts

Step 4: Limitations

• Limited perspective (only my view, no outside input)
• May be cryptic (short, personal shorthand)

Filled Chart (Example)

Type of Source	Author’s Purpose	Intended Audience	Could be useful for a historian whose purpose is to…	Limitations
Last Note Written	To remind myself of a task/reflect	Myself (or specific person)	Understand daily priorities; gain private thoughts	Limited perspective, cryptic shorthand, personal bias

This follows the original chart’s structure, analyzing purpose, audience, usefulness, and limitations for two chosen sources.

Answer:

To solve this, we'll pick two sources (e.g., Last Social Media Post and Last Note Written) and analyze each as per the chart's columns.

Source 1: Last Social Media Post

Step 1: Author’s Purpose

Social media posts often aim to share updates, express opinions, or engage with followers. So, purpose: To share my thoughts/experiences with followers

Step 2: Intended Audience

Social media posts target followers (friends, acquaintances, or public). So, audience: My social media followers (friends, followers online)

Step 3: Usefulness for Historian

A historian studying my life could use this to:

• Understand my current interests/opinions
• See how I engaged with online communities

Step 4: Limitations

• Biased (shows only my perspective, not others’)
• May omit negative details (to appear positive online)

Source 2: Last Note Written

Step 1: Author’s Purpose

Notes are personal—maybe to remember tasks, reflect, or communicate. Purpose: To remind myself of a task/reflect on a thought

Step 2: Intended Audience

Often intended for myself (private) or a specific person (e.g., a family member). Audience: Myself (or a specific person like a family member)

Step 3: Usefulness for Historian

A historian could use this to:

• Understand my daily priorities/tasks
• Gain insight into my private thoughts

Step 4: Limitations

• Limited perspective (only my view, no outside input)
• May be cryptic (short, personal shorthand)

Filled Chart (Example)

Type of Source	Author’s Purpose	Intended Audience	Could be useful for a historian whose purpose is to…	Limitations
Last Note Written	To remind myself of a task/reflect	Myself (or specific person)	Understand daily priorities; gain private thoughts	Limited perspective, cryptic shorthand, personal bias

This follows the original chart’s structure, analyzing purpose, audience, usefulness, and limitations for two chosen sources.