Question

a major event in the french revolution happened on july 14, 1789, when a mob stormed the bastille, a notorious prison in paris. how can historians today use primary sources to determine that this date is accurate? a. read french letters from the 1700s and search for references to the events date. b. check websites that can be edited by the public to determine a popular consensus. c. ask french citizens who directly experienced the event to confirm the date. d. examine a european history book popular in modern - day france.

Explanation:

• Option A: Primary sources are original materials from the time period, like 1700s French letters. Searching them for event - date references is a valid way for historians to verify the date.
• Option B: Public - editable websites (e.g., Wikipedia) are not primary sources and can have inaccurate information, so this is not a good method.
• Option C: People who directly experienced the 1789 event would be long - dead by now, so asking current French citizens is impossible.
• Option D: A modern European history book is a secondary source, not a primary source, so it's not suitable for verifying the date using primary sources.

Answer:

A. Read French letters from the 1700s and search for references to the event's date.