Review of the Historical Primer Website

1. Most Difficult Concept to Embrace
The most difficult concept for me in doing historical research is one of the very first steps, asking a good question. I have the problem of being interested in everything, so I want to know it all. To narrow a topic down to something that can be easily studied is very difficult for me. An example is my interest in the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in England. I am fascinated by this event not only because it in itself was amazing, but also because of its widespread impact on the world of the 17th century and its continued impact of the world today. However, when it comes to studying the events of 1688, I often find myself reading about Queen Anne or Charles I instead of James II and William and Mary. I am so captivated by the great people and amazing events that lead up and follow the actual revolution that I often find myself sidetracked. As a result, I need to work to focus my research through asking better questions, something with which the website offers a great deal of information and help with. I found the fill-in-the-blank sentence, “I am studying___________ because I want to know ____________ in order to help my readers understand______________.” Very helpful in developing a tighter focus and better question about the topics I enjoy.
I am studying the Glorious Revolution of 1688 because I want to know what actions of James II and the monarchy lead to his overthrow in order to help my readers understand the misuse of power by the Stuarts.
2. Easiest Concept to Embrace
The easiest concept presented on the website for me to understand was a combination of the use of maps, photographs/pictures, and landscape to study and understand history. I enjoy analyzing maps and photographs for their historical value. When you are studying an ancient civilization you can learn a great deal by looking at the maps of how cities and countries were laid out as well as pictures of different forms of art left behind. The same skills can be used to study more modern societies. One can look at a picture and see beyond a family on vacation to see examples of the world around them allowing one to better understand the society they were visiting. The same thing can be done with landscapes in situations where there are no maps or photographs. We can look at the land and see how it has been changed and how it could have affected the peoples who lived there in the past.
3. Influence on My Research
The website, in my opinion, was very helpful. Much of the material presented was aimed at the beginning researcher so while I already knew much of it, it did serve as a beneficial refresher. The designers of the website made it very user friendly and laid it out in accordance with how you would go about writing a historical research paper, so the flow of the information on the website matched what you would need as you did your own research. I think I will be using the website in the future for its sections on formulating a good question and effective searching for sources.