Teaching Students to Analyze and Interpret Historical Propaganda

Abstract

This chapter focuses on using primary sources to teach students to define propaganda and explain how it has been used in a historical context, especially as it relates to US political history. Students have always known the internet and have witnessed fake news as it circulates the web, but they may not know that information has been used for purposes ofpersuasion throughout history. The activity provided in this chapter makes use of special collections materials pertaining to historical propaganda and affords students the opportunityto critically analyze and interpret primary sources.