Example 1

S.B. & S.D.

Spanish Missions in California

This letter was written on October 20, 1776 by Fernando de Rivera y

Moncada and was addressed to Antonio Bucareli, both of whom were involved in
the development of the Spanish missions in California. Rivera y Moncando wrote his
letter after the discovery of the Americas, when Spain tried to create missions in
order to spread Catholicism to the Native Americans. The intended audience of this
letter was Antonio Bucareli. Even though this document is a primary source, it
cannot be completely reliable because it is translated and it does not show the point
of view of an indigenous person. The purpose of this letter was to update Bucareli
on his intended course of action to rebuild Mission San Diego and Mission San Juan
Capistrano, which were destroyed and evacuated in November 1775 because of an
Indian uprising, as well as to construct two additional missions. Rivera y Moncada's
letter is significant because of its insight into the self-indulgent mentality of the
Spanish missionaries, shown through their plans to rebuild missions in order to
spread Catholicism and expand their power.

Example 2

S.B.
Korean War Armistice

Senator Robert F. Kennedy wrote this letter on September 15, 1967 in

response to John F. Bayless, who initially contacted the senator to clarify statements
that he had made during a broadcast. This letter declares Kennedys beliefs for the
United States involvement in the Vietnam War. In Kennedys opinion on the United
States needed to provide resources and supplies for the soldiers fighting in the
Vietnam War and fortify the views of southern Vietnams democratic government.
This letter can be considered reliable because a senator of the United States is
communicating the views of America. The Vietnam generated a lot of disagreement
at home because many Americans did not believe that its involvement in the war
was necessary. The significance of this letter is that it depicts one side of this
controversy of Americas involvement in the war.

Example 3

S.D.
World War II Propaganda

The above image is a propaganda poster created by Douglas Aircraft

Company, Inc., probably supported by the American government, during World War
II and the years of 1942-1945. World War II was a war between the Axis powersGermany, Japan, and Italy- and the Allies- England, France, and America. America
joined the war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and adopted total war, working
hard on the home front through the hard work of all the citizens, as well as working
hard over seas; since materials were scarce, one way in which Americans
contributed to the war effort was by conserving valuable materials such as sugar,
meat, and rubber. In looking at the image, it is evident that intended audience is the
American people. The poster shows a rat, possessing slanted eyes, a hat with a rising
sun, and glasses, symbolizing the Japanese people, as those are all stereotypically
Japanese features; the rat is also portrayed as dangerous, possessing sharp and
deadly teeth as well as dangerous-looking claws. The poster uses the imagery of a
rat caught in a trap to portray the Japanese as sneaky enemies who can only be
trapped and defeated with a "Jap Trap" in the form of conserving materials for the

war effort in order to provide American soldiers with enough supplies to defeat the
Japanese. This poster is significant because its portrayal of the Japanese as nasty
rats contributed to anti-Japanese feelings in America during the war and led to the
suffering of many innocent Japanese-Americans in internment camps, as well as
because it shows the fear tactics paralleling real life, such as a rat infestation, used
by the government to encourage material conservation for the war effort.