Think As Historian: THINK AS A HISTORIAN: POLITICAL CAMPAIGN vS. ACADEMIC RESEARCH

A writer or speaker’s purpose and audience are significant factors to consider when evaluating the usefulness and accuracy of a historical source.

Read the following two statements on free trade. First, explain their relationship to each other: Do they agree or disagree on the main points? Second, determine the purpose of the statement by looking at the source. Explain how the purpose and audience may limit the usefulness of the source, if at all.

“I do not believe in unfettered free trade. I believe in fair trade which

works for the middle class and working families, not just large

multinational corporations. I was on the picket line in opposition to

NAFTA. We heard people tell us how many jobs would be created.

I didn’t believe that for a second because I understood what the

function of NAFTA [and other trade agreements] is—it’s to say to

American workers, hey, you are now competing against people in

Vietnam who make 56 cents an hour minimum wage.”

Senator Bernie Sanders, MSNBC Democratic

primary debate in New Hampshire, February 4, 2016

“To take advantage of opportunities provided by globalization,

firms have become multinational, establishing worldwide supply,

production, and distribution networks. Many workers at firms that

have successfully adapted to globalization have benefited, but large

numbers of U.S. jobs have disappeared due to foreign competition

or to offshoring by domestic firms. In effect, globalization means a

substantial portion of the U.S. workforce is directly or indirectly in

competition with lower-wage workers around the world.”

Dr. Timothy Hogan, Arizona State University, An

Overview of the Knowledge Economy, with a Focus

on Arizona, A Report from the Productivity and

Prosperity Project (P3), Supported by the Office of

the University Economist, August 2011