Reading Older Texts and Historical Documents

Read primary sources with unfamiliar old-fashioned wording smoothly and accurately.

History classes often ask you to read primary sources: letters, diaries, and official documents written long ago. Their language can feel strange: long sentences, formal words, and spellings or phrases that are no longer common. Strategies help. First, read the source note to learn who wrote it, when, and why. Next, read once for the general sense without stopping. Then reread sentence by sentence, translating into modern English.

Here is an original example in an older style: 'Having received your letter of the 4th instant, I hasten to inform you that the shipment shall arrive ere the month's end. ' 'Of the 4th instant' means the 4th of this month. 'Hasten' means hurry. 'Ere' means before. Modern version: 'I got your letter from the 4th and want to tell you quickly that the shipment will arrive before the end of the month. ' Translating like this builds both fluency and understanding of the past.

• 1Read the source note first: who, when, why
• 2Read once for general sense, then reread closely
• 3Translate older wording into modern English