Social Studies Words: Primary Source, Policy, Region, Perspective

Recognize the core terms of history and civics reading at a glance.

History and civics texts share a working vocabulary. A primary source was created at the time being studied by someone involved: a diary, a photograph, a law, a letter. A secondary source was created later by someone interpreting events, such as a textbook or documentary. A policy is a plan or rule adopted by a government or organization. A region is an area defined by shared features, such as climate, language, or landforms. Perspective means the point of view shaped by a person's position and experience.

Read: 'Historians compared a farmer's letter from 1850 with a government policy from the same year to understand the region's perspective on the new railroad. ' The letter is a primary source and shows one person's perspective; the policy is also a primary source, showing the government's plan. Knowing the vocabulary lets you see that the historians are weighing two first-hand views.

• 1Primary sources come from the time; secondary sources interpret later.
• 2A policy is a plan or rule adopted by a group.
• 3Perspective is a point of view shaped by experience.