HIST 4393 Comparative Analysis Paper
Instructions:

Respond to the questions below using John Reed’s Insurgent Mexico (1914) AND one (1) primary source document related to Pancho Villa and/or the Villistas produced during the period 1910-1920. I recommend selecting primary sources from digital archives or Killam Library Special Collections and Archives. Primary sources THAT ARE IN RELATION TO THE MEXICAN REVOLUTION OR PANCHO VILLA, can be written in any language. Type your answers directly onto this Word doc template using its preset settings for margins (1”), font (Times New Roman 12 pt.), and spacing (single-spaced). Do not erase any of the instructions, questions, or page numbers. Responses should be in paragraph form, and you will likely write more than one paragraph per question. Support all your responses with specific examples from your selected primary source AND Insurgent Mexico (include page numbers from these two primary sources in parenthesis). I expect three pages minimum.

The completed assignment is due online on Thursday, March 10th (Week 8) by 11:59PM. You will submit your paper by uploading an electronic copy of this Word doc template (with your typed responses) onto the TurnItIn drop box on Blackboard. Be sure to rename the file with your name and student ID number. Late papers will be penalized a full letter grade per day.
______________________________________________________________________________

Your Name:

Author of Your Source:

Title/Date of Your Source:

Collection/Provenance of Your Source (ex. archive/publication):

1. Compare the author of your source with John Reed. (Note: This will require you to do some outside research. Cite your scholarly secondary sources using Chicago Manual of Style footnotes.) Who is your author (explain in at least three sentences)? What does your author have in common with Reed in terms of biases and/or background (at least two examples)? How does your author differ from him in terms of biases and/or background (at least two examples)?

2. Is your source’s audience like or different than John Reed’s audience? How is this apparent in your source’s content (at least two examples)? How might the similarity or difference in audience impact the overall tone and agenda of your source regarding Villa and/or the Villistas (at least two examples)?

3. How does your source support some of the perspectives found in Insurgent Mexico (at least three examples)? At the same time, how does your source challenge some of its perspectives (at least three examples)?

4. What new historical evidence does your source provide that appears to be lacking in Insurgent Mexico (at least three examples)? How might this new evidence add to historians’ views on Pancho Villa and/or the Villistas when read alongside Insurgent Mexico (at least three ways)?

5. Overall as a historian, would you consider your source to be a more credible than Insurgent Mexico? Why or why not (at least three examples)?