How to Analyze a Written Source: A Case Study
Analyzing a source requires knowing the underlying skills and aims. It then also takes practice to put these skills into use. Follow along with how a professional Circa historian would analyze a famous primary source in our post below!
To practice going through a primary source, I have chosen a famous speech by US President John Kennedy. I picked it because this text could appear on any of the world, European, or US history AP exams. Beyond AP exams, many high school students see this speech in one of their history courses. So how can this speech be analyzed quickly and effectively? Let’s get started.
The Source
This source is a speech that US President John F. Kennedy gave in June 1963 on his visit to West Berlin. At the time, Berlin was a city divided in two, split between the competing ideologies of communism and capitalism. West Berlin was a part of West Germany, which was a democratic country, allied with western Europe and the United States. West Berlin, however, was not physically within the country of West Germany. Rather, the city was a small island, entirely surrounded by the socialist country of East Germany. The city occupied a precarious position: it was at the center of the Cold War conflict. Moreover, since it was entirely surrounded by an enemy state, the small city could, in theory, be swallowed up at any moment. In 1961, the East German government built the Berlin Wall entirely around West Berlin to prevent their citizens from escaping to the democratic half of the city. It was this context in which John Kennedy visited West Berlin and gave a speech to the crowd of people who came to see him speak.
The Text
Here is the full text:
I am proud to come to this city as the guest of your distinguished Mayor, who has symbolized throughout the world the fighting spirit of West Berlin. And I am proud to visit the Federal Republic [West Germany] with your distinguished Chancellor [president] who for so many years has committed Germany to democracy and freedom and progress, and to come here in the company of my fellow American, General Clay, who has been in this city during its great moments of crisis and will come again if ever needed.
Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was "civis Romanus sum" [“I am a Roman citizen.”]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "Ich bin ein Berliner" [“I am a resident of Berlin.”].
I appreciate my interpreter translating my German!
There are many people in the world who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin. And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin. And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin.
Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect, but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in, to prevent them from leaving us. I want to say, on behalf of my countrymen, who live many miles away on the other side of the Atlantic, who are far distant from you, that they take the greatest pride that they have been able to share with you, even from a distance, the story of the last 18 years. I know of no town, no city, that has been besieged for 18 years that still lives with the vitality and the force, and the hope and the determination of the city of West Berlin. While the wall is the most obvious and vivid demonstration of the failures of the Communist system, for all the world to see, we take no satisfaction in it, for it is, as your Mayor has said, an offense not only against history but an offense against humanity, separating families, dividing husbands and wives and brothers and sisters, and dividing a people who wish to be joined together.
What is true of this city is true of Germany--real, lasting peace in Europe can never be assured as long as one German out of four is denied the elementary right of free men, and that is to make a free choice. In 18 years of peace and good faith, this generation of Germans has earned the right to be free, including the right to unite their families and their nation in lasting peace, with good will to all people. You live in a defended island of freedom, but your life is part of the main. So let me ask you as I close, to lift your eyes beyond the dangers of today, to the hopes of tomorrow, beyond the freedom merely of this city of Berlin, or your country of Germany, to the advance of freedom everywhere, beyond the wall to the day of peace with justice, beyond yourselves and ourselves to all mankind.
Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. When all are free, then we can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great Continent of Europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. When that day finally comes, as it will, the people of West Berlin can take sober satisfaction in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades.
All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner."
Analyzing the Content
One of the first things that historians do when they encounter a primary text is read the source itself. What meaning is the author trying to covey? What stands out? Do we take the author at their word?
In terms of meaning, the message seems straight-forward: the people of West Berlin have stood strong in the fight against socialism and in so doing, they should know that they have the support of the American people and the supporters of democracy around the world. Kennedy doesn’t make any promises to help—he more congratulates the people of the city on their commendable effort so far.
The question of what stands out might have many different answers. Indeed, each reader might think that there is some different about the speech that seems historically important to them. There are three things that stand out to me in this speech:
Connections between the past and the present: Kennedy highlights the connections between the history of democracy in the ancient world, in West Germany since the end of World War II, and in the United States in the present.
Use of the German language: It is quite striking that Kennedy speaks two lines in German. One of these lines, “Ich bin ein Berliner,” he repeats twice. Why would Kennedy switch from speaking in English to speaking in German? Here, we have a move for Kennedy to recognize his audience and show that he understands them and is even sympathetic to their problems. This attitude is seen in the encouragement he gives his audience throughout the speech.
A lack of a commitment to help: Kennedy is encouraging of the people in Berlin, but he never makes any claims that the United States would come to the aid of the people of West Berlin if they were threatened by East Germany or the Soviet Union.
Finally, we must consider whether we can take this speech at face value. As a speech from a politician, we should always keep in mind that there is an agenda to what is being said. I think this agenda is quite clear in the speech: encouraging the people of West Berlin to remain staunch allies with the United States. Moreover, as a political speech to a group of citizens, the speech would be unlikely to contain more detailed information about the political alliance between the two countries—information like this would be shared in a private setting between politicians.
Analyzing the Context
After reading the document, historians think more about the context. It might be necessary to do more research about the text and where it originated. For instance, at this point, it might be helpful to research the history of Berlin in the 1960s: what was happening at the time? What events was Kennedy reacting to? And what kinds of issues would be at the front of the minds of the listeners to the speech?
After some quick research, it might be clear that this speech took place at one of the heights of the Cold War. You might learn that the divided city of Berlin was one of the frontlines of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. Indeed, less than 2 years before Kennedy gave this speech, the East German government had built a wall around West Berlin—effectively enclosing the city and interrupting many connections between West Berlin and the rest of West Germany.
After this initial research, there might still be more to look into: how did Kennedy lead the US in general during the Cold War? Where did the ideas for this specific speech originate? What did the audience think of the speech? How does this speech relate to other political speeches at the time or other speeches that US politicians have given in Berlin?
Concluding Thoughts
There is a lot to consider when analyzing a written text: having a method for going through the document and assessing its wider importance can keep you focused and can help you get through the material effectively. At the same time, some of the most exciting work that historians do is uncovering new information in primary sources—be sure that you take enough time to fully understand the document so that you can understand what it is saying and why it might help illuminate the past.
Want to Learn More about Analyzing Sources?
Circa courses teach high school students analysis skills—and more—from the ground up.