The Comparing Interpretations Questions: America 1840-1895 (Q1 & Q2) (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Natasha Smith
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Summary of Question One
Question One on Paper One, Section A, outlines an issue
The question asks you to explain how the content of two interpretations differ from each other concerning the issue
The interpretations used in Question One will be the same interpretations used in Questions Two and Three
Amount of marks | 4 |
|---|---|
The time that you should spend on the question | No more than 5 minutes |
An example of the type of question you may encounter can be seen below:
In previous years, this question has focused on the following topics in American history:
Year of Exam | Question Topic |
|---|---|
2018 | |
2019 | |
2020 | |
2021 | |
2022 | |
Sample 1 | Conflict between North and South in the American Civil War |
Sample 2 | Attack on the Indian camp at Sand Creek |
What is an Interpretation Question?
An interpretation is an account based on a point of view of a historical event, person or group
Interpretations are used to explain the past by looking at history from different points of view
This type of question uses different types of interpretations
These interpretations could be accounts written:
After the event
During the event
By people who were there at the time
By historians
For the example question above, you will be given two interpretations in an insert
An insert is an additional booklet to your answer paper. It provides key sources or interpretations needed to answer specific questions in the exam
Question One - How are the Interpretations Different?
The interpretations used in question one will always be different from one another, because of the interpretation's:
Author
Point of view
Date of publication
Interpretations can be different based on their content
As the content will have a different point of view
In the AQA America 1840 - 1895 option, interpretations are likely to be different based on the following themes across all the topic areas:
Political developments e.g. The establishment of the United States
Social and cultural developments e.g. Relations between white settlers and Plain Indians
Economic developments e.g. Cattle ranching on the Great Plains
Conflict e.g. The American Civil War
"How are the Interpretations Different" Question Structure
You need to identify and explain one difference between the content of the two interpretations’ in your response
Your answer needs to:
Identify one way the interpretation content differs
Include a short quote or summary from each interpretation, highlighting their differences
Explain how they are different
To achieve full marks you need to have extended reasoning within your answer
Worked Example of the Question One Interpretation Question
Worked Example
How does Interpretation B differ from Interpretation A about the conflict between North and South in the American Civil War?
[4 marks]
Interpretation A: Thomas Johnson, from his book, Twenty-Eight Years a Slave, published in 1909. Johnson was born a slave in 1836 in Virginia where he was bought and sold several times. After the Civil War, he was freed and moved north, where he became a church minister and eventually a missionary in Africa. “In 1860, there was great excitement over the election of Mr Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States. The slaves prayed to God for his success. We knew that he was in sympathy with the abolition of slavery. The election was the signal for a great conflict in which the question was: Shall there be slavery or no slavery in the United States? The South said: Yes, there shall be slavery.” |
Interpretation B: Jefferson Davis, from his book, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government written in 1881. Davis was the son of a plantation owner who, in 1845, entered Congress for the state of Mississippi. When Mississippi and six other states left the Union and set up their own Confederate government in 1861, Davis was elected as its President. “The Confederates fought for the defence of a fundamental right to withdraw from a Union which they had, as independent communities, voluntarily entered. On reading what has recently been written, people might be led to the conclusion that the war was caused by efforts on the one side to extend and keep human slavery, and on the other to resist it and establish human liberty. The Southern States and Southern people have been represented as ‘defenders’ of slavery, and the Northern as the champions of universal freedom This is a falsehood.” |
Answer:
Interpretation A states that the conflict between the North and the South in the American Civil War was based on slavery (1). Interpretation A claims that the South said "there shall be slavery", in the North of America the abolition movement was strong. For example, the Anti-Slavery Society was created in 1832 in the northern states of America (1).
Interpretation B states the conflict between the North and South in the American Civil War was based on their right to leave the Union (1). Interpretation B states the belief that Southerners are the "defenders’ of slavery" is a "falsehood". Many Southerners believed there was conflict between the North and the South due to disagreements over the right to stay in the Union and other issues like the Transcontinental railroad (1).
Summary of Question Two
Question Two on Paper One, Section A asks you to explain why the authors of the interpretations might have different views concerning the issue
The interpretations used in Question Two will be the same as those used in Questions One and Three
Amount of marks | 4 |
|---|---|
The time that you should spend on the question | No more than 5 minutes |
An example of the type of question you may encounter can be seen below:
In previous years this question has focused on the following topics in American history:
Year of Exam | Question Topic |
|---|---|
2018 | |
2019 | |
2020 | |
2021 | |
2022 | |
Sample 1 | Conflict between North and South in the American Civil War |
Sample 2 | Attack on the Indian camp at Sand Creek |
Question Two - Why are Interpretations Different?
The interpretations used in Question Two will always be:
Different
From opposing points of view
In the AQA America 1840 - 1895 option, you could have interpretations from Confederates and Unionists, or white settlers and Plains Indians as they have opposing interpretations in American History
Authors will have different interpretations due to their:
Background
For the example question, Interpretation A was written by a former slave
Experiences
For the example question, Interpretation B was written by Davis, the president of the Confederate government
Purpose of writing the interpretation
For the example question, both interpretations are books. The purpose of books is to inform and educate
Audience
Access to information
For the example question, both people lived through the American Civil War. However, Davis' role as President of the Confederate government gave him more insight into the conflict
Origin of information
First-hand account
Primary sources
Place and time of writing
"Why are the Interpretations Different" Question Structure
You need to identify and explain one reason why the authors have different interpretations of the issue
In this question, you will only need to refer to the interpretation's provenance
Provenance
Provenance is the background information of sources
The provenance can be found at the top of each source. Essentially it is:
Who - The person who created the source
What - The type of source it is, for example, a newspaper article
When - The date when the source was made
Where - The place that the source is based on
For the example question, here is a breakdown of the provenance of Interpretation A:
Who | Thomas Johnson, a former slave |
|---|---|
What | A book called Twenty-Eight Years a Slave |
When | 1908 |
Where | Johnson was a slave living in Virginia |
In this question, you should use the provenance of the source to:
Help you to identify who the author of the interpretation is
Gain information about the background of the author
Understand who the author's audience is
Understand what purpose the author had in writing the interpretation
Understand the context of the interpretation
This will help you explain why the interpretations differ
Your answer needs to:
Identify one reason why author A has a different interpretation using the provenance
Include specific knowledge to support your reason
Explain why this makes the interpretation different
Identify one reason why author B has a different interpretation
Include specific knowledge to support your reason
Explain why this makes the interpretation different
To achieve full marks consider choosing a difference which is visible and the same in both provenances
For example, the previous experience of the authors or the audience which they are writing for
Worked Example of the Question Two Interpretation Question
Worked Example
Why might the authors of Interpretations A and B have a different interpretation about the conflict between North and South in the American Civil War?
[4 marks]
Interpretation A: Thomas Johnson, from his book, Twenty-Eight Years a Slave, published in 1909. Johnson was born an enslaved person in 1836 in Virginia where he was bought and sold several times. After the Civil War, he was freed and moved north, where he became a church minister and eventually a missionary in Africa. “In 1860, there was great excitement over the election of Mr Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States. The slaves prayed to God for his success. We knew that he was in sympathy with the abolition of slavery. The election was the signal for a great conflict in which the question was: Shall there be slavery or no slavery in the United States? The South said: Yes, there shall be slavery.” |
Interpretation B: Jefferson Davis, from his book, The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government written in 1881. Davis was the son of a plantation owner who, in 1845, entered Congress for the state of Mississippi. When Mississippi and six other states left the Union and set up their own Confederate government in 1861, Davis was elected as its President. “The Confederates fought for the defence of a fundamental right to withdraw from a Union which they had, as independent communities, voluntarily entered. On reading what has recently been written, people might be led to the conclusion that the war was caused by efforts on the one side to extend and keep human slavery, and on the other to resist it and establish human liberty. The Southern States and Southern people have been represented as ‘defenders’ of slavery, and the Northern as the champions of universal freedom This is a falsehood.” |
Answer:
Interpretation A's author differs from B about the conflict between the North and South as A was due to their different experiences and beliefs (1). Thomas Johnson was a freed slave from Virginia, his experiences shaped his view as he understood how slaves saw the conflict. Furthermore, he was a church minister who would see slavery as a moral evil (1).
Whereas, Interpretation B’s author differs from A about the conflict between the North and South B due to his role in the Civil War and previous experiences (1). Davis was a plantation owner and the ex-president of the Confederacy who would have supported slavery as it helped the Southern state's economy to be prosperous and therefore felt the need to defend his support for slavery (1).
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