History Question

Oral History & the Fabric of U.S. History

Purpose

History is more than just dates and eventsit is lived experience. This assignment invites you to engage in the work of a historian by conducting an oral history interview and analyzing how an individuals experiences reflect broader historical and social contexts. By doing so, you will explore how personal narratives contribute to our understanding of historical movements, cultural shifts, and societal changes.

Beyond developing historical research and writing skills, this project cultivates active listening, critical thinking, and ethical engagement with sourcesskills essential for civic participation and professional success.

Instructions: Conducting & Writing an Oral History Analysis

Step 1: Selecting Your Interviewee & Preparing for the Interview

• Choose someone at least one generation older than you (i.e., of parental age or older).
• Your interviewee should have experienced or witnessed a historical event or social movement relevant to U.S. history (e.g., Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam War, LGBTQ+ activism, feminist movements, economic crises, immigration waves, etc.).
• Obtain their written consent to be interviewed and recorded (if applicable). Here is a you can use.
• Conduct background research on the historical period and cultural context of your interviewee to ask informed questions. Use the following resource to guide you:

Step 2: Designing Thoughtful Interview Questions

• Your questions should go beyond surface-level facts to elicit interpretation and reflection. Consider:
  • How did historical events shape their personal experiences, decisions, and worldview?
  • What changes have they witnessed in society over time?
  • How do they perceive their role within a larger historical movement or moment?
• Prepare at least 10 strong, open-ended questions that encourage storytelling and insight rather than simple yes or no answers.

Step 3: Conducting & Transcribing the Interview

• Conduct the interview in a structured yet conversational manner.
• Record and transcribe the interview accurately. Your transcription should capture the interviewees responses as closely as possible while ensuring clarity.

Step 4: Writing Your Oral History Analysis

Your paper should respond to the central historical inquiry:

What do this individuals experiences and perspectives reveal about the broader historical or social context in which they lived?

Rather than merely summarizing the interview, your essay should analyze and interpret the interviewees account in relation to the historical period they discuss.

Required Structure

Title & Introduction

• Craft a compelling title that draws interest.
• Introduce the historical topic and significance of the interview.
• Briefly introduce your interviewee, but avoid a biographical focusthis is a historical analysis, not a personal profile.
• Conclude your introduction with a clear thesis statementthat articulates what your interviewees experiences reveal about the historical moment.

Body Paragraphs: Contextualized Analysis
Each body paragraph should:

1. Present a thematic focus related to your thesis (e.g., racial identity, war experiences, gender roles, economic hardship, activism).
2. Incorporate brief, relevant quotes from your interviewee.
3. Analyze and interpret their responses in connection with course materials, primary sources, and historical context.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of how individual experiences fit into larger historical narratives.

Avoid simply listing what your interviewee saidinstead, engage with their words critically, asking:

• How does this experience confirm, challenge, or complicate the dominant historical narrative?
• What does this oral history contribute that textbooks or traditional sources might overlook?

Conclusion: The Meaning of Personal History

• Synthesize your findingswhat does this interview ultimately tell us about history as lived experience?
• Reflect on why oral history is valuable in historical research and what is gained or lost in personal recollections of the past.
• Consider the implications of memory, perspective, and historical storytelling in shaping our understanding of U.S. history.

Final Requirements & Submission Guidelines

Length: ~1,500 words (~6 double-spaced pages)
Cover Page: Include a thoughtful title and your name.
Citation Style: Use Chicago-Style footnotes for all references (including the textbook, lectures, and primary sources).
Sources: You must use only course materials to provide historical context. Outside research is not permitted.
Submission: Upload your paper and interview transcript to this assignment box.

Criteria

Your work will be evaluated on:
Historical Thinking & Analysis: Does your paper interpret the interviewees experiences in a broader historical context?
Argumentation & Thesis Development: Is your thesis clear, well-supported, and analytical rather than descriptive?
Depth of Engagement: Do you critically assess how personal history connects to national or global history?
Writing & Organization: Is your paper structured logically with strong transitions and clarity?
Use of Evidence: Are quotations used purposefully and contextualized with analysis?

See attached rubric for precise assessment scoring guidelines.

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