A Bank, a Library, and a Hospital

The Legacy of Benjamin F. Harris and Julia F. Burnham

Peggy Christensen

Summer Fellowship 2007

To download this lesson in PDF format, click here.

Lesson 4: Students will read a transcription of B.F. Harris’s obituary which appeared in the May 10, 1905 copy of the Champaign County Gazette, and then they will complete the document analysis worksheet. They will discuss how one individual’s history reflects the period when he/she lived.

Procedure:

• Distribute a copy of the obituary transcript along with an analysis sheet.
• Students should complete the analysis sheet on their own.
• Have students highlight in their copies of the obituary, activities and events that are unique to Benjamin Harris’s lifetime. Discuss how his history as told in the obituary and in his autobiography reflects the period when he lived.
• Discuss the worksheet and the students’ conclusions to the previous activity.

Attachments:
Written Document Analysis Worksheet developed by the staff of the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/written document analysis worksheet.pdf

Analysis of Local Primary Sources: A copy of the Harris obituary that was examined in this lesson is in the Harris Vertical File at the Champaign County Historical Archives, Urbana Free Library, 210 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois.

Ties to National Primary Source: B.F. Harris’s personal friendship with Abraham Lincoln is mentioned in his obituary as is Harris’s national reputation as a cattleman.

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