The strange death of Silas Deane by Angel Rosas

1. Explain why the authors believe that the view “history is what happened in the past” is, in their words, a “profoundly misleading” view of history. Do you agree with their view? Why?

012345angel1 — 2025-08-26 14:28:17 UTC

The authors believe that the view "history is what happened in the past" is, in their words, a "profoundly misleading" view of history. They say historians would succeed if they brought back the facts without distorting them. I personally agree with this view. If historians change the facts over and over again, historical facts will be drastically different after so many years of distorting them. I think the only exception to reshaping the facts would be if a new discovery was made, requiring the facts to be updated.

2. How do the authors define the word history?

012345angel1 — 2025-08-27 13:48:35 UTC

They define it as "History is what happened in the past."

3. Identify from the reading at least 6 general tasks the historian must face if he/she is to produce history. Explain how they will deal with each task.

012345angel1 — 2025-08-27 13:54:24 UTC

A - Determining which topic to talk about? You could easily look through a shelf of history books at a library and locate a topic/event that catches your eye to talk about

B - Locating materials on the topic? "Historians must return to the past through the surviving records" as stated in the passage "The Strange Death of Silas Deane" (1992) by James West Davidson and Mark Hamilton Lytle.

C - Selecting materials among available sources? You can gather any material that you'd want to include, as long as you don't distort them or force a new perspective on them.

D - Analyzing available materials on the topic? Highlight any information important to the topic.

E - Determining relationships among selected data? Jot down all data and analyze for possible connections.

F - Presenting data and analyses in a coherent and intelligible manner? I think a really good way to present data is through a highly decorated slideshow that doesn't look boring and actually grabs the audiences attention.

4. “The Strange Death of Silas Deane” is a secondary historical source. What makes it a secondary source? What is a primary source? Did the authors use any primary sources to help them write the story? If so, please identify a primary source they use.

012345angel1 — 2025-08-27 15:17:58 UTC

The Strange Death of Silas Deane is a secondary source due to the authors not having been there to experience the era in which Silas Deane existed. A primary source would be any information about an event/topic made from someone who was able to experience that event/topic. As to the authors using any primary sources, they mention a book called "An Essay on the Natural History of Guiana in South America" published by Edward Bancroft, Silas Deane's friend. They most likely got some information from this primary source.

5 What do you think happened to Silas Deane?

012345angel1 — 2025-08-28 14:05:48 UTC

While I don't believe Silas committed suicide due to his poor health or any other theory mentioned, I think it is a safe assumption that the illness is what killed him. Back then, people didn't have the developed medical care that we have now; it was pretty common to die of sickness therefore leading me to think an illness killed him.

6. How does this make history fluid?

012345angel1 — 2025-08-28 14:10:51 UTC

Since the topic regarding Silas Deane's death is unsolved, it shows that some unsolved history topics still need to be developed to reach a final conclusion; making history fluid.