Using Oral History Student Lesson

Section 1: Introduction to Social History

Defining Social History | Asking Social History Questions | Sources for Learning About Social History

Defining Social History

Social history is the history of the everyday experiences and beliefs of ordinary people. Social historians look at teachers, store clerks, factory workers, police officers, the unemployed, children, computer programmers -- all kinds of people you might meet in your own life.

The number of social history topics is huge because social history looks at every aspect of day-to-day life -- family life, recreation, work, social life, religious beliefs, and more. Most social historians study one group of people (such as Japanese Americans), one particular area (such as the Great Plains in Nebraska), or a specific topic within social history (such as family life).

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Asking Social History Questions

Here are examples of questions you might research:

• What kind of food does this family usually eat? How do they get their food?

• What kinds of natural resources are available where this family lives? How do these resources influence the types of food, shelter, and clothing available?

• Does every child in the family attend school? Why or why not?

• Can every member of the family read and write? Why or why not? What kinds of books are available to the family?

• How important is religion to the family's life?

• What work does each member of the family do?

• Does the family own property? Why or why not?

• Which family members can vote? Which family members do vote?

• What transportation does the family use to get around?

• What games do children play? What do adults do for relaxation?

• What family activities might be considered an art or craft today?

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Sources for Learning About Social History

Social historians use many sources -- diaries, letters, songs, census information, artifacts including clothing and tools, photographs, public records including birth, marriage and death certificates, and oral histories.

In this lesson, you will use oral histories to explore social history. You will start by studying oral histories collected as part of the Federal Writers' Project in the 1930s. Then you will conduct some oral history interviews yourself.

When you have finished this section, go ahead to Oral History and the Federal Writers' Project.