To answer this question correctly, students must see both the strengths and weaknesses of an illustration for determining what happened at the Battle of Bunker Hill. For Question 1, students must explain that the artist was a soldier in the Continental Army and was in Massachusetts at the time of the battle, so it’s possible that he was knowledgeable about what transpired at the Battle of Bunker Hill. For Question 2, students should understand that the artist was depicting events that had occurred decades earlier, so it’s possible that inaccuracies had crept into his memory of events over time. Even more pertinent is the fact that Trumbull was paid by Congress to paint a patriotic scene, so his depiction of events may have been motivated more by a desire to portray the Continental Army in a patriotic light than by a desire to depict events as accurately as possible.
Level: Proficient
Question 1: Student explains that the illustration may be useful evidence because the artist, as a soldier stationed in Massachusetts near the battle, may have been knowledgeable about what happened.
Question 2: Student explains that the illustration is less useful as evidence because the artist was paid to paint a patriotic scene, so his depiction may have been a romanticization of events rather than a faithful attempt to accurately depict them. The artist also painted the event decades after they occurred, so it’s possible that inaccuracies had crept into his memory over time.
Level: Emergent
Question 1: Student sees that the illustration provides some evidence of the battle but makes assumptions about the illustration that go beyond the warrants of the evidence or does not fully explain how the illustration could provide useful evidence.
Question 2: Student sees that the source has limitations but provides an incomplete explanation about why the source is less useful as evidence.
Level: Basic
Question 1: Student does not provide a relevant explanation for how the source could be useful as evidence.
Question 2: Student does not identify or explain the limitations of the source as evidence.
