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History 162: Latin America to 1825: Annotated Bibliographies

Prof. Mangan, Spring 2025

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Davidson's Citation Guide

For Davidson's Citation Resources guide, visit Citation Resources: Manuals and Guides

Annotation Example - Primary Source

Gaston, James McFadden. Hunting a Home in Brazil. The Agricultural Resources and Other Characteristics of the Country. Also, the Manners and Customs of the Inhabitants. Philadelphia: King & Baird, printers, 1867.

 

  This emigration guidebook was penned by the South Carolinian colonization agent and ex-Confederate surgeon Dr. James McFadden Gaston. It served as one of the most prominent of such guidebooks read throughout the South and consisted of edited entries from the travel diary Gaston kept during his initial scouting trip of Brazil in 1865-1866. The book contains accounts and descriptions of Brazilian cities, plantations, geography and slavery. Gaston’s anti-black sentiments are often on display and his main thesis revolves around his belief that Brazil can serve as a suitable replacement for the Old South, both in terms of agricultural opportunities but also racial supremacy of whites. His audience is clear – fellow Southerners disillusioned with Yankee victory and open to the thought of emigrating. Gaston lectured widely across the South about his experiences in Brazil upon his return before finally emigrating with his family in late 1866. 

  • Full citation
  • Information about the author/s
  • Information about the intended audience
  • Summary
  • Evaluation
  • Context

Annotation Example - Secondary Source

Whisnant, David E. All That Is Native & Fine: The Politics of Culture in an American Region. Chapel Hill and London: The University of North Carolina Press, 1983.

         In All That Is Native & Fine, Whisnant explores the politics of culture, studying the systematic cultural interventions that took place in the Appalachian South from the 1900s through the 1930s. Whisnant devotes an entire chapter to the White Top Folk Festival, an annual music festival in the 1920s and 1930s, which Whisnant characterizes as “an extraordinary example of manipulative cultural intervention.” Headed by John Powell, a prominent composer, amateur folklorist, and virulent racist, White Top featured instrument contests, craft fairs, and dance exhibitions for the purpose of promulgating “Anglo-Saxon” culture. Whisnant’s study is valuable as it demonstrates how the White Top organizers utilized the fiddlers convention format in an effort to construct a folk identity along racial lines.

  • Full citation
  • Information about the author/s
  • Summary
  • Evaluation
  • Context

What is an annotated bibliography?

What is an annotated bibliography? 

An annotated bibliography is a list of citations, complete with a brief description of each one. These descriptions are meant to evaluate the source, put it into context, and explain why it is relevant. For more information on annotated bibliographies, including information on how to write them, visit the below link:

About Annotated Bibliographies by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center 

Library resources for annotated bibliographies

Writing annotated bibliographies

Annotated bibliographies include brief statements about each source. These annotations may take one (or more) of the following forms:

  • Descriptive: states the topic of the source only
  • Summary: summarizes the source but does not take a stance or make an argument about the source
  • Evaluative: evaluates the source, which may include placing the work in context of other research or evaluating its usefulness

Annotations may include any number of the following elements:

  • Full citation and publication information. Use a consistant citation style; bibliographies always include this element
  • Information about the author(s) and their motives
  • Summary of the source
  • Evaluation of the source, including what makes the source useful for your research or for your audience
  • Information about the intended audience of the source, including any potential author bias
  • Context for the source, including how it compares to other sources in the bibliography

For more information on citations, see Citation Resources: Manuals and Guides

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