The initial source that I used to start my research is Wisconsin Historical Society’s official website, www.wisconsinhistory.org. I started with this source because it has a plethora of information on the Black Hawk War. The information gave me a general understanding on what happened in the Black Hawk War.  Also, this website contains many primary sources that I can use later as I go in depth into my research.

In order to make sure my source was credible, I learned more about the authors. I read the “About This Site” portion on the web site. The authors of this website include archivist, professors, and museum educators.  These individuals collaboratively worked together in order to make a website that teaches and informs “…teachers, students, and lifelong learners….”  The authors of this website held a ballot in 2004 to see what experts believed as “pivotal moments in Wisconsin’s history.” They did this because they wanted to be a very informative site that people could use to research Wisconsin’s history.

Some of the content that is included on the website regarding the Black Hawk War include an informative summary, a variety of links that go to different websites to further inform the reader, there are books, and there are also a selection of primary sources such as: articles, images, books, manuscript, etc. I believe that the content on this website is very accurate and I have no reason to doubt the credibility of this website. This is because the authors are credible individuals that cite their sources.

From analyzing most of the content (excluding the primary sources) of Wisconsin Historical Society’s website, I’ve learned a general understanding of what the Black Hawk War is, how it started, and how it ended. The website didn’t answer my initial question because  it didn’t give me information on what might have led up to the war and why violence was the only option. This source is going to be very valuable to me once I start to analyze the different primary sources that it has. The main things that this source is missing is what led up to the war and what happened after the war, this source also doesn’t go into depth into any of the battles or locations. From here I’m going to start to analyze the different primary sources on this website and get a perspective of individuals that saw and experience this war.

Source:

“Turning Points.” About in Wisconsin. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2013.

The topic that I’m researching is the Black Hawk War. I’ve gained interest into this topic because I’ve always found Native American history interesting. Since I’m from Minnesota, I have little to no knowledge on Wisconsin’s Native American history and I wanted to learn more. To fully understand why the war happened I need to explore the root cause of the problem, violence. Through my research, the question I wish to understand is why violence was a socially acceptable means of action between United States and Sauks tribe in 1832. I don’t understand why the situation warranted violence because it seemed like it only needed another conversation about the treaty they formed.