| Date | November 2018 | Marks available | 4 | Reference code | 18N.1.BP.TZ0.14 |
| Level | Both SL and HL | Paper | Paper 1 - first exams 2017 | Time zone | TZ0 |
| Command term | Analyse | Question number | 14 | Adapted from | N/A |
Question
Source P
Robert Graetz’s letter to the editor of the US current affairs magazine Time
(22 December 1955).
Dear Sir:
I am writing this letter to you, because I have long been impressed with the fair and unbiased treatment you give in your news stories.
There is a story in the making here in Montgomery. I am referring to the protest which negroes (and many whites) of Montgomery are making against the local bus company ... The local newspapers have consistently printed one-sided stories about developments in this protest. They have at times omitted [left out] relevant facts that would have put a much more favorable light on what the negroes are asking for …
I am a white Lutheran minister, serving a negro congregation. I cannot even give my own church members a ride in my car without fear of being stopped by the police and accused of running a taxi … If you want a good look at the way a one-way press and a one-race police force band together to discredit fifty thousand people who are tired of being treated like animals on the city buses … then I urge you to send a reporter to Montgomery as soon as possible. …
I respectfully request that the contents of this letter be kept confidential until such time as they have been verified [checked] by you.
Sincerely yours,
Robert Graetz
With reference to its origin, purpose and content, analyse the value and limitations of Source P for an historian studying the Montgomery bus boycott (1955–1956).
Markscheme
Value:
- It is a contemporary account of the impact of the bus boycott on one community.
- As the Lutheran minister of many of those involved in the protest, Graetz may espouse the views of those within his congregation.
- Graetz’s letter to Time magazine demonstrates that some white people were opposed to discrimination against African Americans and/or offers information on the boycott.
Limitations:
- Graetz’s sympathy with his African–American congregation’s struggle against discrimination may make him an unreliable witness.
- The imagery offered by Graetz in the penultimate paragraph is emotive and may be exaggerated to achieve a purpose.
- The source is from 1955, while events were still unfolding, and Graetz may not be aware of the ongoing developments.
The focus of the question is on the value and limitations of the source. If only value or limitations are discussed, award a maximum of [2]. Origins, purpose and content should be used as supporting evidence to make relevant comments on the values and limitations. For [4] there must be at least one reference to each of them in either the values or the limitations.
