Evidence — Social Studies definition

Material or recorded information used to test a historical claim.

Where it is taught

• Global History: Evidence, Maps & Historical Time — Historical Inquiry & Early Societies, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Early Humans: Migration, Foraging & Adaptation — Historical Inquiry & Early Societies, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Agriculture, Domestication & Uneven Change — Historical Inquiry & Early Societies, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Mesopotamia: Cities, Writing & Unequal Law — Historical Inquiry & Early Societies, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Ancient Egypt: Nile Agriculture, Power & Daily Life — Historical Inquiry & Early Societies, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Indus Cities: Planning, Trade & Unanswered Questions — Ancient Cities, States & Citizenship, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Early China: Shang, Zhou, Qin & Han — Ancient Cities, States & Citizenship, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Greek Poleis: Citizenship, Exclusion & Exchange — Ancient Cities, States & Citizenship, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Rome: Republic, Empire & Unequal Citizenship — Ancient Cities, States & Citizenship, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• South Asia: Mauryan Rule, Ashoka & Gupta Networks — Ancient Cities, States & Citizenship, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Studying Belief Systems Without Stereotypes — Belief Systems, Communities & Imperial Rule, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Hindu, Buddhist & Jain Traditions in South Asia — Belief Systems, Communities & Imperial Rule, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Judaism & Christianity: Communities, Texts & Empire — Belief Systems, Communities & Imperial Rule, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Islam: Origins, Caliphates & Varied Communities — Belief Systems, Communities & Imperial Rule, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Comparing Empires: Resources, Law & Legitimate Rule — Belief Systems, Communities & Imperial Rule, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Byzantium: Roman Continuity, Christianity & Exchange — Medieval Societies Across Regions, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Medieval Europe: Land, Towns, Churches & Power — Medieval Societies Across Regions, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• West Africa: Ghana, Mali, Songhai & Regional Networks — Medieval Societies Across Regions, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• East & Southern Africa: Cities, States & Local Agency — Medieval Societies Across Regions, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Tang, Song, Korea & Japan: Institutions and Adaptation — Medieval Societies Across Regions, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Silk Roads: Intermediaries, Ideas & Institutions — Trade Networks, Empires & Disruption, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Indian Ocean: Monsoons, Ports & Maritime Communities — Trade Networks, Empires & Disruption, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Mongol Empires: Conquest, Administration & Connections — Trade Networks, Empires & Disruption, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• The Black Death: Evidence, Responses & Uneven Effects — Trade Networks, Empires & Disruption, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Korea & Southeast Asia: States, Water & Cultural Choice — Trade Networks, Empires & Disruption, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Indigenous Americas: Maya, Mexica, Andes & Wider Societies — Americas, European Reforms & Atlantic Encounters, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Renaissance: Humanism, Patronage & Continuing Traditions — Americas, European Reforms & Atlantic Encounters, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Reformations: Doctrine, Institutions & Political Conflict — Americas, European Reforms & Atlantic Encounters, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Atlantic Voyages & the Columbian Exchange — Americas, European Reforms & Atlantic Encounters, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Conquest, Colonial Labor & Indigenous Continuity — Americas, European Reforms & Atlantic Encounters, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Early Modern States: Comparing Power Around 1500–1750 — Early Modern States & Changing Authority, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Ottoman & Safavid Worlds: Rule, Religion & Rivalry — Early Modern States & Changing Authority, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Mughal South Asia: Revenue, Patronage & Changing Policy — Early Modern States & Changing Authority, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Ming & Qing China: Governance, Maritime Links & Change — Early Modern States & Changing Authority, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• European & Russian State Building: Claims and Constraints — Early Modern States & Changing Authority, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Scientific Change: Observation, Models & Global Knowledge — Knowledge, Labor & the World Around 1750, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Enlightenment Debates: Rights, Power & Exclusions — Knowledge, Labor & the World Around 1750, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Atlantic Slavery: Institutions, Resistance & Evidence — Knowledge, Labor & the World Around 1750, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• The World Around 1750: Silver, Production & Unequal Connections — Knowledge, Labor & the World Around 1750, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• Global History Capstone: An Evidence-Based Comparison — Knowledge, Labor & the World Around 1750, Global History & Geography I: Early Societies to c. 1750, Grade 9
• The World Around 1750: States, Trade & Labor — The World Around 1750 & Atlantic Revolutions, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Enlightenment: Reason, Rights & Political Debate — The World Around 1750 & Atlantic Revolutions, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• American Revolution: Independence, Institutions & Limits — The World Around 1750 & Atlantic Revolutions, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• French Revolution & Napoleon: Rights, Conflict & Rule — The World Around 1750 & Atlantic Revolutions, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Haitian Revolution: Emancipation, War & Independence — The World Around 1750 & Atlantic Revolutions, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Latin American Independence: Coalitions & New States — Nations, Industry & Economic Life, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Nationalism, Unification & Political Membership — Nations, Industry & Economic Life, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Industrialization: Energy, Machines & Production — Nations, Industry & Economic Life, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Economic Systems: Markets, Ownership & Socialism — Nations, Industry & Economic Life, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Industrial Society: Work, Cities & Unequal Change — Nations, Industry & Economic Life, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Reform: Labor Organizing, Suffrage & Public Services — Reform, Imperialism & Asian Transformations, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• New Imperialism: Territory, Extraction & Colonial Rule — Reform, Imperialism & Asian Transformations, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Resistance & Response: India, Ethiopia & Colonial Power — Reform, Imperialism & Asian Transformations, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• China in the Nineteenth Century: War, Rebellion & Reform — Reform, Imperialism & Asian Transformations, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Meiji Japan: State Reform, Industry & Empire — Reform, Imperialism & Asian Transformations, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• World War I: Crisis, Global Mobilization & Warfare — World Wars, Revolution & Dictatorship, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Russian Revolutions: War, Competing Authority & Civil War — World Wars, Revolution & Dictatorship, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• After World War I: Treaties, Mandates & Economic Crisis — World Wars, Revolution & Dictatorship, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Interwar Dictatorships: Institutions, Ideology & Coercion — World Wars, Revolution & Dictatorship, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• World War II: Expansion, Global War & Civilian Consequences — World Wars, Revolution & Dictatorship, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• The Holocaust: Escalation, Evidence & Jewish Lives — Genocide, Postwar Institutions & Cold War, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• 1945 & the Postwar Order: Nuclear Weapons, Trials & Reconstruction — Genocide, Postwar Institutions & Cold War, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Cold War: Institutions, Security & Competing Systems — Genocide, Postwar Institutions & Cold War, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• China After 1949: Revolution, Campaigns & Reform — Genocide, Postwar Institutions & Cold War, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Decolonization: Sovereignty, Movements & New Institutions — Genocide, Postwar Institutions & Cold War, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• South Asia: Independence, Partition & State Building — Independence, Regional Conflicts & Cold War’s End, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• African Independence: Ghana, Algeria & Varied Paths — Independence, Regional Conflicts & Cold War’s End, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Middle East, 1918–1979: States, Palestine & Resources — Independence, Regional Conflicts & Cold War’s End, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Korea & Vietnam: Local Histories in Cold War Conflicts — Independence, Regional Conflicts & Cold War’s End, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Cold War’s End: Reform, Protest & State Transformation — Independence, Regional Conflicts & Cold War’s End, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Globalization: Supply Chains, Trade & Unequal Effects — Global Networks, Rights & Political Transitions, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Human Rights: Declaration, Institutions & Implementation — Global Networks, Rights & Political Transitions, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• South Africa: Apartheid, Resistance & Democratic Transition — Global Networks, Rights & Political Transitions, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Latin America, 1959–1990: Revolution, Dictatorship & Democracy — Global Networks, Rights & Political Transitions, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Technology & Society: Food, Communication & Access — Global Networks, Rights & Political Transitions, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Migration, Displacement & Public Health in Global History — Global Challenges & Historical Inquiry, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Rwanda & Bosnia: Genocide, Institutions & Accountability — Global Challenges & Historical Inquiry, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Environmental Change: Development, Climate & Cooperation — Global Challenges & Historical Inquiry, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• The 2007–2009 Financial Crisis: Credit, Risk & Responses — Global Challenges & Historical Inquiry, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Global History Capstone: An Evidence-Based Comparative Essay — Global Challenges & Historical Inquiry, Global History & Geography II: c. 1750 to the Early 21st Century, Grade 10
• Indigenous Nations, Colonial Regions & Historical Evidence — Colonial Foundations & Constitutional Government, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Colonial Resistance, Revolution & the Limits of Independence — Colonial Foundations & Constitutional Government, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• The Constitution: Representation, Powers & Ratification — Colonial Foundations & Constitutional Government, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Federalism, the Bill of Rights & Constitutional Change — Colonial Foundations & Constitutional Government, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• The Early Republic: Parties, Finance, Courts & Foreign Relations — Colonial Foundations & Constitutional Government, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Territorial Expansion, Indigenous Sovereignty & Removal — Expansion, Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Slavery, Cotton, Abolition & Antebellum Reform — Expansion, Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Sectional Conflict, Political Breakdown & Secession — Expansion, Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Civil War, Emancipation & the Destruction of Slavery — Expansion, Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Reconstruction: Citizenship, Labor & Federal Enforcement — Expansion, Slavery, Civil War & Reconstruction, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Industrialization, Corporate Power & Federal Regulation — Industry, Migration & Gilded Age Politics, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Labor Organizations, Industrial Conflict & Workplace Reform — Industry, Migration & Gilded Age Politics, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Immigration, Exclusion, Cities & Political Membership — Industry, Migration & Gilded Age Politics, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Gilded Age Government, Regulation & Agrarian Politics — Industry, Migration & Gilded Age Politics, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Western Land, Indigenous Nations & Agrarian Change — Industry, Migration & Gilded Age Politics, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Progressive Reform: Federal Tools, Expertise & Exclusions — Progressive Reform, Empire & World War I, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• American Expansion Overseas: 1898, Sovereignty & Intervention — Progressive Reform, Empire & World War I, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• World War I: U.S. Entry, Mobilization & Civil Liberties — Progressive Reform, Empire & World War I, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Education, Technology & Women’s Political Rights — Progressive Reform, Empire & World War I, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Jim Crow, Black Institutions & the Great Migration — Progressive Reform, Empire & World War I, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• The 1920s: Consumption, Cultural Creation & Political Conflict — The 1920s, Depression & New Deal, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• The 1929 Crash: Speculation, Leverage & Banking Risk — The 1920s, Depression & New Deal, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• The Great Depression: Contraction, Households & Policy Responses — The 1920s, Depression & New Deal, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• The New Deal: Relief, Institutions & Constitutional Debate — The 1920s, Depression & New Deal, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• American Society in the 1930s: Culture, Migration & Documentary Evidence — The 1920s, Depression & New Deal, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• The Road to World War II: Neutrality, Aid & U.S. Entry — World War II & the Emerging Cold War, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• The Holocaust, Refugee Policy & American Responses — World War II & the Emerging Cold War, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• World War II: Mobilization, Victory & Unequal Rights at Home — World War II & the Emerging Cold War, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Containment, Postwar Institutions & Global Cold War Relationships — World War II & the Emerging Cold War, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Postwar Prosperity, Anticommunism & Nuclear Risk, 1945–1962 — World War II & the Emerging Cold War, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Korea & Vietnam: War Powers, Local Aims & American Decisions — World War II & the Emerging Cold War, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Civil Rights: Organizing, Courts, Legislation & Enforcement — Civil Rights, Social Movements & Government, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Social Movements: Gender, Sovereignty, Disability & Environment — Civil Rights, Social Movements & Government, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• The Great Society: Poverty, Education, Health & Federal Responsibility — Civil Rights, Social Movements & Government, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Watergate: Investigations, Executive Privilege & Accountability — Civil Rights, Social Movements & Government, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Economic Change Since the 1970s: Inflation, Work & Public Policy — Civil Rights, Social Movements & Government, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• U.S. Foreign Relations, Cold War’s End & the 1990s — Global Connections, Security & Historical Inquiry, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Immigration After 1965: Policy, Refugees & Community Change — Global Connections, Security & Historical Inquiry, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• Globalization, Digital Change & the 2007–2009 Financial Crisis — Global Connections, Security & Historical Inquiry, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• September 11, War Powers & Security–Liberty Debates — Global Connections, Security & Historical Inquiry, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11
• U.S. History Capstone: Constitutional Change, Evidence & Comparison — Global Connections, Security & Historical Inquiry, United States History & Government: Colonial Foundations to the Early 21st Century, Grade 11

In use

Archaeologists investigate tools, remains, settlement traces, and environmental evidence to reconstruct movements and ways of life.

Early Humans: Migration, Foraging & Adaptation

Monumental tombs and inscriptions preserve much elite evidence, while settlements and administrative records help investigate daily life.

Ancient Egypt: Nile Agriculture, Power & Daily Life

Ashoka’s third-century BCE inscriptions are important evidence of an emperor’s stated aims and ethical concerns, especially after the Kalinga war.

South Asia: Mauryan Rule, Ashoka & Gupta Networks

Questions using evidence

Taught alongside

• context
• interpretation
• corroboration
• projection
• foraging
• archaeology
• domestication
• surplus
• cuneiform
• city-state
• scribe
• dynasty
• standardization
• inference

Elsewhere

• All social studies terms
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