MOUNT MCKINLEY HOAX

MOUNT MCKINLEY HOAX

The text about the McKinley hoax is from a New York Times article.

[Note: The New York Times article is available through the Lexis/Nexis Library database: Headline: Author Says Photo Confirms Mt. Mckinley Hoax in 1908

Byline: By John Tierney

Date: November 26, 1998]

First, please read the selection carefully.

Next, write answers to the following questions in the spaces provided below:

1. In a brief sentence, state the topic of this article (do not use Headline).

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2. In a brief sentence, state the thesis of the article (what is the author trying to prove or disprove).

3. Based on your reading of the article, what assumptions can you make about John Tierney, the author of the article?

4. Based on your answer to question 3, would you accept John Tierney as an authority on his subject? Briefly explain your answer.

5. Do Cook's descriptions in paragraphs 2 and 3 of the New York Times article provide evidence that he has been to the top of Mount McKinley? Why or Why Not?

6. What specific sources could you consult to do further research on the topic?

7. Frederick A. Cook Society members believe that Cook still could have gotten to the summit.

What evidence do they offer to support this claim?

8. What are the qualifications of Robert M. Bryce?

9. How could you find more information about Robert M. Bryce?

10. The article states that today most historians think both Cook and Peary were lying about reaching the North Pole. How would you verify this statement?

11. What are the limitations of the photograph as evidence?

SUGGESTIONS FOR OTHER TOPICS

Popular newspaper articles can be easily located through Lexis/Nexis on the following historical controversies - the text of newspaper articles on these topics can be used to construct a similar assignment:

Did Shakespeare actually write his plays?

Did Marco Polo really travel to China?

Have aliens landed on earth in the past?

Did the Holocaust occur (holocaust denial)?

Did the 1937 Nanking Massacre occur?

Were the ancient Egyptians "Black"?

Are African Americans among Thomas Jefferson's descendants?