WGU D267 Task 1 Guide and Example: Analyzing Primary and Secondary Sources on Slavery

By Dan Palmer, MBA · Academic strategy consultant for working adult learners · LinkedIn

D267 Task 1 asks you to work like a historian. You choose one primary source written by someone who lived through slavery in the United States, and one secondary source that interprets or remembers that history, both from the “Primary and Secondary Sources List” in your course. Then you analyze the primary author’s perspective, compare how the two sources depict slavery, and reflect on what the primary sources taught you.

The hard part for most working learners isn’t the writing. It’s the reading and the choices: seven primary sources and six secondary sources of very different lengths and types, and a rubric that asks for two specific factors, two specific main ideas, and two specific examples from each source. This guide shows how to choose a pair that makes the comparison easier, what “specific” means for each prompt, and how to cite the list correctly. It ends with a D267 Task 1 example built on two sources that are not on the WGU list, so it shows the method without answering the task.

D267 Task 1 (QSM3)

Introduction

Well-researched and credible secondary sources can offer important context for the history of slavery in the United States. They can offer interpretations of primary sources from the period before emancipation and place these sources in the bigger picture of society, politics, and economics. Film, literature, and other creative mediums can also offer insights into the continued impact of the memory of the historical institution in modern America.

In this task, you will analyze primary and secondary sources. Your responses will focus on the message, a comparison, and a reflection on how slavery is depicted in the provided sources. You will choose sources from the attached “Primary and Secondary Sources List” to respond to the task requirements.

Select one primary and one secondary source from the provided “Primary and Secondary Sources List.”

A. Analyze the perspective of the author of your selected primary source by doing the following:

1. Discuss two specific social, political, or cultural factors that affected the author of the source you chose (e.g., laws, court cases, elections, social hierarchies).
2. Explain two specific main ideas the author conveyed with this work.

B. Compare your selected primary source in part A with your selected secondary source by doing the following:

1. Explain two specific main ideas the author conveyed in the selected secondary source.
2. Compare how the selected primary source in part A and the selected secondary source in part B describe or depict slavery. Provide two specific examples from each source.

C. Reflect on how primary sources shaped your understanding of the history of slavery by doing the following:

1. Describe one aspect of slavery presented in the primary sources that expanded your understanding of the experiences of the enslaved. Include one specific example from one of the primary sources.
2. Explain the importance of primary sources to understanding the experiences of people who lived in the era in which the primary source was written.

D. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, or summarized.

E. Demonstrate professional communication in the content and presentation of your submission.

What D267 Task 1 Asks You to Do

The directions label this assessment D267 Task 1 (QSM3), and students often search for it as QSM3 Task 1 slavery in history and memory, after the course’s focus.

The Sources on the List

You choose one source from each column. The primary sources were written by people who lived in the era; the secondary sources interpret that history or how it’s remembered.

How to choose a pair when you’re short on time

1. Read the short primary sources first. Several are a few pages or less. Choose the one whose context you can explain with at least two concrete factors, such as a specific law, court case, election, or place in the social order.
2. Pick a secondary source that overlaps in place, period, or theme. A comparison is far easier when both sources touch the same region, the same kind of experience, or the same question. For example, a primary source set in New York pairs naturally with a secondary source about slavery in the North, and a primary source about the domestic slave trade pairs naturally with a secondary source about plantation economies or the trade.
3. Check that the secondary source gives you two examples. B2 needs two specific examples from the secondary source as well as the primary. For the two video clips, use the transcripts so you can quote or paraphrase accurately.

Write down your pair and the reason they fit before you start writing. That reason becomes the backbone of your B2 comparison.

Part A: The Primary Source Author’s Perspective

A1: Two specific factors

The prompt gives examples: laws, court cases, elections, and social hierarchies. The word that matters is specific. Name the factor, date it, and explain how it shaped what the author experienced or wrote.

Vague: “Slavery was legal at the time, which affected the author.”

Specific (from our example): “Federal fugitive slave law, beginning with the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, allowed enslavers to reclaim people who escaped to free states. Pennington was still legally a fugitive when his narrative appeared in 1849, which shaped what he could safely reveal.”

Look for factors in the source itself (where the author lived, their legal status, who they were writing to) and in the reference information on the list (the year and place of publication). Make sure the factor fits your author’s date; a law passed after the source was written can’t have shaped it.

A2: Two main ideas

A main idea is an argument or message, not a summary of events. Ask what the author wanted readers to believe or do. Support each idea with a short quotation or close paraphrase and a citation.

Part B: Comparing the Two Sources

B1: Two main ideas in the secondary source

Treat the secondary source the same way: two arguments or messages, each supported. For a video, cite the video and use the transcript for exact wording.

B2: Two examples from each source, then a comparison

This is the prompt students most often leave incomplete. You need four examples in total, two from each source, and then an actual comparison. A clean way to structure it:

1. Two examples of how the primary source depicts slavery
2. Two examples of how the secondary source depicts slavery
3. One or two sentences naming a similarity and a difference

Primary sources usually depict slavery from inside one life: specific people, places, and feelings. Secondary sources usually depict it from outside: numbers, systems, or how it’s remembered today. Naming that difference in perspective is often the most useful comparison you can make.

Part C: Reflection

C1: One aspect that expanded your understanding

Choose one aspect of enslaved people’s experience, such as family separation, resistance, sale, labor, or the meaning of freedom, and say what you understood differently after reading. Include one specific example from one of the primary sources on the list. It can be the primary source you analyzed or another one you read.

C2: Why primary sources matter

Explain why sources written by people who lived in the era matter for understanding their experiences: they show what people chose to say, how they described their own lives, and what they could safely reveal. Keep this tied to the experiences of people in that era rather than to research in general.

Citing the Sources List

The list gives reference entries for every source. Use them, but check APA formatting as you copy: a few entries need small fixes, such as the author name format in the Sojourner Truth entry. Cite each quotation or paraphrase in text with the author and year, and add a page or section where the source has one. For videos, use the creator and date given on the list.

WGU D267 Task 1 Example

Inventing historical sources about slavery would be misleading, so our D267 Task 1 example uses two real sources that are not on the WGU list, written up by a fictitious student:

• Primary source: James W. C. Pennington’s 1849 narrative The Fugitive Blacksmith, about his life in slavery in Maryland and his escape
• Secondary source: the Maryland State Archives’ A Guide to the History of Slavery in Maryland (2020)

The example paper shows:

• Two dated factors in A1, each explained in terms of how it affected the author
• Two main ideas from each source, supported with short quotations and citations
• A B2 comparison with two examples from each source and a stated similarity and difference
• A C1 reflection with one specific example, and a C2 explanation tied to people in the era
• APA in-text citations and references, and comments explaining which prompt each section meets

Here’s part of its B2 comparison:

Both sources show that enslaved Marylanders did skilled work, but they depict it differently. The guide presents skilled labor as part of a statewide economy, while Pennington shows what it meant for one person: his skill made him valuable to his enslaver but did not protect his family from violence.

Because neither source is on the list, the example can’t be submitted or adapted for your task. Your paper must use one primary and one secondary source from the WGU list, in your own words.

Download the D267 Task 1 example (.docx)

Plan It Around Your Work Week

1. Evening one (about 2 hours): Read three or four of the shorter primary sources, choose one, and choose a secondary source that overlaps with it. Note the publication details from the list.
2. Evening two (about 2 hours): Research the two A1 factors, then write A1 and A2.
3. Evening three (about 2 hours): Write B1 and B2, including all four examples.
4. Evening four (about 1 hour): Write C1 and C2, check every citation against the list, run Grammarly, and review the similarity report.

Common Reasons D267 Task 1 Comes Back

• A1 names general conditions (“slavery was legal”) instead of specific factors
• A1 uses a factor from after the source was written
• A2 or B1 summarizes the source instead of stating its main ideas
• B2 gives fewer than two examples from one of the sources, or describes each source without comparing them
• C1 has no specific example from a primary source
• C2 talks about research in general rather than the experiences of people in the era
• Quotations from the videos aren’t checked against the transcripts
• Reference entries copied from the list without fixing formatting

Pre-Submission Checklist

• One primary and one secondary source, both from the WGU list
• A1 gives two specific, dated factors and explains how each affected the author
• A2 and B1 each give two main ideas with citations
• B2 has two examples from each source and a direct comparison
• C1 has one aspect and one specific primary source example
• C2 explains the value of primary sources for understanding people in the era
• Every quotation and paraphrase is cited, with a reference list

Related WGU Guides

These guides cover other WGU tasks that ask you to analyze, compare, and present evidence:

• Our WGU D268 course guide and D268 Task 3 guide cover communication and presenting to an audience.
• Our D253 Task 2 guide covers values and bias in decision making.
• Our WGU C717 Task 2 guide covers ethical reasoning.
• For tasks built on evaluating evidence, see our D472 Task 1 guide, D473 Task 1 guide, and D428 design thinking guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is WGU D267 Task 1?

It’s the QSM3 Task 1 performance assessment for WGU D267. You analyze one primary and one secondary source about slavery in the United States from the course’s sources list: the primary author’s perspective, a comparison of how both depict slavery, and a reflection.

Can I use sources that aren’t on the list?

The directions ask you to select one primary and one secondary source from the provided list. You can use outside research for context, such as a law in A1, as long as you cite it.

How many examples do I need in B2?

Four: two specific examples from the primary source and two from the secondary source, followed by a comparison.

Does the C1 example have to come from my chosen primary source?

The directions ask for one specific example from one of the primary sources. Your chosen source is the simplest option, but another primary source on the list can work.

Can I submit the D267 Task 1 example on this page?

No. It uses two sources that aren’t on the WGU list and a fictitious student, and it’s for illustration only.

Want a Second Look Before You Submit?

If you’re working full time and want structured assignment support choosing a source pair that compares well, finding specific A1 factors, or checking your four B2 examples and citations before you submit, message Gradevia on WhatsApp at +1 564 544 6924 or email Support@gradevia.com.

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Sources

Maryland State Archives. (2020). A guide to the history of slavery in Maryland (Rev. ed.). https://msa.maryland.gov/msa/mdslavery/pdf/md-slavery-guide-2020.pdf

Pennington, J. W. C. (1849). The fugitive blacksmith; or, events in the history of James W. C. Pennington (2nd ed.). Charles Gilpin. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15130/15130-h/15130-h.htm