John E. Colhoun

Article summary

John Ewing Colhoun ( October 26, 1802) was a United States senator and lawyer from South Carolina. Colhoun, was born in Staunton, Virginia, where he attended common schools before graduating from the College of New Jersey (now Princeton University) in 1774. He was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1778 to 1800. He studied to be a lawyer and was admitted to the bar in 1783, commencing practice in Charleston, South Carolina. He was a farmer and was elected a member of the privy council and was also a commissioner of confiscated estates in 1785.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1774 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of death: 1790 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1774". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of death is "1790". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1375930568