This chapter begins with a discussion of the Bacon Rebellion in 1676 by questioning the role of social class in the development of democracy in early American culture. Historians have pondered what the motives of the wealthy Nathanial Bacon were in leading an uprising to aid the poor. The authors question how we are to understand the events of 1676 and discuss how to assess the status of the documentary sources that remain. Assessing the sources offers historians information regarding what types of historical evidence can be used to interpret the events being studied. There are four steps required in assessing sources that begin with critical reading: attribution, identification, perspective, and reliability. The study was concerned with how eight novice US students developed academically in the domain of history using conflicting source materials concerning the Bacon Rebellion. The discussion includes the school context and curriculum, materials, procedures and methods. The students were given five different texts to use to get a clearer understanding of the events concerning the Bacon Rebellion. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the results of the study and how progress can be made in enhancing student’s critical thinking skills.