I think you significantly underestimate the skills required when constructing history from primary sources. Unleashing someone on an archive without some librar

I think you significantly underestimate the skills required when constructing history from primary sources. Unleashing someone on an archive without some library science education is very likely to result in a disorganized mess of documents. You need formal organization skills, some knowledge of document forensics and an understanding of standard document practices from the time you are studying. Also, in order to write clearly you need a lot of years reading and writing practice. You can get that on your own but a humanities degree is going to get most people there faster. Amateur historians are good to have around but you don't want to run the entire front line of primary source history gathering off them.