What is a Primary Source?
The following types of materials are generally considered primary sources:
What is a Secondary Source?
The following types of materials are generally considered primary sources:
Search the Library Catalog for Primary Source Books (see tips below)
TO FIND PRIMARY SOURCES: Combine search words for your topic
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SAMPLE SEARCHES: united states civil war pictorial works |
EXAMPLE OF A PRIMARY SOURCE BOOK |
The databases US History in Context and World History in Context
offer electronic books that contain primary sources.
1. Click on Primary Sources above the search box.
2. Click on Both US & World below the search box.
3. Search on a subject (keep your subject broad): Examples: Korean War, Japanese American Internment...etc.
4. a)Pay attention to the document type listed in the right-hand column, such as
government document, speech, editorial, excerpt, interview...etc. that indicate that what you are looking at is a primary document.
b) For example, sometimes a result might be encyclopedia article (which is a secondary source), but that article might contain an
excerpt from a speech (which is a primary source).
AMERICAN DECADES:
PRIMARY SOURCES
Primary source documents from different eras in American history
Vol. 1: 1900-1909 / Vol. 2: 1910-1919
Vol. 3: 1920-1929 / Vol. 4: 1930-1939
Vol. 5: 1940-1949 / Vol. 6: 1950-1959
Vol. 7: 1960-1969 / Vol. 8: 1970-1979
Vol. 9: 1980-1989/Vol. 10: 1990-1999
The guidebook provides suggestions for primary sources for different events in African American history.
Chronicling America: America's Historical Newspapers
Historic Newspapers from Washington State
Historic Newspapers - International