LibGuides: HMW9: Find Primary Sources

What is a Primary Source?

Some examples include:

Books, magazine and newspaper articles published at the time
Hand-written documents like diaries and journals
Maps
Laws & court cases
Speeches, interviews, letters
Memoirs and autobiographies
literary manuscripts
Records of government agencies
Records of organizations
Public opinion polls
Fiction from a particular time and place
Research data
Religious or philosophical texts
Artifacts of all kinds: physical objects, furniture, tools, clothing, etc.
Photographs, audio recordings, movies and videos
Art, including paintings, prints and other media

How to use primary sources tutorial

Databases Off Campus Access

Off-Campus Logins

! Using the Library's digital resources off campus?
Here's the link for usernames & passwords.

Time Magazine Archive (EBSCO)
Magazine articles from March 1923 through December 2000 on national and international current events, politics, sports, and entertainment.
Salem Press Online Collection
Primary source documents on American and World History. With essays on selected current event topics.

Primary Sources on the Web

EuroDocs
A directory of primary documents in Western European history compiled by Richard Hacken, BYU librarian.
Europeana
A portal to a multi-lingual online collection of millions of digitized items from European museums, libraries, archives and multi-media collections,
Internet Modern History Sourcebook
From Fordham University, this Sourcebook covers Reformation to 21st Century.
World Digital Library
Content on the WDL includes books, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, journals, prints and photographs, sound recordings, and films from libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions, and international organizations from around the world.
Wilson Center Digital Archive
The Archive contains declassified historical materials from archives around the world - diplomatic cables, high level correspondence, meeting minutes and more.
National Archives (Great Britain)
English primary sources from Britain's National Archives.
Archives Portal Europe
"Archives Portal Europe is an online archive catalogue repository which allows simultaneous archival research in thousands of institutions from more than thirty European countries in 24 languages and 5 alphabets through one simple online search system. Established in 2009, APE holds information on around 7,000 archival institutions, with over a thousand actively contributing content. It holds more than 280 million archival descriptive units and is constantly expanding to make more material available for research."
World History Matters
A portal to to world history websites developed by the Center for History and New Media.

Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis

Using Primary Sources
Understanding how to use a primary source --Library of Congress.

National Archives Primary Source Analysis

Document Analysis Worksheets | National Archives
Analyze: photograph; written document; artifact or object; poster; map; cartoon; video; sound recordings; artwork.
- Worksheets for Novice or Younger Students, or Those Learning English
- Worksheets for Intermediate or Secondary Students

HMW Primary Source Websites

Alpha History
Select the historical period and then documents for a list of primary source documents.

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Provides summaries, documents, images, maps, timelines, and biographical profiles for the historical periods: The American Revolution -- The French Revolution -- World War I -- The Russian Revolution -- the Weimar Republic -- Nazi Germany -- The Holocaust -- The Cold War -- The Chinese Revolution -- The Vietnam War -- Northern Ireland and the Troubles.
Asia for Educators | Columbia University
Select China, Japan, Korea or Vietnam to view a list of primary source selections for that country.

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Primary sources with DBQs for China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. An initiative of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook
From Fordham University, this Sourcebook covers Reformation to 21st Century.

Check the HMW LibGuides Tabs for:

Searching Google for Primary Source

Sample Search Statement = Subject + Time Frame + Type of Document + Other relevant themes or keywords

Subject

Time Frame

Type of Document

Other relevant themes or keywords

Chinese American

Reconstruction

Post Civil War

1865-1915

1870s

1880s

Narratives

Interviews

Speech

Letters

Diaries

Memoirs

Oral Histories

Railroad workers

Chinese Exclusion Act

Chinatown

Immigration

Discrimination