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HMW9: Find Primary Sources

History of the Modern World

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

Databases Off Campus Access

Primary Sources on the Web

Library of Congress Primary Source Analysis

National Archives Primary Source Analysis

HMW Primary Source Websites

Searching Google for Primary Source

 

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