Primary Sources-Video
Locating Primary Sources
The library has many databases that include primary sources documents. Those are listed on our databases page HERE
Here are a few databases which may be useful for many topics-
- Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America This link opens in a new window
Primary sources providing a unique insight into interactions between indigenous people of North America and Europeans from their earliest contact, through the American Civil War and the civil rights movement of the 20th century. 16th-20th century.
- American West This link opens in a new windowArchive of original manuscripts, rare printed books, maps and ephemeral material from the Everett D. Graff Collection of Western Americana, regarded as one of the finest collections of Western American history and cultural studies. 1718-1939.
- Caribbean History & Culture, 1535-1920 This link opens in a new windowBooks, pamphlets, almanacs, broadsides and ephemera focused on the West Indies and neighboring areas.
- Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Many popular newspapers, dating back as far as the 19th century. Includes Black Historical Newspapers. Access for each paper begins with the first issue published, end dates are varied and evolving.
- Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975 This link opens in a new window
Primary source material on the cultural change between 1950-1975. Rock and roll, counterculture, peace and protest, fashion, civil rights, Vietnam, student activism, and underground publications.
- Race Relations in America This link opens in a new window
Documents three pivotal decades in the fight for civil rights in America through the eyes and work of sociologists, activists, psychologists, teachers, ministers, students and housewives.1928-1976
What is a Primary Source?
Primary sources, for historical purposes, are most often defined as eye-witness accounts of events/historical periods. Those accounts written or created at the time, not with 20/20 hindsight.
These sources reflect the point of view of a participant or observer at a particular point of time. There are a wide range of source materials available for historical research. For example:
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- Magazines, newspapers, books, and pamphlets written and published during a particular time period
- Diaries, letters, or papers usually written for personal reasons. Some of these may have been published later, usually after the writer’s death.
- Reports and records such as census data or other government documents.
- Autobiographies and memoirs often written long after the events took place and therefore, may be somewhat less reliable.
- Photos, audio recordings, movies, buildings, and other physical objects may also reveal information about the time period and popular culture
Compilations of primary sources such as a book containing many short excerpts from primary sources may not always be as useful as the original sources themselves.
Source materials may have a bias or purpose which you should be aware of. For example, an article from a northern paper during the civil war will read much differently than an article from a southern paper. When reading primary sources, think about why the piece was written, when it was written, and what it tells us about the writer and the time period.