The library has many databases that include primary sources documents. Here's a list of databases containing many primary source documents
If you are using one of the topics in Dr. Lannon's list, here are some suggestions of primary source databases, paired with specific topics-
Good place to find newspaper articles from major papers across the U.S. for all topics on Dr. Lannon's list.
Discovering Women's History Online
Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), civil rights,
Jim Crow, Civil Rights, Harlem Renaissance,great depression/new deal
American Civil Liberties Union Papers
Japanese Internment during World War II, civil rights, McCarthyism, Red Scare, Sacco & Vanzetti
Hispanic American Newspapers [Spanish Language]
Bracero program, Chicano movement, civil rights
Stonewall Riot & Pride Movement, civil rights
Popular Culture in Britain & America, 1950-1975
Equal Rights Amendment, McCarthyism and the Red Scare, Cuban Missile Crisis, Stonewall Riot, civil rights
Knights of Labor/Amer. Federation of Labor, Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, Great Depression/New Deal, Sacco & Vanzetti, Jim Crow laws
Reader's Guide Retrospective - (Magazine articles on most topics from 1900-1982)
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:
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.