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“Primary sources are original items or records that have survived from the past, such as clothing, letters, photographs, and manuscripts. They were part of a direct personal experience of a time or an event.” They can include “objects or artifacts such as works of art or ancient roads, building, tools, and weapons. These sources serve as the raw material to interpret the past, and when they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they provide the resources necessary for historical research.” |
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Using Primary Sources on the Web
From the American Library Association
This site includes:
• What are Primary Sources
• Finding Primary Sources on the Web
• Evaluating Primary Source Web Sites
• Citing Web Sites
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Different Types of Primary Sources
From Yale University
This link from Yale University contains descriptions of many examples of primary sources. |
Using Primary Sources
From the Wisconsin Historical Society
Here you can find:
• How to read primary sources
• Primary sources in the classroom
• Interpretation: The problem of worldview
• Worksheets for analyzing primary sources |
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Primary Sources on the Web
From Eduplace.com
These sites are divided into two categories: U.S. History and World History. |
Eyewitness Accounts of People and Events in Tudor England
From English History.net
"They are written from the perspective of a participant or observer and can include letters, speeches, diary / journal entries, and manuscripts.” |
First World War
From First World War.com
The War to End All Wars! “This section of the website contains a collection of primary documents that document the course of the war via source - often official government - material. Included here are archive documents signed in the late 1830s which bore relevance to the outbreak of war some 75 years later, as well as memos, letters, treaties and the text of speeches throughout the war and beyond.” Primary documents are categorized by year. |
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Primary Source Documents
From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
"The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is making primary source documents and educational resources from all eras of American history available for free online. The web site receives more than 1 million visits per year, and offers a variety of free online resources to improve the study of American history. Features available on the web site include podcasts of historians discussing their work, lesson plans on major topics in American history, a searchable database of more than 60,000 primary source documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, featured documents with printable images and transcripts for classroom use, and online exhibitions. In addition to the main web site, the Institute also maintains a quarterly online journal of American history, History Now, which offers articles by scholars, as well as lesson plans, interactive features, and links for further study." |
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Using Primary Sources
From the Library of Congress
This site from the Library of Congress provides excellent information regarding different primary sources: artifacts, documents, oral histories, sounds, and visuals. |
Researching History: First Steps
From the University of Washington
Getting ready for History Day? Here are some very helpful hints about getting started and also the difference between secondary sources and primary sources. |
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Primary Source Sets
From the Library of Congress
On this site you will find "sets of selected primary sources on specific topics, available as easy-to-print PDFs. Also, background material and tools to guide student analysis." Topics include:
• Assimilation through Education
• Baseball: Across a Divided Society
• Jim Crow in America
• Civil War Music
• Constitution
• Dust Bowl Migration
• The Inventive Wright Brothers
• Hispanic Exploration
• Immigration Challenges for New Americans
• Japanese American Internment During World War II
• Abraham Lincoln
• Found Poetry
• Thanksgiving
• Women’s Suffrage |
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Thinking Like a Historian
From the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources
Sam Wineburg, Stanford University, states, "How can teachers help their students to begin thinking like historians? Teaching a way of thinking requires making thinking visible. We need to show students not only what historians think, but how they think, and then guide students as they learn to engage in this process." |
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The NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom
Primary Source Set
"The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, is America’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Founded in 1909, it was at the center of nearly every battle for the rights and dignity of African Americans in the twentieth century. Today, the NAACP honors its heritage of activism and continues to work for civil rights." Here you can download a Teacher Guide and Primary Sources Analysis Tools. A fabulous resource! |
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Adapting Documents for the Classroom: Equity and Access
From the National History Education Clearinghouse
"Adapting documents for the classroom includes the use of excerpts, helpful head notes, and clear source information. It means adjusting documents for non-expert readers and making them shorter, clearer, and more focused. Adaptations can also include simplifying syntax and vocabulary, conventionalizing punctuation and spelling, cutting nonessential passages, and directing attention to a document's key components." |
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