What is a Primary Source?
"Primary sources are documents, images or artifacts that provide firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning an historical topic under research investigation. Primary sources are original documents created or experienced contemporaneously with the event being researched. Primary sources enable researchers to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period." -UCI Libraries
Some Primary Source Examples
- letters
- manuscripts
- speeches
- interviews
- photographs
- artifacts
- manuscripts
- oral histories
- video footage of an event
- government documents
Where to Find Primary SOurces?
National Archives
Library of Congress
Opposing Viewpoints in Context Database
World History Sources
World Digital Library
Spartacus Educational
Fordham University
Yale Law School
Library of Congress
Opposing Viewpoints in Context Database
World History Sources
World Digital Library
Spartacus Educational
Fordham University
Yale Law School