Primary Sources - Advanced Topics in U.S. History | Edler - Schauffler Library at Schauffler Library, Northfield Mount Hermon School

Tip!

To find primary source material for your topic, try adding one of the keywords below:

charters
correspondence
diaries
documents
interviews
letters
manuscripts

oratory
pamphlets
personal narratives
sources
speeches

Primary and Secondary Sources

The definition of a primary source depends upon the discipline and on how one is using the source.

Usually, a primary source is a direct, first-hand account of an event. It is usually created at the time of an event or shortly thereafter. It's a first-person account of an event. Examples include:

Diaries
Letters
Speeches
Interviews
Statistics
Government Records such as court proceedings, legal briefs, census records
Photographs
Art
Newspaper articles
Maps
Video and audio recordings
First-hand narratives or stories

A secondary source would be something that interprets, analyses, or remarks upon a primary source. Examples include:

Scholarly journal articles
Newspaper and magazine articles
Essays
Theses and dissertations
Stories or films produced about an historical event

A tertiary source is further removed from a primary source. It leads the researcher to a secondary source, rather than to the primary source.

Encyclopedias and dictionaries
Textbooks
Biographies

Recommended Primary Source Databases

While primary sources can be found throughout this libguide in places like books, newspaper articles, images and streaming video, and recommended websites, just to name a few, the following databases may be useful to you in identifying primary sources for your assignments:

African American Experience
Covers the history and culture of African Americans and the greater Black Diaspora. Start here to narrow down your research topic, and to find primary sources and perspective essays.
To cite in NoodleTools: From source page choose "Cite," export to "NoodleTools," and import the citation into your NoodleTools project | URL in citation is stable
America's Historical Newspapers: 1690-2000
Searchable full-text and images of newspapers from across the country including early newspapers (1690-1922), African American Newspapers (1827-1998); Ethnic American Newspapers from the Balch Collection (1799-1971), and Hispanic American Newspapers (1808-1980).
To cite in NoodleTools: From source page choose "Cite," export to "NoodleTools," and import the citation into your NoodleTools project | Add the article title to the citation if it is missing | URL in citation is stable
Sources in U.S. History: American Revolution
A digital archive of primary sources documenting the American revolution and war that created the United States of America, from the Paris peace treaty in 1763 through the early protests in 1785 to the Paris peace treaty of 1783. The collection examines the political, social, and intellectual upheaval of the age, as well as the actual war for American independence through its eight long years of conflict. A wealth of material from the European point of view is included.
To cite in NoodleTools: From source page choose "Cite," export to "NoodleTools," and import the citation into your NoodleTools project | URL in citation is stable
Sources in U.S. History: Civil War
A digital archive of primary sources documenting the war that transformed America, ending slavery and unifying the nation around the principles of freedom. The collection examines the war and all its complexity — its causes and consequences, its battles and campaigns, its political and religious aspects, the experiences of its leaders and common soldiers, the home front and the military campground, and more.
To cite in NoodleTools: From source page choose "Cite," export to "NoodleTools," and import the citation into your NoodleTools project | URL in citation is stable
Sources in U.S. History: Slavery in America
A digital archive of primary sources documenting key aspects of the history of slavery in the United States, from its origins in Africa to its abolition, including materials on the slave trade, plantation life, emancipation, pro-slavery and anti-slavery arguments, religious views on slavery, and other related topics.
To cite in NoodleTools: From source page choose "Cite," export to "NoodleTools," and import the citation into your NoodleTools project | URL in citation is stable

Primary Sources in Reference Books

Gale Virtual Reference Library
A small collection of academic reference e-books and encyclopedias.
To cite in NoodleTools: From source page choose "Cite," export to "NoodleTools," and import the citation into your NoodleTools project | URL in citation is stable
Salem History
This Database has a great selection of primary sources. The Decades series, Great Events from History, Milestone Documents, and Weapons and Warfare, which are also available as print resources in our Reference Collection, are included.
To cite in NoodleTools: +Create New Source | Where is it? Database | What is it? Reference Source | URL is unstable, use database name

Recommended Primary Source Websites

HINT! To cite these primary sources in NoodleTools: Where is it? Website | What is it? Historical Work in an Archive | URL is stable

100 Milestone Documents
The American Presidency Project
The core of the APP document collection is based on published collections of presidential documents. Except for recent presidents, these collections omitted many documents such as proclamations, vetoes and orders.
American President - A Reference Resource
A Biography of America
A Biography of America includes key events, maps, video transcripts, and related links for each era in American history.
The Charters of Freedom
Chronicling America
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1949 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
Digital Public Library of America
An all-digital library that aggregates metadata — or information describing an item — and thumbnails for millions of photographs, manuscripts, books, sounds, moving images, and more from libraries, archives, and museums around the United States.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Founded in 1994 by Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit organization devoted to the improvement of history education. The Institute has developed an array of programs for schools, teachers, and students that include a website that features more than 60,000 unique historical documents in the Gilder Lehrman Collection.
Library of Congress Digital Collections
The Library of Congress digital collections provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.
National Archives Catalog
National Humanities Center: Primary Sources
Collections of primary resources — historical documents, literary texts, and works of art — thematically organized with notes and discussion questions.
Primary Sources for American History
This guide from the American Library Association's Reference and User Services Association provides links to important, substantial, and freely available collections of primary sources dealing with American history.
Teaching American History
A leading online resource for American history teachers and students. Contains links to primary source documents.
Trans Atlantic Slave Trade Database
Information on almost 36,000 slaving voyages that forcibly embarked over 10 million Africans for transport to the Americas between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. The actual number is estimated to have been as high as 12.5 million. The database and the separate estimates interface offer researchers, students and the general public a chance to rediscover the reality of one of the largest forced movements of peoples in world history.

Advanced Topics in U.S. History | Edler: Primary Sources

Tip!

Primary and Secondary Sources

Recommended Primary Source Databases

Primary Sources in Reference Books

Recommended Primary Source Websites