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Government & Civil Liberties | J. Shea

Are you taking Government and Civil Liberties this semester? This resource guide has been put together specifically with your class in mind.

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

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

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