What are primary sources?
Primary sources are first-hand accounts of events or time periods in history. These accounts can be in the form of:
- diaries
- letters
- memoirs
- speeches
- interviews
- books
- articles (published in newspapers, magazines, and journals)
- government publications
- pamphlets
- manuscripts
- photographs
- audio/video recordings
- objects of material culture, art, etc.
Often times, primary sources are collected and published in book form at a later date. So, for example, you could find a collection of transatlantic travel writing from the 1700s that was published in 2012 (the collection, not the original sources). In other words, don't be thrown off when looking at publication dates!
Where can I find primary sources?
Primary sources can be found in many different places, including:
Click the links above or hover over the Primary Sources tab at the top of the page to learn how to find primary sources using these resources.
