What are Primary Sources?
Primary sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic from people who had a direct connection with it.
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Secondary sources are a scholarly analysis or interpretation of a historical topic, written by someone who did not experience it.
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So, for example, Frederick Douglass' autobiography is a primary source, but a book about his life written by someone living today is a secondary source.
Secondary sources often incorporate primary sources, so you might expect to see copies of Frederick Douglass' letters in a book about his life written today. The book is a secondary source, but the letters themselves are primary.
In most history classes, the focus of your research will be secondary sources, but primary sources can provide fascinating insight.
Most history databases like Daily Life Through History and Gale's History In Context include some primary sources, but the link below focus exclusively on primary sources.
Primary Sources in Print
Books are a great source for primary sources, because they usually provide helpful introductory text for each document. To find primary sources from the library, search with a keyword related to your topic and "primary sources". Look for book titles that include "sources", "sourcebook", "documents" and similar words. For example, search:
Ottoman women AND "primary sources"
Online Primary Sources
World & US
- Daily Life through History This link opens in a new windowTo find primary sources, perform a search, then click [Filters] and select the types of sources that you want. Primary sources include diaries, letters, maps, photos and more.
- Internet History Sourcebooks ProjectFantastic collection of primary documents representing a broad array of geographic areas and time periods. Search by keyword or browse collections. Special collections include Greek, Roman, Islamic, African, LGBTQIA+, and Women's history, among many others.
- Eyewitness to History.comIncludes both world and US primary sources.
- The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and DiplomacyPrimary sources from Yale Law School arranged chronologically, from ancient to present day. Focus on law and diplomacy.
- Perseus Digital LibraryPrimary source library with focus on Greek and Roman materials, along with 19th Century American documents. Also includes Arabic, Germanic, and Renaissance materials. Richmond Times Dispatch newspaper 1860-65.
- Wilson Center Digital Archive (Declassified International Documents)Contains newly declassified historical materials from archives around the world—much of it in translation and including diplomatic cables, high level correspondence, meeting minutes and more.
World
- DiotímaPrimary source on "women, gender, sex, sexualities, race, ethnicity, class, status, masculinity, enslavement, disability, and the intersections among them in the ancient Mediterranean world." In addition to primary sources, includes fascinating essays, image collections and links to related resources.
United States
- Digital Public Library of AmericaExplore by subject, time period, or type in keywords.
- Oxford African American Studies Center This link opens in a new windowTo find primary sources, use the filter on the left side of the page after you search.
Virginia
- Virginia Memory: Collections By TopicFrom the Library of Virginia
- Document Bank of VirginiaDigitized primary documents; includes context. Organized by era and by theme. From the Library of Virginia
Historical Newspapers
- Ethnic NewsWatch (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
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Full-text newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press, providing researchers access to essential, often overlooked perspectives. The database now also contains Ethnic NewsWatch: A History, which provides historical coverage of Native American, African American, and Hispanic American periodicals from 1959-1989. (NVCC) - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index (1851-2014) This link opens in a new window
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Provides first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time with searchable full text, full page, and article-level images. (NVCC) - ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Washington Post (1877-2001) This link opens in a new window
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Provides first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. (NVCC) - Harper's Weekly: 1857-1912 This link opens in a new windowAccess to an archive of Harper’s Weekly, the 19th century illustrated newspaper published from 1857 to 1912. NOVA has access to 1857-1877, which covers the Civil War through Reconstruction. (VIVA)
- Virginia Chronicle (Library of Virginia)Collections of newspapers from around Virginia; 1800s - 2013.