Find Primary Sources
What is a Primary Source?
Primary sources are produced by participants or direct observers of an issue, event or time period. These sources may be recorded during the event or later on, by a participant reflecting upon the event. In some cases, it will be difficult to obtain the original source, so you may have to rely on copies (photocopies, microfilm, digital copies).
Some examples of primary sources include:
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Newspapers
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Speeches
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Government Documents
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Legal Documents
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Public Opinion Polls
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Personal Materials, including letters, diaries, interviews memoirs, autobiographies and oral histories
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Images
Consider these questions when using a primary source:
While primary sources are often desirable for the raw, non-interpreted information they provide, it is important to analyze them for your research. Ask yourself these questions:
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Who is the creator and what was their relationship to the event or issue?
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Why did the creator produce this source?
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Was the source for personal use? For a large audience?
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Was the source intended to be public (newspaper) or private (correspondence)?
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How neutral was the creator? What biases or interests might have influenced how the source was created?
- Can the source be substantiated by other primary sources? Can you confirm what the creator is saying?
Where to search
| Place to Search | Newspapers | Speeches | Government Documents | Legal Documents | Public Opinion Polls | Personal Materials | Images |
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| American Memory |  |
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| American Rhetoric | |
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| Avalon Project | |
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| FindLaw (includes Supreme Court opinions) | |
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| Google News | |
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| Historical Newspapers (databases list) | |
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| Lexis Nexis Academic | |
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Library Catalog
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| National Archives | |
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| Newspapers | Speeches | Government Documents | Legal Documents | Public Opinion Polls | Personal Materials | Images | |
| Newspapers (databases list) | |
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| New York Public Library Digital Gallery | |
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| Polling the Nations | |
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| ProQuest Congressional | |
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| Teaching American History | |
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| USA.gov | |
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Vital Speeches of the Day |
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| Newspapers | Speeches | Government Documents | Legal Documents | Public Opinion Polls | Personal Materials | Images |
