Primary Sources
A primary source is something that was created and/or experienced at the time being studied. They provide a first-hand or eye witness account. Examples of primary sources include: historical documents, an artifact, a diary or journal, speeches, oral histories, photos, newspaper clippings, letters, etc. Reproductions of primary sources (remember, we won't have the originals) can often be found in books and on websites.
Be sure to check the secondary source (book or article) that you used for your research; oftentimes, a primary source is included.
For additional help, take a look at the Primary Resources LibGuide.
Primary Source Databases
- AAS (American Antiquarian Society) Historical Periodicals This link opens in a new windowThis database contains contains more than 6,500 historical periodical titles documenting the life of America’s people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction and into the early 20th century (1684-1912).
- 19th Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new windowSearch this database to find digitized versions of American newspapers during the 19th century.
- Slavery & Anti-Slavery This link opens in a new windowSearch this database to find history of slavery from the original books, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, etc.
Internet Primary Sources
- World Digital LibraryWDL was a project of the U.S. Library of Congress, with the support of UNESCO, and contributions from libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions, and international organizations around the world. The WDL sought to preserve and share some of the world’s most important cultural objects, increasing access to cultural treasures and significant historical documents to enable discovery, scholarship, and use.
- Chronicling America: America's Historic NewspapersSearch America's historic newspaper pages from 1777-1963 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.
- HathiTrust Digital LibraryHathiTrust is a partnership of academic and research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world.
- Library of Congress: Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, 1774 to 1789From the Library of Congress, this collection contains 277 documents relating to the work of Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution.
- Frederick Douglass Papers at the Library of CongressThis collection at the Library of Congress presents the papers of the nineteenth-century African American abolitionist who escaped from slavery and then risked his freedom by becoming an outspoken antislavery lecturer, writer, and publisher. The online collection, containing approximately 7,400 items (38,000 images), spans the years 1841-1964, with the bulk of the material dating from 1862 to 1865. Many of Douglass’s earlier writings were destroyed when his house in Rochester, New York, burned in 1872.
- Journal of Slavery and Data PreservationThe site contains 600,000 (and growing) people records and 5 million data points. From archival fragments and spreadsheet entries, see the lives of the enslaved in richer detail.
- American Experience (PBS)American Experience, TV's most-watched history series, brings to life the compelling stories from our past that inform our understanding of the world today.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsThe Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, and it serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world.
- National Archives America's Founding DocumentsThe National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. In short, NARA ensures continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their Government.
- Historic DocumentsThis public-domain content provided by the Independence Hall Association, a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1942.
eBooks
"Good News from New England" by Edward Winslow : A Scholarly Edition by ISBN: 9781625340825Publication Date: 2014-07-23
Native Wills from the Colonial Americas: Dead Giveaways in a New World by ISBN: 9781607814160Publication Date: 2015-11-30
Books
Major Problems in the Early Republic, 1787-1848 by Call Number: E301 .M25 1992ISBN: 0669243329Publication Date: 1991-01-02
The Norton Anthology of American Literature by Call Number: PS507 .N65 2007ISBN: 9780393927405Publication Date: 2007-04-19
Daily Life Through American History in Primary Documents by Call Number: REF E161 .D35 2012 v.1-4ISBN: 9781610690324Publication Date: 2011-12-12
Encyclopedia Britannica's Annals of AmericaCall Number: REF E173 .A793 1976 v.1-7ISBN: 9780852299609Publication Date: 2003-01-01
Exploration and Colonial America by Call Number: REF E173 .D41 2013 v.1-2ISBN: 9781429837033Publication Date: 2012-12-31
The American Revolution by Call Number: REF E173 .D42 2013 v.1-2ISBN: 9781429837071Publication Date: 2012-12-31
Manifest Destiny and the New Nation, 1803-1860 by Call Number: REF E173 .D43 2013 v.1-2ISBN: 9781429837422Publication Date: 2013-09-19
The Civil War, 1860-1865 by Call Number: REF E173 .D45 2014 v.1-2ISBN: 9781429837460Publication Date: 2014-01-21
Reconstruction Era (1865-1877) by Call Number: REF E173 .D46 2015ISBN: 9781619254879Publication Date: 2014-06-04
Understanding U. S. Military Conflicts Through Primary Sources by Call Number: REF E181 .U53 2016 v.1-5ISBN: 9781610699334Publication Date: 2015-11-12
American Revolution: Primary Sources by Call Number: REF E203 .A577 2000ISBN: 0787637904Publication Date: 2000-06-21
American Civil War: Primary Sources by Call Number: REF E464 .H55 2000ISBN: 0787638242Publication Date: 1999-12-20
Industrial Revolution: Primary Sources by Call Number: REF E740.5 .O98 2003ISBN: 0787665150Publication Date: 2003-05-23
Westward Expansion: Primary Sources by Call Number: REF F591 .P384 2001ISBN: 0787648647Publication Date: 2000-09-29
American History Through Its Greatest Speeches by Call Number: REF PS662 .A46 2017 v.1-3ISBN: 9781610699693Publication Date: 2016-12-05
