What is a Primary Source?
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 Examples of primary sources include: historical documents, an artifact, a diary or journal, speeches, oral histories, photos, newspaper clippings, letters, etc.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.
Online Archives of Primary Sources
- American Indians - DocsTeachResources Related to American Indian and Alaska Native Communities at the National Archives
- American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Collection - University of WashingtonThis site provides an extensive digital collection of original photographs and documents about the Northwest Coast and Plateau Indian cultures. The digital databases includes over 2,300 original photographs as well as over 1,500 pages from the Annual Reports of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs to the Secretary of the Interior from 1851 to 1908 and six Indian treaties negotiated in 1855.
- History of North America - World Digital LibraryThe World Digital Library makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from all countries and cultures. This link will take you to the History of North America section, which you can search within for your topic.
- Indian Adoption Project - University of OregonInformation about the Indian Adoption Project that lasted from 1958 through 1967, including many primary documents. See the references list at the bottom of the first page, or click through the Document Archives tab to find more primary sources you could use.
- Indian Boarding Schools: Assimilation Through Education - Library of CongressPhotos, early film footage, federal government reports, cartoons, and maps from the Library of Congress tell the complex tale of the efforts to assimilate Native Americans through education.
- Indians/Native Americans - National ArchivesThe National Archives are the official archives of the USA. This section of the Archives provides dozens of resources related to Native American history.
- Native American Primary Source Sets - Digital Public Library of AmericaThis link will take you to sets of primary sources about Native American history. Topics include: The American Indian Movement, American Indian Boarding Schools, Manifest Destiny, and the Indian Reorganization Act.
- Native Voices Timeline - National U.S. Library of MedicineThis is a timeline of native peoples in America and their healing traditions from 10,000 BC through the present. It primarily contains digitized art and photographs from the original time periods.
- Records of the National Congress of American Indians, 1933-1990Digitized records of the National Congress of American Indians. You must click on the "PRINT PDF" button in order to view each document.
Databases with Primary Sources
- 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.
- Chronicling America: America's Historic NewspapersSearch this database to find digitized newspaper articles (through 1963) from the time period you are interested in.
- 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).
- The Quarterly Journal of the Society of American IndiansDigitized issues of the official journal for the Society of American Indians. These issues run from 1913-1915.
Primary Source Books
- BC Library Native American Primary SourcesThis link will take you to a search in our library catalog for all the books we have on Native Americans that contain primary sources.
50 Events That Shaped American Indian History by Call Number: REF E77 .A125 2017 (Volumes 1-2)ISBN: 9781440835766Publication Date: 2016-12-05This encyclopedia covers 1500 BC through 2017, including topic such as Indian Termination Policy, American Indian Movement, and much more. Each event is covered through an overview of that event as well as primary sources of that event.
Defining Documents in American History - Native Americans by Call Number: REF E77 .N38 2017ISBN: 9781682175873Publication Date: 2017-12-08This set of primary sources (mainly memoirs, autobiographies, and treaties) has information through 1978.
Voices of the American Indian Experience - Creation-1877 by Call Number: REF E77 .V65 2013 (Volumes 1-2)ISBN: 9780313381164Publication Date: 2012-11-30This encyclopedia is split into two volumes: Volume 1 covers Creation-1877, and Volume 2 covers 1878-2012. This collection of primary sources is especially helpful as the documents are primarily by Native Americans rather than observers.
Great Documents in American Indian History by Call Number: REF E77.2 .M66 1973ISBN: 9780306806599Publication Date: 1973This collection of primary sources in Native American history spans 1800-1970.
Civil Rights (1954-2015) by Call Number: REF E173 .D495 2015ISBN: 9781619258563Publication Date: 2016-01-20The final section of this book is dedicated to "Native American Rights." This book focuses on primary sources in the last half of the 20th century.
American Decades: Primary Documents by Call Number: REF E741 .A445 2004 (Volumes 1-10)ISBN: 0787665878Publication Date: 2003-12-05Each volume of this encyclopedia is dedicated to collecting primary sources from each decade of the 20th century.
Westward Expansion: Primary Sources by Call Number: REF F591 .P384 2001ISBN: 0787648647Publication Date: 2000-09-29Chapters 2 and 5 of this set of primary sources most directly relate to Native American history. These primary sources cover the 19th century.
