What are primary sources?
Primary sources are the evidence of history, original records or objects created by participants or observers at the time historical events occurred or even well after events, as in memoirs and oral histories. Primary sources may include but are not limited to: letters, manuscripts, diaries, journals, newspapers, maps, speeches, interviews, documents produced by government agencies, photographs, audio or video recordings, born-digital items (e.g. emails), research data, and objects or artifacts (such as works of art or ancient roads, buildings, tools, and weapons). These sources serve as the raw materials historians use to interpret and analyze the past.
"Primary Sources on the Web: Finding, Evaluating, Using", American Library Association, 2015. (Accessed August 24, 2020)
Online repositories of primary sources - a selective list
- American Newspapers: 17th-19th Century Newspapers OnlineLinks to digitized historic U.S. newspapers from the late 19th and 20th centuries.
- Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and DiplomacyDigital documents in the fields of law, history, economics, politics, diplomacy, and government.
- Chronicling AmericaSearch America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or 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.
- Documenting the American SouthThe DocSouth digital publishing initiative provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture.
- Library of CongressThe Library of Congress digital American history collection provides free and open access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music. For best search results, use the "everything" option.
- Making of America (Cornell University)This digital library collaboration between Cornell University and the University of Michigan has primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. Cornell moved its collection to the Hathi Trust Digital Library in 2018.
- National Museum of American History (Smithsonian)Digitized materials with strengths in advertising history, the history of technology and invention, and the history of American popular music.
- Our DocumentsCompiled by the National Archives and Records Administration, these 100 milestone documents chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965.
- The Public Domain ReviewOnline journal and not-for-profit project dedicated to curious and compelling public domain works from the history of art, literature, and ideas. Works are international with some notable U.S. content.
- Primary Sources for United States History (RUSA)This guide provides links to important, substantial, and freely available collections of primary sources dealing with American history. Each source has been chosen, evaluated, and/or annotated by members of RUSA's History Section.
- History Makers Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
The HistoryMakers records, preserves, and disseminates the content of video oral history interviews highlighting the accomplishments of individual African Americans and African-American-led groups and movements. Interviewees in this unique collection come from across the United States, from a variety of fields, and with memories stretching from the 1890s to the present. Oakton username and password required.
Best subheadings for finding primary sources in O.W.L.
- O.W.L. Oakton's Whole Library
O.W.L. is your Oakton Library catalog and discovery service for books, articles, journals, and multimedia.
Combine the subheadings in the list below with other search terms. For example:
African Americans - Sources
Soldiers - Personal narratives
United States - History - Sources
- correspondence
- interviews
- sources
- diaries
- personal narratives
- pamphlets
- oral history
- maps
- notebooks, sketchbooks, etc
- speeches, addresses, etc
Assistance for using primary sources
- Primary Sources on the Web: Finding, Evaluating, Using (RUSA)This brief librarian-created guide from the Reference & User Services Association is designed to help students and researchers find and evaluate primary sources available online.
- Getting Started with Primary Sources in the ClassroomGuidance from the National Archives.