According to the Library of Congress primary sources are actual records that have survived from the past, like letters, photographs, articles of clothing and music. They are different from secondary sources, which are accounts of events written sometime after they happened.
The primary sources found include published and unpublished documents and recordings like books, correspondence, newspapers, advertisements, maps, laws, pamphlets, memoirs, narratives, speeches, public records, and music; as well as visual arts items like photographs, paintings, cartoons and films. More than 13 million of these are digitized and accessible by computer.
Primary sources provide an unfiltered record of artistic, social, scientific and political thought and achievement during the specific period under study, produced by people who lived during that period.
In analyzing primary sources, one moves from concrete observations and facts to making inferences about the materials. "Point of view", for example, is one of the most important inferences that a learner can draw. While looking at these materials one can ask questions like: What is the intent of the speaker, of the writer, of the photographer or of the musician? How does that color one's interpretation or understanding of the evidence?
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Type of Primary Source |
Strategies |
Recommended Places to Start |
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Books |
Limit by Date |
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Basic Legal or Government Documents |
Language Issues |
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News |
Language Issues |
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Speeches |
Language Issues |
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Magazines of the Time |
Still in Paper |
Nineteenth Century Masterfile (1802-1906) Readers' Guide Retrospective (1890-1982) Readers' Guide (1983-to present)
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