LibGuides: History: Primary Sources

What are "Primary Sources"?

Primary Sources can be found most easily on these databases

You can find primary sources in most history databases, more than likely inside secondary sources. The two Gale databases below simply have a section for "primary sources" which allow you to discover them quickly (depending on the topic). All of our History databases can lead you to primary sources, however. What matters most is thinking about the reasons why you need a particular primary source, and the best keywords that will retrieve such results.

U.S. History (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new window
In-depth coverage of the most studied topics in United States history.
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World History (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new window
In-depth coverage of the most studied topics in world history.

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)
DPLA Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop critical thinking skills by exploring topics in history, literature, and culture through primary sources. Drawing online materials from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States, the sets use letters, photographs, posters, oral histories, video clips, sheet music, and more. Each set includes a topic overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide.
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States: Challenges and Triumphs in the Pursuit of Equality
ProQuest now features a free resource of primary sources related to the historical African American experience in this country.
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This website contains approximately 1,600 documents focused on six different phases of Black Freedom:

Slavery and the Abolitionist Movement (1790-1860)
The Civil War and the Reconstruction Era (1861-1877)
Jim Crow Era from 1878 to the Great Depression (1878-1932)
The New Deal and World War II (1933-1945)
The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements (1946-1975)
The Contemporary Era (1976-2000)

Test your knowledge!

Try this interactive tutorial from the CSUN Library

http://library.csun.edu/ovcapt/PrimarySource/index.html