A primary source is an original document or object created generally during the time under study. It's a direct window into a historical moment, unfiltered by later interpretation.
Think of it this way: if a secondary source (like a history book) is the finished meal, primary sources are the raw ingredients the historian used to cook it.
Common examples include:
Letters, diaries, and manuscripts
Newspaper articles from the time
Photographs and films
Government documents (laws, census records, reports)
Oral histories and interviews
Physical artifacts (pottery, tools, clothing)
Here are some famous examples of primary sources:
For a deeper explanation and for more examples, click here.
While secondary sources tell you what other historians think, primary sources are the evidence you'll use to build your own arguments. They are essential because they allow you to:
Connect Directly with the Past: You can analyze the words, images, and objects of the people who were actually there.
Form Your Own Interpretations: By analyzing primary sources, you can develop a unique perspective, rather than just repeating what other scholars have said.
Question and Verify: You can use primary evidence to challenge or confirm the arguments you read in secondary sources.
Library Databases: See databases below that are specifically for primary sources.
Discover Search Filters: After searching your topic in Discovery Search, use the "Resource Type" filter on the left to select "Primary Sources" or "Archival Material."
In Books: Many scholarly books contain appendices with transcribed primary sources or are published as edited collections of letters or documents.
Ask yourself these questions about the item you're looking at:
Who created it? Was the author an eyewitness or a participant in the event?
When was it created? Was it made during the time period you are studying, or years later? (A newspaper article from 1912 about the Titanic sinking is a primary source; a book written about it in 2020 is not).
Why was it created? Was it meant to record an event as it happened (a diary entry) or to analyze events after the fact (a history article)?
Don't just summarize a primary source—analyze it. Treat it like a detective treats a clue. Ask questions:
Who was the intended audience?
What biases or perspectives might the creator have?
What information is left out?
What does the source reveal about the values and assumptions of its time?
Thousands of archives, museums, and historical societies have digitized their collections. You can find them by using a targeted Google search.
Combine your topic with keywords like "archive," "repository," "digital collections," or "historical society."
Example Searches:
("Harlem Renaissance" OR "Langston Hughes") AND archive
("Triangle Shirtwaist Factory") AND "digital collections"
This strategy can lead you to incredible resources from institutions like the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Newberry Library.