Primary Sources
A primary source is a document or piece of evidence written or created during the time period you are studying. A primary source allows you to examine evidence firsthand without being affected by other opinions.
Types of Primary Sources:
- Diaries
- Letters
- Memos/E-mails
- Speeches (both the text of the speech & the giving of the speech)
- Manuscripts
- Autobiographies
- Interviews
- Patents
- Laws, legislation, court rulings
- Newspaper & magazine articles as an event happened
- News footage
- Raw data
- Artifacts: buildings, clothes, jewelry, toys, fossils
- Journal articles reporting original research or an experiment
- Official records of governments, agencies, organizations: meeting minutes, reports, vital records (e.g., Census records)
- Creative works: poetry, novels, drama, music, art, photography, movies, scripts, performances
- Technical reports (i.e., accounts of work done on research projects)
Use Search@UW to find primary sources in books
Searching Tip
Books are great places to look for primary sources! Historians may have already put together collections of primary sources in a book for you. You might try looking for books containing sermons, military histories, government publications, etc. You may even come across a book written by someone from the time period you are studying.
Recommended Databases
- Early American Newspapers This link opens in a new windowSubjects covered include historic local, regional, & national news. Find news and primary sources.
- Historical Newspapers: The New York Times (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
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Subjects covered include history, news, and a wide range of topics. Find primary sources: the full text and full image articles from the New York Times dating back to the 19th century. - Times Digital Archive (Gale)
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The Times (London, England) Digital Archive is an online, full-text facsimile of more than 200 years of The Times, one of the most highly regarded resources for the 19th – 20th Century history detailing every complete page of every issue from 1785-2009. - Lily (Accessible Archives)The Lily is the first newspaper for women, and was issued from 1849 until 1853 under the editorship of Amelia Bloomer (1818-1894).
- African American Newspapers (1827-1998) This link opens in a new windowSubjects covered include cultural, literary and social history; ethnic studies, news, and more. Find primary sources and news.
- US NewsstreamSubjects covered include news and current events. Find current and archival to 1980 U.S. news.
- Newspapers.com Library Edition - World CollectionHistorical newspapers archive from the 1700s - 2000s containing thousands of well-known regional, state, and small local newspapers in the United States and other countries.
- American Indian History
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Subjects covered include First Nations Studies, history, culture studies, law, art, and more. Covers over 600 regional cultures and over 15,000 years of First Nations history. Also includes a selection of primary sources. - Early Encounters in North America: Peoples, Cultures, and the Environment (Alexander Street Press) This link opens in a new windowSubjects covered include history, First Nations studies, cultural studies, and environmental studies. Find primary sources; both published and unpublished acounts, including narratives, diaries, journals, and letters.
- North American Indian Thought and Culture
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Subjects covered include First Nations Studies, history, biography, and cultural studies. Find autobiographies, biographies, Indian publications, oral histories, personal writings, photographs, drawings, and audio files.
- Westlaw Campus Research This link opens in a new window
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Subjects covered include law, government, and reference information. Find a wide range of legal materials including legislative histories, codes and regulations, and Federal and State case law. - ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
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Subjects covered include law, political science, government, and related fields. Find hearing transcripts and submitted testimony, Committee reports, Bills, Public laws, Selected committee prints, Congressional documents, Congressional Record, Federal Register, Current Code of Federal Regulations, and the current US Code.
Note on Searching for Government Publications
These types of databases are not ideal or really meant for browsing. It works best if you have a certain publication you have in mind and are looking for. This could be a court case, amendment , congressional bill, etc. We recommend you identify the name of what you are looking for first (Google, Wikipedia, etc.) and then try looking up the primary source in these resources. This can be challenging so please refer to our guides listed below. If you are still have trouble, navigate to the research help page of this guide to connect with a librarian for assistance.
- History Vault: Civil Rights
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Subjects covered include cultural, literary and social history; ethnic studies, news, and more. Find primary sources, federal records, organization records, and more. - Artstor
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Subjects covered include art, design, architecture, fashion, maps, photography, and more. Find images from museums, archives, and other institutions. - North American Immigrants Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories (Alexander Street Press) This link opens in a new windowSubjects covered include history and related fields. Find primary sources: North American immigrant letters, diaries, and oral histories from the United States and Canada.
- North American Women's Letters and Diaries: Colonial to 1950 (Alexander Street Press) This link opens in a new windowSubjects covered include history and related fields. Find primary sources: letters and diaries that describe the immediate experiences of 107 women.
- Early Encounters in North America: Peoples, Cultures, and the Environment (Alexander Street Press) This link opens in a new windowSubjects covered include history, First Nations studies, cultural studies, and environmental studies. Find primary sources; both published and unpublished acounts, including narratives, diaries, journals, and letters.
- Early English Books Online This link opens in a new windowSubjects covered include literature, history, philosophy, humanities, and religious studies. Find digital copies of works printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473-1700
- U.S. History In Context
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Subjects covered include United States history, including events, biographies, social movements, and politics. Find academic, trade, popular, and primary sources.
Online Resources
- Library of Congress Research Guide: Indian Removal ActThis guide contains digital materials at the Library of Congress related to the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and its after-effects, as well as links to external websites and a selected print bibliography.
- Massachusetts Historical Society: Maps of the French and Indian WarThe maps in this exhibition constitute only a small sample of the hundreds drawn to depict North America during the French and Indian War. For historians looking at them today, they provide valuable information about the planning and conduct of the war.
- Library of Congress Presidential PapersResearchers will also find significant resources related to the social, political, and cultural life of Washington, D.C. within the Manuscript Division's Presidential papers
- Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade DatabaseThis digital memorial raises questions about the largest slave trades in history and offers access to the documentation available to answer them. European colonizers turned to Africa for enslaved laborers to build the cities and extract the resources of the Americas. Analyze these slave trades and view interactive maps, timelines, and animations to see the dispersal in action.
- Harvard Library Digital Collections: Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930Documenting voluntary immigration to the United States from the signing of the Constitution to the start of the Great Depression.
Not Finding What You are Looking For?
If you still can't find what you are looking for, click on the research help page of this guide to connect with a librarian!
Otherwise, consider setting up a research appointment with Sarah, your course librarian. Send her an email at bakkens@uwgb.edu with dates and times to set up an appointment.