HIST 1301 - Professor Ball

What Are Primary Sources?

The above video explains the differences between primary and secondary sources.

In the study of history, primary sources refers to first-hand accounts of events. For example, some of your sources for research in the American Revolution may include

• Letters written by participants in the Revolution
• Diaries written by participants in the Revolution
• Records of the armies, navies, and other organizations that participated in the Revolution

How to Find Primary Sources in Websites

Below you can find a list of websites which contain primary sources for the study of United States history.

• Treaties and Related Documents about the Franco-American Alliance

  These are documents selected by the Avalon Project. They related to the alliance between the US and France during the American Revolution

• Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin Related to the Franco-American Alliance

  The Avalon Project provides an exchange of letters between the Comte de Vergennes, a French diplomat, and Benjamin Franklin, an American diplomat.

• The Familiar Letters of John and Abigail Adams during the American Revolution

• The Correspondence and Miscellaneous Writings of Gen. George Washington Part 1

• The Correspondence and Miscellaneous Writings of Gen. George Washington Part 2

• The Correspondence and Miscellaneous Writings of Gen. George Washington Part 3

• Letters Written to George Washington Part 3

• The Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin Volume 1

• Writings of Thomas Jefferson Volume 1

• Writings of Thomas Jefferson Volume 6

• Writings of Thomas Jefferson Volume 7

• Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume 1

• Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume 2

• Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume 3

• Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume 6

• Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume 7

• Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume 9

• Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume 10

• Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution Volume 12

• Diary of Sgt. Joseph Plumb Martin

• Diary of Lt. John Barker, British Soldier

• Documents Related to the German Soldiers at Saratoga

• Diary of Grace Barclay, Wife of an American Officer

  Non-searchable.

• Diary of Captain Jabez Fitch, POW on a British Prison Ship

  Non-searchable and not transcribed.

• Letters from Prisons and Prison Ships of the Revoltuion

  Compiled in 1865.

For one of your assignments, you must have primary sources from indigenous peoples from the early 19th Century. Here are two ebooks that are collections of writings of Native Americans from this time period.

• Documents of Native American Political Development : 1500s To 1933

  An ebook by David E. Wilkins available through our database ProQuest Ebook Central.

• Native Voices : Sources in the Native American Past

  An ebook by Mark A. Nicholas from our database eBook Collection.

Database Basics

Now that you have keywords, it's time to search the databases. Have you used the databases before? If you don't have recent experience with our library's databases, then I suggest watching this introductory video.

How to Find Secondary Sources in the Library Databases

Secondary sources are sources of information written by people who are citing primary (or even other secondary sources) as their sources of information.

That's a complicated definition, so let's simplify it. Historical books and articles written by people who weren't actually there are secondary sources.

Here are some good databases for finding secondary sources about historical topics.

America: History and Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
This resource covers the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. Hundreds of full-text journals and books, and selective indexing for journals dating back more than 60 years.

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Complete historical full text of all issues of peer-reviewed journals in a wide range of humanities and social science fields. Articles are typically more than 5 years old. Video Tutorial

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Multi-disciplinary database; full text of articles from over 5,300 journals, magazines and newspapers, plus image collections. Video Tutorial