HIST 1302 - 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 World War I and World War II include:

• Letters written by participants in the wars
• Speeches and proclamations by leaders of these wars
• Laws and regulations issued during these wars
• Images, such as propaganda films and posters, made for these wars

Here is an assortment of primary sources for research in World War I.

• Woodrow Wilson's Presidential Documents

  Look for those related to the war or dated within the US entry to the war.

• Balfour Declaration

  1917 British declaration in favor of a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

• Documents of the Peace of Brest-Litovsk

  The new Soviet Union signs a peace treaty with Germany and Russia exits the war.

• Sykes-Picot Agreement

  Britain and France agree to divide up the nations now known as Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Kuwait, Iraq, and northern Saudi Arabia after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire.

• Woodrow Wilson's Declaration of Neutrality

  1914 Presidential proclamation to keep the US out of the war.

• Woodrow Wilson's First Warning to the Germans about Submarine Warfare

  President Wilson threatens Germany not to attack neutral shipping with submarines in 1915.

• Zimmerman Telegram

  Germany proposes an alliance with Mexico in the event of war with the USA.

• Wilson Requests a Declaration of War against Germany

  President Wilson asks Congress to declare war on Germany on February 3, 1917.

• The Espionage Act of 1917

  Law that restricted the actions of the anti-war movement.

• Schenk v. United States

  The Supreme Court upholds the constitutionality of the Espionage Act in 1919.

• Abrams v. United States

  The 1919 dissent of Justice Holmes argues against the power of the federal government to restrict speech during wartime should be limited.

• President Wilson’s Message on a Military Draft

  Executive order on May 19, 1917 drafting men into the armed forces.

• The Flu Pandemic of 1918

  An American perspective on this worldwide event.

• American Propaganda Posters

  Wartime posters by artist Howard Chandler Christy.

• Woodrow Wilson’s Fourteen Points

  President Wilson’s proposed peace plan.

• Selections from the Treaty of Versailles

  This 1919 treaty ended the war between the Allies and Germany.

• The League of Nations Treaty

  This 1919 treaty established the League of Nations.

Here is an assortment of primary sources for research in World War II.

• Neville Chamberlain Promises “Peace in Our Time”

  British Prime Minister defends the Munich Agreement, handing over Czechoslovakia to Nazi Germany in 1938.

• Albert Einstein Urges President Roosevelt to Sponsor Atomic Bomb Research

  1939 letter by Einstein urges the US to develop an atomic bomb before Germany does.

• Lend-Lease Act

  1941 law authorizes the US to lend, lease, or sell any material to any nation if deemed essential for the national defense. This allowed the US to sell war materials to the UK.

• The Atlantic Charter

  A 1941 agreement between the US and UK prior to US entering World War II.

• Franklin Roosevelt Presidential Documents

  Look for those related to the war or dated within the US entry to the war.

• President Roosevelt Requests Congress Declare War on Japan

  Roosevelt’s famous “day which will live in infamy” speech to Congress on December 8, 1941.

• Executive Order 9066

  In 1942, President Roosevelt orders the internment of Japanese-Americans.

• Poem by Keiho Soga

  Japanese-American interned in the United States.

• Dick Clark Remembers the Death of His Brother

  American television personality Dick Clark remembers being a teenager during World War II.

• Zoot Suit Riots

  Extract from a 1943 report to the Governor of California on riots in Los Angeles between Mexican-Americans and American servicemen.

• Discrimination against Mexican-Americans in War Industries

  Congressional testimony in 1945 about employment discrimination against American-Americans during the wartime labor shortage.

• US Declarations of War against Japan, Germany, and Italy

  Congressional and Presidential documents for these legal events.

• Bretton Woods Agreement

  1944 agreement between the US and UK to establish cooperative national monetary policies.

• Cairo Conference

  1943 agreement between the US, USSR, and UK that Chinese territory under Japanese control should be restored to China. At this point the USSR had not yet entered the war against Japan.

• Tehran Conference

  1943 agreement between the US, USSR, and UK in which the western Allies committed to invading France in 1944 and established joint policies for Yugoslavia, Turkey, and Bulgaria.

• General Eisenhower's Message to Soldiers

  Message issued to soldiers upon the Invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

• Surrender of Germany

  German high command surrenders to General Eisenhower on May 7, 1945.

• Establishment of the United Nations

  1942 agreement of 26 nations to affirm the Atlantic Charter and establish a United Nations organization to shape the postwar world order.

• United Nations Charter

  The formal establishment and organization of the UN on June 26, 1945.

• Harry Truman Presidential Documents

  Look for those from his oath of office (April 12, 1945) through the end of the war in August.

• Harry Truman on the Atomic Bomb

  Diary entry about the plan to use the atomic bomb.

• Harry Truman's Statement on the Atomic Bomb

  Truman's public statement on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

• President Truman's Radio Address upon the Surrender of Germany

  Audio file and transcript.

• President Truman's Statement on the Atomic Bomb

  Truman's public statement on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

• Surrender of Japan

  Formal statement overseen by General MacArthur on September 2, 1945.

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