Macdonald-Kelce Library: History: Primary Sources

What Is A Primary Source?

Primary sources are original written or physical items created in the time period being studied. Historians use primary sources as the evidence about the past from which they build their historical scholarship. The book or article written by the historian is the secondary source which has been based on analysis of primary sources.

Examples of Primary Sources are:

Artifacts
Ephemera (theatre programs, leaflets, posters, broadsides, etc.)
Government or Institutional Records
Speeches
Photographs
Diaries
Maps
Correspondence
Original Works of Art (plays, manuscripts, paintings, musical compositions, etc.)
Personal records
Newspaper or Magazine articles published at the time under question

Locating Primary Sources

Learn more about Primary Sources in the library databases in our guide.

The links below are a sampling, and by no means exhaustive list, of online resources which provide access to primary source documents.

British History Online
BHO is a not-for-profit digital library based at the Institute of Historical Research. It brings together material for British history from the collections of libraries, archives, museums and academics. These primary and secondary sources, which range from medieval to twentieth century, are easily searchable and browsable online.
Civil Rights Digital Library
A comprehensive archive on the Civil Rights Movement. Content includes a digital video archive of historical news film, manuscript and photo collections, and a pedagogical collection which offers encyclopedia articles, lesson plans, and activities.
Dying Speeches and Bloody Murders: Crime Broadsides
Harvard Law Schools Library - This collection of nearly 600 broadsides highlights crime and capital punishment, primarily in England, as seen through the popular press in the 18th and 19th century.
Fashion Plate Collection
University of Washington Libraries - This fashion plate collection is from some of the leading French, British, American, and other continental fashion journals of the 19th century and early 20th century.
Florida Memory
State Library and Archives of Florida - A digital archive of photographs, manuscripts, audio, and video of Florida history. The Archives is part of the Division of Library and Information Services, one of seven divisions within the Florida Department of State.
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook
Fordham University's Internet History Sourcebooks Project - Provides and organizes texts for educational purposes. This collection includes links to visual and aural material.
HathiTrust Digital Library
A free collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world.
Internet Medieval Sourcebook
Fordham University's Internet History Sourcebooks Project - The Medieval Sourcebook is both a classroom resource and the largest collection of online medieval texts.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook
Fordham University's Internet History Sourcebooks Project - This collection is intended to serve the needs of teachers and students in college survey courses in modern European history and American history, as well as in modern Western Civilization and World Cultures.
Medieval Digital Resources (MDR)
Library of Congress (Primary Sources)
National Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever.
Nuremberg Trials Project: A Digital Document Collection
Perseus Digital Library
The Perseus Digital Library Project collects the history, literature and culture of the Greco-Roman and Arabic world and offers these texts, both in their language of origin and in English, as in a contextualized format.
Publication of Archival, Library, & Museum Materials (PALMM)
State University Libraries of Florida - PALMM is a cooperative initiative of the public universities and colleges of Florida to provide digital access to important source materials for research and scholarship. These collections include high-quality texts/images relevant to the students, research community and general citizenry of Florida.