Everett/Grove/Freeman - Primary & Secondary Sources: Home

"Primary sources are the raw materials of history — original documents and objects which were created at the time under study." ("Using")*

"Secondary sources interpret or critique primary sources. They often include an analysis of the event that was discussed or featured in the primary source." ("What is")*

• Primary sources aren't free from bias. Consider who wrote the source in question, the purpose behind its creation, when it was written, and who the intended audience was meant to be.
• Secondary sources, like a textbook, can have primary sources within them. For instance, they can include photographs, letters, and political cartoons from the time period you're researching.

• Islamic Heritage Project- Published Materials : View Harvard Universities digitized Islamic collection filled with a variety of primary sources
• Primary Source Analysis Tool - Library of Congress : This tool helps you observe, analyze, and reflect on primary source materials
• World History Sources - George Mason University : Explore primary sources related to World History

“A Definition of Primary Source.” Primary Source Village, University of Illinois, 23 Aug. 2008, www.library.illinois.edu/village/primarysource/mod1/pg1.
htm.

Hale, John. “A Modest Enquiry Into the Nature of Witchcraft .” Salem Witch Trials: Documentary Archive and Transcription Project, The University of Virginia, 2000, salem.lib.virginia.edu/archives/ModestEnquiry/ images.01/source/1.html.

“Using Primary Sources.” Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/.

“What Is a Secondary Source?” Easybib, Chegg, www.easybib.com/guides/students/research-guide/primary-secondary-tertiary-sources/c-what-is-a-secondary-source/.

The Library of Congress has extensive primary sources available in different mediums on a variety of topics.

John Hale, 1702

You are doing research on the Black Death in Europe and come across a legal document from 1348 instructing people how to properly dispose of bodies infected by the plague. Would this document be considered a primary or secondary source?

Your teacher asked you to open your textbooks and read the introduction of Chapter 14, The Fall of Rome. Is this reading a primary or secondary source?

You volunteer at an elderly home once a week. A resident shows you some of the letters she received from a loved one fighting over seas in Germany during WWII. Would these letters be considered a primary or secondary source?