Primary+Sources

Primary sources enable the researcher to get as close as possible to the truth of what actually happened during an historical event or time period. Primary sources are the evidence left behind by participants or observers. Examples of primary sources include:


 * Diaries, journals, speeches, interviews, letters, memos, manuscripts and other papers in which individuals describe events in which they were participants or observers;
 * Memoirs and autobiographies;
 * Records of organizations and agencies of government;
 * Published materials written at the time of the event;
 * Photographs, audio recordings, moving pictures, video recordings documenting what happened;
 * Artifacts of all kinds; and
 * Research reports in the sciences and social sciences.

A secondary source is a work that interprets or analyzes an historical event or phenomenon. Examples of secondary sources include textbooks and encyclopedias.

Finding Primary Sources
Library of Congress Online Catalog Library of Congress Authorities Prints/Photographs Online Catalog Sound Online Inventory and Catalog Library of Congress American Memory The World Digital Library Chronicling America (Library of Congress) - Search America's historic newspapers pages from - or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.

__Analyzing a Primary Source__:
 * [[file:artifact_analysis_worksheet.pdf]]
 * [[file:written_document_analysis_worksheet.pdf]]
 * [[file:poster_analysis_worksheet.pdf]]
 * [[file:motion_picture_analysis_worksheet.pdf]]
 * [[file:sound_recording_analysis_worksheet.pdf]]
 * [[file:photo_analysis_worksheet.pdf]]
 * [[file:map_analysis_worksheet.pdf]]

Examples/Analysis: -@http://www.historyonthenet.com/Lessons/sources/primarysecondary.htm

Quiz: @http://www.quia.com/rr/107632.html