A chair made in Boston during the Revolutionary War that still exists today tells a story about the creation of furniture and the materials used during that time period. A person's autobiography from the 1960's would likely reflect the changing times, attitudes and social occurrences that shaped the decade. These are primary sources!
Primary sources give you insight to the times. They are actual informational resources reflecting a particular event or time in history. The items on the list below would be considered primary sources.
- Autobiographies
- Diaries
- Documents
- Eyewitness accounts
- Film footage
- Laws
- Letters
- Newspaper articles
- Novels [written in that period]
- Objects from the time
- Oral histories
- Photographs
- Poems, art, music
- Speeches
This being said, the question is then raised, "How can I find primary sources online?" There are a number of choices available. From myDCC or the library computers, click on the History link. From there, you can see a list of links to primary sources through DCC's databases, including the New York Times Archives and Original Sources through Encyclopedia Britannica.
American Memory provides photographs, film, music and documents from by-gone eras.
The Avalon Project covers documents in "law, history and diplomacy".
Many other primary sources can be found online. Ask a librarian for help if you are having trouble finding what you are looking for!
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