MC Library Research Guides: HIST 258: Find Sources: Primary Sources

What are Primary Sources?

Historical research involves the use of primary and secondary sources.

A primary source is a first-hand account, report or original data on or about an event. These sources are often created at or near the time of the event, by someone who experienced it. Examples may include:

Journals and diaries
Interviews/transcripts
Artwork (paintings, drawings, photographs, etc.)
Speeches
Letters and other correspondence
Newspapers
Data

Research Skills & Tips:

MC Library's Primary Sources Tutorial

Find Primary Sources

Search:

ProQuest Primary Sources Collection This link opens in a new window Collection of over 160 multidisciplinary primary resources, including books, journals, dissertations, primary-source documents, and videos.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers This link opens in a new window Provides access to information about historic newspapers and select digitized newspaper pages.
Historical New York Times (1851-2018) This link opens in a new window Includes full text from the New York Daily Times (1851-1857) and the New York Times from 1857 to 2018. For current New York Times articles, use the ProQuest Newspapers database.
Historical Wall Street Journal (1889-2010) This link opens in a new window Includes full text from the Wall Street Journal from 1889 to 2010.
Historical Washington Post (1877-2006) This link opens in a new window Articles from the Washington Post and the Times Herald from 1877 to 2006. For current articles from the Washington Post, use the ProQuest Newspapers database.

Search:

Digital National Security Archive ProQuest, in partnership with The National Security Archive produce the Digital National Security Archive, the most comprehensive collection available of significant primary documents central to U.S. foreign and military policy since 1945.
History Vault: American Politics & Society, JFK to Watergate, 1960-1975 Records and documents from presidential administrations
History Vault: Civil Rights & the Black Freedom Struggle, 1895-1996 Records & documents relating to civil rights, including papers of the NAACP
New Deal and World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Office Files and Records of Federal Agencies (1933-1945) Records of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's administration

Suggested Resources:

CIA Museum Artifacts
A Memory of Solferino by Henry Dunant (1862) Memoir written by Henry Dunant (1862). Free download available through the International Committee of the Red Cross.
National Army Museum, London: Collection Search
United Kingdom National Archives: Cabinet Papers
U. S. Marine Corps History Division - Record Search
U. S. National Archives - Research Our Records
World Digital Library A project of the U.S. Library of Congress, it offers free digital access to primary materials from all countries and cultures in multilingual format.

Search:

Suggested Websites:

Search:

New Deal and World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Office Files and Records of Federal Agencies (1933-1945) Records of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's administration
World War II: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection

Suggested Websites:

Imperial War Museum: Churchill War Rooms (Great Britain) Museum dedicated to the history of Winston Churchill and the Imperial War Rooms, World War II
U. S. National Archives: World War II Homefront
U. S. National Archives: World War II Photos

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