MC Library Research Guides: HIST 257: 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

United Kingdom & North America

Annual Register (1758 - 2016) A year-by-year record of British and world events, published annually since 1758. Part of the ProQuest Primary Sources Collection
British Periodicals (1681 - 2005) Page images and searchable full text for nearly 500 British periodicals published from the seventeenth century through to the twentieth. Part of the ProQuest Primary Sources Collection
Cecil Papers (1520 - 1668) Papers of William Cecil (1521-1598), Lord Burghley and his son Robert Cecil (1563-1612), First Earl of Salisbury were at the heart of events during one of the most dynamic periods in Western history. One of Elizabeth I's closest advisors, William Cecil, was both her Lord High Treasurer and her Secretary of State - a position also held by his son who continued to serve Elizabeth and her successor, James I. Part of the ProQuest Primary Sources Collection
Colonial State Papers (1574 - 1757) Primary source documents from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. The earliest English settlements in North America, encounters with Native Americans, piracy in the Atlantic and Caribbean, the trade in slaves and English conflicts with the Spanish and French are all covered in this database. Part of the ProQuest Primary Sources Collection
Early English Books Online Scanned copies of books printed in the British Isles and North America, 1400-1700. (Available through the ProQuest Primary Sources Collection.)
North American Indian Thought & Culture Collection of autobiographies, oral histories, writings, photographs, and more. (Available through ProQuest Primary Sources Collection.)

Suggested Resources:

The British Museum
Musee de l'Armee
National Army Museum, London: Collection Search
Oakeshott Institute
Royal Armouries: Collections
Royal Collection Trust: George III’s Collection of Military Maps
Royal Collection Trust: Thirty Years' War (1618-1648)
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:

British Periodicals (1681 - 2005) Page images and searchable full text for nearly 500 British periodicals published from the seventeenth century through to the twentieth. Part of the ProQuest Primary Sources Collection

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.

Finding Historic Maryland Newspapers Online - Enoch Pratt Free Library

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