What are Primary Sources?
Primary Sources are original sources: they were created by someone who participated in or observed an event. They include diaries, letters, newspapers, government documents, photographs, and other manuscripts.
General Collections
- LANIC Virtual Libraries in Latin Americadiscover online primary sources for various Latin American countries.
- Sabin Americana, 1500-1926 This link opens in a new windowThis collection contains works about the Americas published throughout the world from 1500 to the early 1900's. Included are books, pamphlets, serials and other documents that provide original accounts of exploration, trade, colonialism, slavery and abolition, the western movement, Native Americans, military actions and much more.
- America's Historical Imprints This link opens in a new windowIncludes books, pamphlets, broadsides, government documents, and ephemera from the 17th - 20th centuries.
- Early Encounters in North America This link opens in a new windowEarly Encounters in North America: Peoples, Cultures, and the Environment documents the relationships among Native American, African and European peoples in North America from 1534 to 1850.
- American MemoryA collection of American history primary sources from the Library of Congress.
- Digital Library of the CaribbeanThis collection includes images and maps, newspapers, government documents, manuscripts, and more. Some text documents are in Spanish, some in English.
- Environment & Society PortalIncludes images, letters, and digital exhibits.
- Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports, 1941-1996 This link opens in a new windowFBIS is comprised of the collections from the Archives of the Central Intelligence Agency including government publications, magazines, newspapers and transcribed television and radio broadcasts. Collected between 1941-1996 and translated into English by the Central Intelligence Agency, these intelligence reports are an indispensable source for insight into decades of turbulent world history. Now available in a fully searchable digital collection, these primary source documents provide crucial news and information from all countries outside of the U.S. during the second half of the 20th century.
Latin American Newpapers
- El InformadorAn important Mexican newspaper with coverage from 1917-2008.
- Latin American Newspapers, 1805-1922, Series 1Archives of newspapers of the 1800s and 1900s from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico and several other countries. Some English language newspapers are included.
- Latin American Newspapers, 1805-1922, Series 2Archives of newspapers of the 1800s and 1900s from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Mexico and several other countries. Some English language newspapers are included.
- History of the Left in Latin AmericaHistory of the Left in Latin America contains the full-text of the following two journals: La Cultura En Mexico; Los Libros (Argentine periodical).
- Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1998A "full-text compilation of more than 350 Spanish-language or Spanish-English bilingual newspapers printed in the U.S."
- Historic Mexican and Mexican American PressIncludes "historic Mexican and Mexican American publications published in Tucson, El Paso, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sonora, Mexico from the mid-1800s to the 1970s."
- Caribbean NewspapersCoverage from 1718-1876. Includes papers published in English, Spanish, and French.
- Ethnic NewsWatchIncludes Hispanic American newspapers. Titles in English and Spanish.
American Newspapers
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new windowThis database offers full-text and full-image articles for newspapers dating back to the 19th century. Included are the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and many more.
- ProQuest Newspapers This link opens in a new windowProvides full text of many U.S. and international news sources from the 20th and 21st centuries.
- Alt-PressWatch This link opens in a new windowProvides news source coverage, viewpoints and perspectives to complement and challenge the mainstream media.
- Newspapers.com – World Collection This link opens in a new windowNewspapers.com Library Edition offers full page newspaper images with searchable full-text of newspapers. The collection includes digital reproductions providing access to both full runs and portions of runs of newspapers.
- Nation Archive This link opens in a new windowThe Nation offers a 135-year archive of reporting opinion and criticism. It includes primary source material covering the history of politics, culture, books and the arts - in America and around the world. The Nation Digital Archive is a fully searchable electronic version of the magazine's complete backfile.
Government Documents
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowBrings together a vast amount of information published by and about the United States Congress. It provides a seamless link to the full range of legislative and public policy resources, including: Congressional documents and related resources as well as a number of publications such as the Congressional Record, United States Code, Code of Federal Regulations, and the National Journal.
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new windowHein Online provides access to the full-text of legal periodical articles, Supreme Court opinions, U.S. Attorney General opinions, treaties and international agreements, and the Federal Register. Documents are available as photocopy-equivalent PDF files.
- Nexis Uni This link opens in a new windowNexis Uni offers a simple, intuitive research experience, with news, legal and business sources, including: print and online journals, television and radio broadcasts, newswires and blogs; local, regional, national and international newspapers with archives; legal sources for federal and state cases and statutes, including U.S. Supreme Court decisions since 1790; business information on U.S. and international companies and executives.
- The American Presidency ProjectA searchable database containing a large collection of presidential papers/documents.
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ACE) Digital LibrarySources from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
- Brazilian Government Document Digitization ProjectIncludes Brazilian government documents from 1821 to 1993.
- Opening the Archives: Documenting U.S.-Brazil Relations, 1960s-1980s"A joint effort by Brown University and the Universidade Estadual de Maringá, Paraná, Brazil to digitize and index 10,000 U.S. State Department documents on Brazil."
Books & Personal Texts
For the most part, books are generally thought of more as secondary sources than primary sources. But oftentimes books can be used as primary sources. For example, let's say you're writing about the 19th century naturalist John Muir and his views on the environment, you could use some of his writings and books as primary sources.
In that case, you could just do an author search for Muir, John. On the other hand, books about John Muir that were written by other authors would be used as secondary sources.
For places to find books, go here: Secondary Sources
Images
- American Environmental Photographs, 1891-1936A collection from the Library of Congress
- Digital Public Library of AmericaContains images and other full-text sources
Streaming Video
- Vanderbilt Television News Archive This link opens in a new windowThe TVNA collection holds individual network evening news broadcasts from the major U.S. national broadcast networks - ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN - and hours of special news-related programming, including ABC's Nightline since 1989.