Primary Sources
This work (Constitution of the United States, page 1), identified by National Archives and Records Administration, is free of known copyright restrictions.
This guide will introduce students to three types of resources or sources of information: primary, secondary, and tertiary.
Definition of a Primary Source:
Primary sources arefirsthand documents that provide direct evidence on your topic.
The Library of Congress refers to them as the "raw materials of history — original documents and objects which were created at the time under study. They are different from secondary sources, accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience."
A primary source is most often created during the time the events you are studying occurred, such as newspaper articles from the period, correspondence, diplomatic records, original research reports and notes, diaries etc. They may also include items created after the events occurred, but that recount them such as autobiographies and oral histories.
| Original Documents | Creative Works | Relics and Artifacts |
|---|---|---|
| Diaries | Art works | Pottery |
| Speeches | Novels | Decorative arts |
| Correspondence | Poetry | Clothing |
| Interviews | Music | Buildings |
| Manuscripts | Architectural drawings/plans | Textiles |
| Government Documents | Photographs | Needlework |
| News film footage | Film | |
| Archival Materials | ||
| Autobiographies |
