WHAT IS A PRIMARY SOURCE?
Think of a primary source as a “rough draft” of history. It needs to be put in a larger context and not accepted for itself alone. A primary source is one that was written at the time of the period under study. A primary source can be any one of the following:
A written account: Diaries, letters, ledgers, account books, notes, vital records, bills, wills, inventories, military records, tax records
A published account: An account that was published as well as newspapers, books, periodicals, almanacs, cookbooks, broadsides, travel books, children’s literature, novels, poetry, pamphlets, sermons, advertisements
An image: Paintings, drawings, photographs, lithographs, woodcuts, maps, video, film
An artifact: Buildings, machines, objects, clothing, weapons, etc.
The physical environment
The built environment
A human being: Anyone alive or whose voice and thoughts were captured by an electronic recording may be considered a primary source for their life experiences. They are eyewitnesses to history.
***Remember: Just because something is a primary source does not mean it is accurate or truthful. A person may be an eyewitness to an event and still not see it all or understand what they have witnessed.
QUESTIONS TO ASK THE PRIMARY SOURCE
- What is it?
- What is the date?
- Who wrote it?
- For what audience was the document written?
- List the points made by the author in your own words.
- Why was the document written?
- What does the document tell you about life at the time?
- Is the document well written? Was it successful in getting its point across?
- What questions do you have for the author?