Research Guides (LibGuides): TI 235-HST and HST 212: American Visions: Primary Sources

Primary & Secondary Sources

"The raw materials of history — original documents and objects which were created at the time under study."

Primary Sources are created during the time of study

Examples:

Source: Using Primary Sources by Library of Congress.. / Image Source: Primary Source Graphic by adstarkel. Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

"Accounts or interpretations of events created by someone without firsthand experience."

Secondary sources are created after the fact

Examples:

Source: Using Primary Sources by Library of Congress.. / Image Source: Secondary Source Graphic by adstarkel. Used under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

U.S. History in Context
History Resource Center: U.S. provides integrated access to over 4,000 historical (primary) documents, articles from more than 30 reference titles, and over 110 full-text journal covering themes, events, individuals and periods in U.S. history from pre-Colonial times to the present.
Women & Social Movements in the United States (1600-2000)
This online archive contains several projects on specific topics relating to women and social movements in the U.S. from 1600 to 2000. Each project contains a collection of primary documents related to the topic. You can browse this online archive by year, people, subject, movements, or documents. This site is an excellent starting point for finding a research topic related to gender in the U.S.

Indiana Historical Society
The Indiana Historical Society's archives exist both online and downtown. This archive includes a wide array of sources about Indiana and the rest of the Midwest. The sources held include information about ethnic/racial groups, education, organized labor, women, social services, and more.
Indiana Memory
Indiana Memory is a collaborative effort by many collections around the state of Indiana to make their resources known to any interested in historical research. The collections included newspapers, photographs, manuscripts, maps, and much more. If you are interested in learning more about the state, this is the place to begin.
Documenting the American South
Documenting the American South (DocSouth) is a digital publishing initiative that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture. Currently DocSouth includes sixteen thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs.