LibGuides: American History: Primary Sources

What are primary sources?

A primary source is an original object or document - the raw material or first-hand information, source material that is closest to what is being studied.

Primary sources vary by discipline and can include:

Historical and legal documents such as personal papers, government documents, legal codes, treaties
Eye witness accounts: newspapers or transcripts of radio or TV news from the time the event took place
Social media posts
Results of an experiment (Lab reports)
Statistical data
Maps
Creative writing: novels, stories, poetry, plays
Religious texts
Art objects: drawings, photos, paintings, sculptures, medical illustrations
Architecture: blueprints as well as the finished structures
Film, TV, video
Many sources can be treated as a primary text, i.e. a webpage produced by a political group.

Archives Unbound Complete

Archives Unbound This link opens in a new window
Archives Unbound presents more than 300 topically-focused digital collections of historical documents covering a broad range of topics from religion, history, the Holocaust, LGBTQ history, global studies, international relations, and many more.

Newspapers

British Library Newspapers (Gale Primary Sources) This link opens in a new window
A wide range of local and regional British newspapers that reflect the social, political, and cultural events of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries. This collection illuminates diverse and distinct regional attitudes, cultures, and vernaculars, providing an alternative viewpoint to the London-centric national press over a period of more than 200 years.
19th Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers, monographs, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, photographs, statistics, and other kinds of documents in both Western and non-Western languages.
New York Times Online (Registration link) This link opens in a new window
All faculty, students, and staff can access the New York Times website directly by setting up their access via the Eckerd Library subscription. Requires an initial one-time registration from ON-CAMPUS. See our First Time Account Setup Instructions for more information.
The Times Digital Archive (1785-2012) This link opens in a new window
The Times Digital Archive is an online, full-text facsimile of more than 200 years of the Times, one of the most highly regarded resources for eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century news coverage, with every page of every issue from 1785 to 2012.
The Times Digital Archive is an online, full-text facsimile of more than 200 years of the Times, one of the most highly regarded resources for eighteenth-, nineteenth-, and twentieth-century news coverage, with every page of every issue from 1785 to 2012. This historical newspaper archive allows researchers an unparalleled opportunity to search and view the best-known and most cited newspaper in the world online in its original published context.

Archival Collections

Archives of Sexuality & Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940 This link opens in a new window
This archive illuminates the experiences of the LGBTQ community from 1940 to present through historical records of political and social organizations, as well as publications by and for the LGBTQ community.
Indigenous Peoples: North America This link opens in a new window
Indigenous Peoples: North American includes extensive monograph, manuscript, newspaper, periodical and photograph collections.
Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive This link opens in a new window
Collections on the transatlantic slave trade, the global movement for the abolition of slavery, the legal, personal, and economic aspects of the slavery system, and the dynamics of emancipation in the U.S. as well as in Latin America, the Caribbean, and other regions.
Women's Studies Archives: Issues and Identities This link opens in a new window
Archival resource that presents materials covering the social, political, and professional aspects of women's lives and offers a look at the roles, experiences, and achievements of women in society.

HathiTrust

HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new window
A shared digital repository of library books and journals converted from print owned by research institutions. To login, choose Eckerd College from the list of partner institutions and enter your Eckerd credentials.

Logging In to HathiTrust

Logging in to HathiTrust:

1. Go to https://www.hathitrust.org/ or click the link on the Databases tab on the Library homepage.

2. Click the 'Log in' button

3. Select 'Eckerd College' from the list of partner institutions

4. Login with your Eckerd credentials.