HIST 112 - World History Since 1450
Library Research Guide
What is a Primary Source?
Primary sources are documents and records that were created at the time of an historical event or created by someone who witnessed or experienced that historical event.
Examples of primary sources include (but are not limited to):
- diaries
- legal documents & government records
- letters
- newspapers
Audio Visual
- newsreels
- oral histories
Images and Art
- maps
- political cartoons
- paintings
- photographs
Material Culture
- clothing
- furniture
- tools
- consumer products
Many of these items can also be secondary sources. The key distinction is when it was created or by whom in relation to the historical event.
Example:
Newspaper articles about the election of Susanna M. Salter who, when elected in 1887, became simultaneously the first woman mayor of Argonia, KS and the first woman mayor in the United States.
1. Newspaper article written in 1887 -- primary source, written at the time of the historical event.
2. Newspaper article written in 1961 when Salter died, describing her role in history -- secondary source, written after the fact, by someone who did not witness her term in office.
3. Newspaper article written in 1920 that included interviews with Salter and other residents of Argonia during her term-- the interviews can be primary sources because the people experienced the historical event.
Primary Sources in Databases
These databases are good starting points for primary source materials. The “best” primary source databases in History will vary depending on your research question.
Reading the database description and the dates covered will help you decide which one to use.
We have many more databases with primary source materials. Find them by using the "Primary" tag on our databases page.
Best Bets
These databases cover a diversity of publications and time periods and are typically digitized copies of documents, so that you can see them in as close to their original form as possible.
- American PeriodicalsPublication Dates Covered: 1740-1940 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Contains periodicals published between 1740 and 1940, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines and many other historically-significant periodicals. Includes graphic elements and article layouts. - Archives UnboundPublication Dates Covered: 1786 - 1955 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Archives Unbound presents topically-focused digital collections of historical documents. Particular strengths include U.S. foreign policy; U.S. civil rights; global affairs and colonial studies; and modern history. - Gale Primary SourcesPublication Dates Covered: 1500 - 1955 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Primary Sources allows users to search multiple primary source databases, ifor example, Archives Unbound, British Library Newspapers, Eighteenth Century Collections Online, Nineteenth Century Collections Online, Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers, Sabin Americana, 1500 - 1926, the Times Digital Archive, and almost 20 other databases. - HathiTrust Digital LibraryThis is the go-to source for primary sources! Digitized collections from major research libraries around the world.
- Sabin AmericanaPublication Dates Covered: 1500-1926 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Search Joseph Sabin’s bibliography of works on life and culture in North America from 1500 to 1926. Includes more than 29,000 full-text works, books, pamphlets, broadsides, and serials on topics such as Native Americans, agriculture, slavery and abolition.
Newspapers
- African American NewspapersNewspapers published by and for African Americans, 1827-1998.
- New York Times, Historical1851-2010
- Times Digital ArchiveThe London Times, 1785-1985
Government
- National Archives and Records Administration’s Online Public AccessProvides online access to millions of records, maps, photos, and documents held by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), the nation’s official record keeper. Note: This database is currently being developed by NARA. It will eventually replace NARA’s Archival Records Catalog and perhaps its Access to Archival Databases system. At present, it does not include all the content available through those systems. For more information about its scope, see NARA’s About Online Public Access page.
- Serial Set Digital CollectionU.S. congressional documents, 1789-1969
Peoples and Cultures
- Fold3
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Paid for by the State Library of Kansas
Discover your family's military past. You can search names, dates, places, publication names, conflict periods, document types, and more.
- HeritageQuestGenealogical research materials, include the U.S. census going back to 1790 and local and family histories.
- North American Indian Thought and CultureAutobiographies, biographies, Indian publications, oral histories, personal writings, photographs, drawings, and audio files.
- ArtstorPaid for by K-State Libraries
Browser requirements, permitted uses
A digital image library offering searchable collections of images and descriptive information, encompassing many time periods and world cultures. Includes objects relevant to fields such as architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, design, anthropology, history, ethnographic, and women’s studies; and addresses many other forms of visual culture. Best viewed with a screen resolution of at least 1280 x 1024 pixels; color setting should be True Color (32 bit) (instructions on changing this is available above by clicking on browser requirements). Enable browser pop-ups and cookies in order to use all the features of Artstor.
Each individual user of Artstor is limited to 200 downloads per day. - Women and Social Movements in the United States 1600-2000: Basic EditionPublication Dates Covered: 1600-2000 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Examines perspectives on women’s social movements from colonial times to the present. Brings together books, images, documents, scholarly essays, commentaries, and bibliographies, documenting the multiplicity of women’s activism in public life.
Time Periods
- Eighteenth Century Collections OnlinePublication Dates Covered: 1701-1800 Paid for by K-State Libraries
Includes eighteenth century collections on history and geography, social sciences, religion and philosophy, fine arts, literature and language, law, medicine, science, and technology. Users can view digital page images; full-text searchable. - Nineteenth Century Collections OnlinePublication Dates Covered: 1800-1900, with some exceptions Paid for by K-State Libraries
Collection of primary materials from the 19th century on all kinds of topics. Fully searchable documents, books, images, maps, and other types of materials. Societies from around the world are profiled, as well as issues such as women’s rights, science, technology, politics, and business.
