LibGuides: HIS 499 History Capstone: Primary Sources

What is a Primary Source?

Primary sources are the evidence of history, original records or objects created by participants or observers at the time historical events occurred or even well after events, as in memoirs and oral histories. Primary sources may include but are not limited to: letters, manuscripts, diaries, journals, newspapers, maps, speeches, interviews, documents produced by government agencies, photographs, audio or video recordings, born-digital items (e.g. emails), research data, and objects or artifacts (such as works of art or ancient roads, buildings, tools, and weapons). These sources serve as the raw materials historians use to interpret and analyze the past.

(Definition and image: Primary Sources on the Web: Finding, Evaluating, Using, Reference and User Services Association)

Databases & Digital Collections

US History

Archives of Sexuality & Gender This link opens in a new window The Archives of Sexuality & Gender program provides a robust and significant collection of primary sources for the historical study of sex, sexuality, and gender. Here researchers will find access to three archival collections - "LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940" Parts I and II, and "Sex and Sexuality in the 16th through 20th Centuries". With material drawn from hundreds of institutions and organizations, including both major international activist organizations and local, grassroots groups, the documents in "LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940" present important aspects of LGBTQ life in the second half of the twentieth century and beyond. The archive illuminates the experiences not just of the LGBTQ community as a whole, but of individuals of different races, ethnicities, ages, religions, political orientations, and geographical locations that constitute this community. "Sex and Sexuality in the 16th through 20th Centuries" material dating back to the sixteenth century, researchers and scholars can examine how sexual norms have changed over time, health and hygiene, the development of sex education, the rise of sexology, changing gender roles, social movements and activism, erotica, and many other interesting topical areas.

Civil Rights Digital Library The CRDL features a collection of unedited news film from the WSB (Atlanta) and WALB (Albany, Ga.) television archives held by the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection at the University of Georgia Libraries. The CRDL provides educator resources and contextual materials, including Freedom on Film, relating instructive stories and discussion questions from the Civil Rights Movement in Georgia, and the New Georgia Encyclopedia, delivering engaging online articles and multimedia.
Civil War Primary Source Documents
Discovering American Women's History Online This database provides access to digital collections of primary sources (photos, letters, diaries, artifacts, etc.) that document the history of women in the United States. These diverse collections range from Ancestral Pueblo pottery to interviews with women engineers from the 1970s.
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."

Political Extremism in the Twentieth Century This link opens in a new window Political Extremism & Radicalism in the Twentieth Century combines content on far-right and fascist movements, alongside significant coverage of radical left groups, allowing researchers to access material from both sides, and providing points for comparison. By providing primary source material from both sides in one comprehensive, meticulously indexed resource, Gale makes it possible for researchers to make connections not previously discoverable.

European History

British History Online British History Online is a not-for-profit digital library based at the Institute of Historical Research. It brings together material for British history from the collections of libraries, archives, museums and academics. These primary and secondary sources, which range from medieval to twentieth century, are easily searchable and browsable online.

British Literary Manuscripts Online This link opens in a new window British Literary Manuscripts Online presents facsimile images of literary manuscripts, including letters and diaries, drafts of poems, plays, novels, and other literary works, and similar materials.

EarlyModernWeb "EarlyModernWeb is a cluster of websites providing access to digital resources and research concerning the early modern period (c.1500-1800CE)."
EuroDocs An extensive list, by country, of websites with European primary historical documents.
Monastic Matrix A collection of resources for the study of medieval women's religious communities.

Census and Government Data

American Factfinder
American factfinder is your source for population, housing, economic and geographic data from Census 2000, the 1990 Decennial Census, the 1997 and 2002.
CIA's World Factbook
Information on the culture, customs, and demographics of every country in the world
Congress.gov
Find congressional legislation, hearings, and historical publications.

GovInfo This link opens in a new window
Find documents published by the federal government, such as codes of regulations, the federal budget, congressional documents, and more.
Govinfo is a service of the United States Government Publishing Office (GPO), which is a Federal agency in the legislative branch, providing free public access to official publications from all three branches of the Federal Government.
Formerly the Federal Digital System (FDsys), the GPO launched govinfo in February 2016 to replace its predecessor.

HIS 499 History Capstone

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What is a Primary Source?

Databases & Digital Collections

Census and Government Data