"A primary source is a piece of information about an historical event or period in which the creator of the source was an actual participant in or a contemporary of an actual historical moment."
Examples:
Autobiographies written by a person who had first hand experience during that time period
Interviews with people who lived during the historical period
Census Records [birth, death, marriage records]
Newspaper articles written during the historical era
Photographs from that historical event
Laws passed at that time
Speeches and Government Reports written during the time period
Letters and Diaries written by people who lived during the time period
Flyers or advertisements from that time period
Original pieces of art, video, and music from the era
Be sure to search in the box marked (Search the Commons) in the middle of the page.
Over 1.7 million videos from the National Archives. Includes animations and cartoons, computers and technology, movies (films, shorts and trailers), World War II propaganda, news and public affairs, sports and television shows and commercials.
Wikimedia Commons - a collection of 126,919,713 freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute
The largest digital record of U.S. History.
Unites States Constitution - The US Constitution is the supreme law of the United States, outlining the structure of the federal government, establishing fundamental laws, and guaranteeing basic rights for its citizens.
The amendments found in the Constitution are official changes and additions that protect individual rights and civil liberties, define procedural elements, and alter institutional structures within the US government.
From the U.S. National Archives, site provides a comprehensive collection of U.S. documents including letters, photographs, video/audio recordings, drawings, maps, treaties and other material from U.S. history.
From the U.S. National Archives, site provides images and information on 100 milestone documents in U.S. history.
Developed by the U.S. Library of Congress and in partnership with Universities and archives of other countries, site contains significant primary source materials from other countries and cultures.
From the Library of Congress, a collection of oral histories of Veterans. Unless you know the name of the veteran you are searching, it will be easier if you choose "Browse" rather than Search. You can then choose to browse by war and military branch.
From the University of Texas, site provides full-text transcriptions of 100 significant American political speeches of 20th and 21st centuries.
From University of Virginia, contains photographs and narratives of former slaves interviewed from 1936-1938.
From Yale University, site provides primary documents pertaining to U.S. and World history, law and diplomacy (from ancient times to present).
From University of Virginia, contains video and written transcripts of oral histories of those affected by the Civil Rights Era.
From the Kansas City Law School at the University of Missouri, site provides a comprehensive collection of materials relating to famous trials, from Socrates to Moussaoui (9/11 trial). Includes original essays, images, primary documents, maps, transcript excerpts, video clips, court decisions and other materials.
From Calvin College, site provides a collection of translated propaganda materials from Nazi and East German eras. Includes speeches, articles, pamphlets, photographs, posters and other materials.
History Matters: Ordinary Americans Living in Extraordinary Times
From the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, contains audio files, written transcripts and photographs of Holocaust survivors.
