Secondary Source Materials

Secondary sources are created after and about a historical event.  Begin building your knowledge of historical context by starting your research with secondary sources written by credible authors such as professional historians, whose work reflects thorough research and analysis.  Reading secondary materials prepares you to understand and analyze primary sources from the historical event you are researching.  Read as many high-quality secondary sources as you can before you look at primary sources.  The knowledge you gain from secondary sources forms the foundation of your research and helps you to analyze the primary sources you find.

Types of secondary sources include the following:

• History textbooks

• Articles in professional journals written by historians

• Biographies

• Nonfiction books

• Articles found on credible internet sites

Primary Source Materials

Primary sources are created during the time period that you are investigating.  Types of primary source materials include the following:

• Eyewitness accounts

• Written materials, such as letters, speeches, diaries, newspaper articles, and other documents from the time

• Verbal testimony, such as oral history interviews with people from the time, and oral traditions (i.e., histories that are preserved and shared through word of mouth rather than in writing)

• Images and artifacts such as photographs, paintings, drawings, maps, political cartoons, and objects from the time

• Unedited copies of primary materials found on credible internet sites, such as the following recommended sites:

  • • National Archives and Records Administration

    • Library of Congress

    • Digital Public Library of America

    • Docs Teach

• Anything else that provides a first-hand account about your topic