Primary Sources

Primary sources are the "raw materials of history" created by someone with firsthand experience. Primary sources may be original documents OR objects.

Not sure whether it's a primary, secondary, or tertiary source? Check out this helpful table.


These six resources are the perfect place to start for finding great primary sources and other types of sources.

The Library of Congress is the LARGEST LIBRARY IN THE WORLD, with millions of primary sources, including books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps, manuscripts, and other sources in its vast collection.

GALE Virtual Reference Library gives you access to Trinity's collection of reference ebooks, which provide up-to-date information.


Gale in Context: High School is a comprehensive research database that combines information from reference books, academic journals, magazines, and multimedia files to provide the information you need.


Britannica School High gives you encyclopedic information, current events, videos, and images.


Search the National Archives online catalog to access tons of primary documents. In particular, you can find 100 "milestone" documents identified as significant to American history here.


Spartacus Educational specializes in global history and contains encyclopedic entries with direct connections to primary sources.