Tips for Locating Primary Sources
Choose historically appropriate keywords. For example, use "Great War" instead of "World War I" to locate documents discussing the war during and just after it occurred. You may also consider different terms that might have been used to describe the same event from opposing sides or perspectives. Searching for the names of particular people or places may also be effective, but consider how the names might be presented (last name only, or as part of a title) and how country and city names have changed over time.
Think about what types of primary sources might have been produced that would be relevant to your topic; think also about which persons or organizations might have produced materials. Some possible types of sources:
| Books | Photographs and images |
| Magazine and newspaper articles | Cartoons and advertisements |
| Diaries and journals | Movies, videos, and DVDs |
| Memoirs and autobiographies | Audio recordings |
| Interviews | Public opinion polls |
| Letters | Fiction |
| Speeches | Research data and statistics |
| Documents produced by organizations | Documents produced by government agencies, including congressional hearings and census records |
To locate potential primary sources in the library's online catalog, Primo, look for subject headings that contain terms such as diaries, letters, correspondence, autobiography, interviews, or personal narratives following the main heading.
Selected Published Primary Source Collections
Russian California 1806-1860: A history in documents by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 9781908145086Publication Date: 2014
A Voyage to the North West Side of America: The journals of James Colnett, 1786-89 by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 0774808551Publication Date: 2003
Original Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition by Call Number: ONLINEISBN: 9781582186627Publication Date: 2001
Encounters with the People: Written and Oral Accounts of Nez Perce Life to 1858 by Call Number: ONLINE; Main Stacks - Reynolds wing, 7th floor ; E99.N5 E53 2015ISBN: 9780874223309Publication Date: 2015-09-21
Potential Primary Source Collections
- American West This link opens in a new windowCollection of primary sources such original manuscripts, maps, ephemeral material and rare printed sources, that cover social, political, and economic aspects of the American West. Note: Cross-searchable with American Indian Histories and Cultures.
- Library of Congress: Digital CollectionsDigital collections covering a wide range of topics in American history and life, including maps, photographs, documents, and more.
- HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new windowFull-text seachable library of high-quality digitized materials such as books, articles, government information, and more from libraries around the world. Includes public domain and in-copyright content. Log in as a WFU user to download PDFs and access additional features. Coverage: Varies
- ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new windowAll things Congress- full text of: federal bills and laws (1776-present); voting records (1987-present); U.S. Serial Set and American State Papers (1817-present); published and unpublished Congressional hearings from (1824 to present); Congressional Record (1873-present) and its predecessor publications (1789-1873); Congressional Research Service reports (1916-present). Coverage: 1789-present
- Primo: ZSR Discovery CatalogIn addition to secondary sources, Primo can also help you locate published primary source collections.
Primary Sources on Native/Indigenous Peoples
While information on native/indigenous peoples can be found in many of the sources in this guide, these resources are focused on representing the history and experiences of these groups.
- American Indian Experience This link opens in a new windowProvides access to primary and secondary sources including treaties, captivity narratives, traditional stories, speeches, maps and images that engage students with the historical experiences and contemporary practices of more than 150 Native American tribes across North America. Includes the WPA Narrative Collection on Removal to Oklahoma.
- Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America This link opens in a new windowCovers interactions between American Indians (including America, Canada, and Mexico) and Europeans from their earliest contact, continuing through the turbulence of the American Civil War, the on-going repercussions of government legislation, to the civil rights movement of the mid- to late-twentieth century. This resource contains material from the Newberry Library’s Edward E. Ayer Collection. Note: Cross-searchable with the American West database.
- Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: History, Culture & Law This link opens in a new windowAn archive of historic materials that reflect the influence that indigenous people have had on the development of the United States. Includes hundreds of treaties, treaty-related publications, tribal codes, constitutions, federal case law, government reports, scholarly works, and the entirety of Title 25 (Indians) of the U.S. Code and Code of Federal Regulations.
- Indigenous Digital Archive Treaties ExplorerWhile treaties between Indigenous peoples and the United States affect virtually every area in the USA, there is as yet no official list of all the treaties. The US National Archives holds 374 of the treaties, where they are known as the Ratified Indian Treaties. Here you can view them for the first time with key historic works that provide context to the agreements made and the histories of our shared lands.
- National Archives: Bureau of Indian Affairs - Digital PhotographsExplore digitized photographs from the Bureau of Indian Affairs through the National Archives and Record Administration.
Newspapers and Magazines
- America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new windowSearch the full text of historical newspapers. WFU access includes the Early American Newspapers Series 1 (1690-1876), African American Newspapers Series 1 (1827-1998), African American Newspapers Series 2 (1835-1956), and Caribbean Newspapers (1718-1876). Coverage: 1690-1876, 1827-1998
- American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection This link opens in a new windowA collection of American periodicals published between 1684 and 1912. Documents the life of America's people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction.
- American Periodicals Series This link opens in a new windowSearch the full text of historical American periodicals from the 1700s up to 1900, including articles, advertisements, and illustrations. Titles range from Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine and America's first scientific journal, Medical Repository; popular magazines such as Vanity Fair and Ladies' Home Journal; regional and niche publications; and groundbreaking journals like The Dial, Puck, and McClure's. Coverage: 1740-1900
- Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new windowIncludes hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers. For each issue, the newspaper is captured from cover-to-cover, providing access to every article, advertisement and illustration. Coverage: 1801-1899
OPENLY AVAILABLE DIGITAL NEWSPAPER ARCHIVES
- Chronicling America This link opens in a new windowSearch America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress. Coverage: 1690-present
Pre-1848 Primary Sources
- Early American Imprints, Series I & II (combined) This link opens in a new windowIncludes the full text of all known existing books, pamphlets, and broadsides published in the 13 colonies and the United States between 1639-1819. Combined search of both the Evans collection and the Shaw & Shoemaker collection. Coverage: 1639-1819
- Frontier Life This link opens in a new windowIncludes primary source material that captures the lives, experiences and colonial encounters of people living at the edges of the Anglophone world from 1650-1920. Coverage: 1650-1920
- War Department and Indian Affairs, 1800-1824 This link opens in a new windowUntil the Bureau of Indian Affairs was established in 1824, Indian affairs were under the control of the Secretary of War. This collection includes letters to and from the War Department, including correspondence from Indian superintendents, territorial & state governors, military commanders, Indians, missionaries, and other public and private individuals. Additional attachments include vouchers, receipts, depositions, contracts, newspapers, copies of speeches, passports for travel in the Indian country, etc. Source Library: U.S. National Archives Coverage: 1800-1824