Skip to Main Content

Primary Sources for History: What is a primary source?

Primary source or secondary source?

A primary source is a firsthand account of an event that was created while the event was happening or at a later date by an eyewitness to the event.

A secondary source is a step removed from a primary source or firsthand account. It may be created using primary sources and often provides a synthesis or analysis of multiple sources of information.

Examples of primary sources

Diaries, letters, memoirs, personal narratives

Historic photographs, images, or maps

Government documents (legislation, court decisions, letters, etc.)

Newspaper articles and political cartoons

Speeches

Artifacts

Audio or video recordings

Oral histories or interviews

Data or results of scientific studies 

Examples of secondary sources

Encyclopedias

Text books

Reference books

Magazine and journal articles

Books that use primary sources to synthesize or analyze information

Primary or Secondary Source?

Primary Source: Historic Photograph

Sumiko Shigematsu, foreman of power sewing machine girls, Manzanar Relocation Center, California

 

Source: Adams, Ansel, photographer. "Sumiko Shigematsu, foreman of power sewing machine girls, Manzanar Relocation Center, California." Photograph. From Library of Congress: Adams, Ansel, 1902- Manzanar War Relocation Center photographs. http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2002695109/ (accessed May 24, 2018).