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Primary and Secondary Sources: American History

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TIPS! 

1. Google search is a great way to begin! Type in your topic and "artifacts" or "primary sources" 

                    Example internet search: early America and primary sources

2. Does your textbook have primary documents? YES! Look at the end of each chapter for written primary documents and check for images that might count towards primary documents or artifacts. 

Primary Sources

Databases: 

Websites: 

ARTSTOR: Browse images, maps, artwork, and other primary source documents from U.S. History from 1491 to present day, organized by time period and key historical concepts. 

Sam Houston State University: U.S. History Primary Sources

National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Primary Sources

Library of Congress: Primary Source Sets

Digital Public Library of America: Discover 33,513,624 images, texts, videos and sounds from the US

Antislavery Collection, 1725-1911 : The UMass Amherst Antislavery Collection contains several hundred printed pamphlets and books pertaining to slavery and antislavery in New England, 1725-1911. 
The Atlantic Slave Trade and Slave Life in the Americas: A Visual Record (UVa): The 1,280 images in this collection have been selected from a wide range of sources, most of them dating from the period of slavery. From UNC-Chapel Hill: "We would like to emphasize that little effort is made to interpret the images and establish the historical authenticity or accuracy of what they display."

Podcasts: 

Early American History: Ben Franklin's World

Secondary Sources

Books: 

Use the library catalog below to search for your topic.

REMEMBER: a scholarly secondary source will have references.

  • Look in the back of the book to see if the author uses sources.
  • This could be called: notes, bibliography, resources, references, works cited, works used, or selected bibliography. 

Databases Best Bets: Find Scholarly Articles

Films and Documentaries:

Films on Demand through NC LIVE

Film collection in the library: Search the catalog or see a librarian

Historical Menus

Browse the New York Public Library's collection of menus.

Government Resources & Documents

Try Congress.gov: search per administrative period for bills and laws

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