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Primary Sources in Translation
What Are Primary Sources:
"Primary sources are original records created at the time historical events occurred or well after events in the form of memoirs and oral histories. Primary sources may include letters, manuscripts, diaries, journals, newspapers, speeches, interviews, memoirs, documents produced by government agencies such as Congress or the Office of the President, photographs, audio recordings, moving pictures or video recordings, research data, and objects or artifacts such as works of art or ancient roads, buildings, tools, and weapons. These sources serve as the raw material to interpret the past, and when they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they provide the resources necessary for historical research."
(American Library Association, Reference and User Services, History Section)
Primary Sources
- ARTstor This link opens in a new windowContains more than 2.5 million high-quality digital images for educational and research use. In addition to reproductions of a wide range of works of art and architecture from all times and places throughout the world, the collection also contains photographs and other images useful for study in many disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Updated continually.
- Britannica This link opens in a new windowSearchable and browsable collection of Encyclopedia Britannica's latest article database, Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, the Britannica Book of the Year, and thousands of links to other World Wide Web sites selected by Britannica editors.
- Black Freedom Struggle in the United States This link opens in a new windowA selection of 2000 primary source documents including historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence and more that highlight the triumphs and resiliency of African Americans in the pursuit of equality through six periods of history.
- National ArchivesThe National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever.
Those valuable records are preserved and are available to you, whether you want to see if they contain clues about your family’s history, need to prove a veteran’s military service, or are researching a historical topic that interests you. - The Wars for Viet Nam: 1945 to 1975– Vassar College – An overview of the war and numerous official documents.
- The Whole World Was Watching: an oral history of 1968– Brown University – An oral history project that features recollections of events and issues in 1968.