Research Guides: History: Primary Sources

Primary & Secondary Sources

Primary Sources

Primary sources are first-hand accounts or original records of an event.

Examples of primary sources:

letters
diaries or journals
newspapers
speeches
interviews
laws, legislation, court rulings
photographs
audio or video recordings
research data
and more! See primary source links below.

Source: WKU Libraries, Special Collections

Primary Sources Links

Links with Kentucky-specific primary sources. For information related to Kentucky folklore, visit the Folk Studies tab on this guide. American and world history primary source links are below.

Kentucky Digital Library
Historic newspapers, images, maps, books, and oral histories from collections around the state provided by KYVL. A member of Digital Public Library of America.
Kentucky Historical Society
Collects, preserves, conserves, interprets and shares information, memories and materials from Kentucky’s past to assist those interested in exploring and preserving that heritage.
Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky oral history projects online
Kentucky Museum
The Kentucky Museum, on WKU's campus, houses Special Collections, which includes primary and secondary source material specifically for Kentucky in their Research Collection and Manuscripts and Folklife Archives. Visit Special Collections to search their library.

The Kentucky Museum also displays history, arts & culture, with an outstanding quilt and textile collection, extensive archeological and ethnic holdings, also fine and decorative arts

American and World History Primary Source Links:

The Avalon Project
A project of the Yale Law School, Lillian Goldman Law Library, this is a digitized collection of legal, historical, economic, diplomatic, and other government-related documents from as early as 4,000 B.C.E. to 9/11.

Black Life in America collection (Newsbank) This link opens in a new window
The experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by the news media. The content in this database is sourced from more than 19,000 American and global news sources, including over 400 current and historical Black publications. Content ranges from the early 18th century to contemporary times in the 21st century.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:

Children and Youth in History
A project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, this resource includes over 300 primary source documents about children and young people in world history - divided by region
Digital History
Provides primary sources such as landmark documents in American history, Supreme Court and lower court cases, newspaper articles and obituaries, as well as oral history interviews and guides to researching topics in American history.
Digital Public Library of America: Exhibitions
All of the materials found through DPLA—photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, and so much more—are free and immediately available in digital format. The cultural institutions participating in DPLA represent the richness and diversity of America itself, from the smallest local history museum to America’s largest cultural institutions.
Docs Teach
A project through the National Archives that enables students to explore primary source documents from the Revolutionary War period to the present. Browse by historical period or use the search engine to find a source.
Documenting the American South Collections
DocSouth collections include 16 primary source collections for southern history, literature, and culture, with at least 12,000 Kentucky related items.
EuroDocs
A very deep and broad research portal containing primary documents devoted to European history. Choose your country of interest first, then time period to be presented with a list of artifacts.
EyeWitnesstoHistory
Offers brief selections of primary sources from critical moments in history such as the career and assassination of Julius Caesar to the death of FDR. Also includes photo gallery and movie clips from pre-World War II era.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
With over 60,000 unique historical documents, students can browse the collection by time period or use the search option to locate primary sources from Colonial America through the 20th century.
Hanover Historical Texts Collection
A selection of primary sources from Ancient Greece and Rome, Europe from the middle ages to modern times, and American history, hosted by Hanover College.
History Central
Excerpts of primary source documents from American history. Topics range from explorers' diaries like Columbus' discovery of America to Presidential addresses and State of the Union speeches of today.
History Matters / Many Pasts
Hosted by George Mason University, the Many Pasts collection has over 1,000 primary source documents spanning the entirety of American history. Use the advanced search features to quickly locate relevant documents.
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook
The Internet Ancient History Sourcebook collects and organizes primary sources by civilization and time period, providing full-text translations of ancient primary sources.
Internet Medieval Sourcebook
Provides full-text primary sources spanning from the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 C.E. to the Renaissance, Reformation, and age of the New World Exploration in the 1500s.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook
Offers full-text primary sources for World Civilization courses from the Reformation to the 21st century, and American history from the Colonial era to present day. Organized chronologically and by topic.
Library of Congress: American Memory
Open access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
Marxists Internet Archive
An all-volunteer, non-profit, digital public library that contains the writings of 592 authors and 53,000 documents representing a complete spectrum of political, philosophical, and scientific thought within Marxism or relevant to its understanding, including the Communist Manifesto.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1756-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
New York Public Library Digital Collections
Over 715,000 digitized multimedia items from the New York Public Library's collection featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.
Perseus Digital Library
A digital collection of primary and secondary sources including ancient Greek and Roman works, Arabic language documents, Germanic materials, Humanist and Renaissance Italian poetry in Latin, early modern English literature, 19th century American history and digital copies of the Richmond Times Dispatch daily newspaper during the Civil War, as well as links to other digital collections.
Smithsonian Source
A database that searches primary source document collections from the Smithsonian and partnering historical archives. Students can perform keyword searches, browse by historical topic.
Digital Inquiry Gorup (Formerly SHEG)
Offers materials to help educators and students promote historical analysis. Create an account or log in to access example primary source materials for select lessons.
Women in World History
A project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, this resource includes over 200 primary source documents about women in world history - divided by region.

Find Library Resources

Type keywords in the Library Search box below to search most of the SKYCTC, KCTCS, and KYVL databases to find articles, books, and other resources.

How to Find Resources in Library Search
A short introduction to searching and saving favorites in Library Search.
Tutorial on How to Use Library Search
For an in-depth tutorial on how to do effective searches in Library Search.

Secondary Sources

Use the search engine below to search for articles and primary sources in history and other related disciplines from EBSCOhost Databases. Databases included are: Academic Search Complete, Academic Search Premier, MAS Ultra - School Edition, MasterFILE Premier, Middle Search Plus, Military & Government Collection, Newspaper Source, Primary Search, Religion & Philosophy Collection, Sociological Collection, and TOPICsearch.

To see other databases provided by SKYCTC, see our A-Z Database List. Use the other tabs on this guide to find other pertinent databases.

For additional research materials, select one of our Gale historical databases. Once you have chosen a database, type in your topic keywords in one of the search engines and narrow results with the menu on the right. Use the Topic Finder feature to discover related subject keywords and sources about your research interests.

See Academic Video Online (AVON) from Clarivate to view our streaming video collection.

Academic OneFile This link opens in a new window
Full-text, scholarly articles in physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects. Includes full-text coverage of the New York Times back to 1995
World History (Gale) This link opens in a new window
This collection provides well-rounded coverage of both the current thinking and events in World History, as well as scholarly work being established in the field. This compilation of journals provides robust and balanced coverage of this field, useful both to the novice historian as well as to the advanced academic researcher.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
War and Terrorism (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Journals and magazines for analysts, risk management professionals, and students of military science, history, and social science. Covers historic and contemporary topics in the fields of war and terrorism.
Watch this short video on how to use this database:
Academic Video Online This link opens in a new window
Academic Video Online (AVON) spans a wide range of subject areas. Includes content like documentaries, films, and demonstrations from publishers like the BBC, PBS, and Sony.

A-Z Database Guide
Full list of Databases the library subscribes to, including trial access.