Research Guides: Historical Methods- Prof. Manning: Primary Sources

Key Primary Source Resources at Rowan

History Primary Source Databases (full list in Database Finder)
Primary Sources by Subject Guide
Library databases and web resources, organized by subject areas
Primary Sources Databases: Subcollections
Lists the subcollections of large aggregate primary source databases.

What is a Primary Source?

A Primary Source is a item produced from the time you are researching. It can be a photograph, a letter, government documents, and much more. Looking at actual sources from a specific time helps to get the firsthand account of what was happening when it was happening.

Primary Source Databases

General Primary Sources:

Primary Sources Collection (Proquest) This link opens in a new window
Three hundred multidisciplinary resources providing access to thousands of primary source documents, including archival collections, government documents, periodicals, newspapers, and video. See the Subcollections Guide for a list of collections.
Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window
Archives of searchable historical primary source materials. See the Subcollections Guide for a list of collections.
Accessible Archives makes available vast quantities of archived historical information, not previously furnished available online. Primary source materials have been assembled into databases with a strict attention to detail allowing access to specific information with pinpoint accuracy. Online full-text search capabilities and digital imaging permits the user to search and manipulate this information in ways never before possible.
Archives Unbound This link opens in a new window
Digital collection of historical documents from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
Archives Unbound presents topically-focused digital collections of historical documents that support the research and study needs of scholars and students at the college and university level. Collections in Archives Unbound cover a broad range of topics from the Middle Ages forward-from Witchcraft to World War II to twentieth-century political history. Collections are chosen for Archives Unbound based on requests from scholars, archivists, and students.
Primary Sources (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Search across multiple GALE databases of primary sources. See the Subcollections Guide for a list of collections.

American History Primary Sources

American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 1 This link opens in a new window
Online access to a set of historical periodicals published from 1684 through 1820.
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 2 This link opens in a new window
Presents over 1000 periodicals titles dating from 1821 through 1837
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 3 This link opens in a new window
Presents over 1,700 titles dating from 1838 through 1852.
Jewish Life in America, c1654-1954 This link opens in a new window
Archive of primary source manuscripts on Jewish life in America from 1654 to 1954
History of Jewish communities in America from their first arrival in New York in 1654 to the integral part that they play today. It will provide an essential resource for teaching and study, from undergraduate to research students and beyond. The material is based on a rich variety of original manuscript collections from the unique holdings of the American Jewish Historical Society in New York; we provide access to six major organisational collections and twenty-four collections of personal papers; all of which have been digitized in their entirety.

National Museum of American History: Object Groups from Collections (Smithsonian)
Browse by object group or search tne entire collection
National Museum of African American History & Culture: Collections (Smithsonian)
The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture.

Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A transitional archive This link opens in a new window
Collections on the history of the transatlantic slave trade from the sixteenth through the nineteenth centuries.

World, Government, and Law Primary Sources

Avalon Project
The Avalon Project, a resource of the Yale Law School, provides full text of documents, online, that are important to law, history and diplomacy online. Over the years the collection has grown extensively and has been organized into various topical areas. About forty documents related to Terrorism are included under this title.
Cold War International History Project
The Project disseminates new information and perspectives on the history of the Cold War, in particular new findings from previously inaccessible sources on "the other side" -- the former Communist world. This is an endeavor of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Digital National Security Archive This link opens in a new window
Contains a comprehensive collection of primary documents including declassified documents regarding critical U.S. policy decisions.
Global Commodities This link opens in a new window
Primary source materials for the study of global commodities in world history.
Global Commodities brings together manuscript, printed and visual primary source materials for the study of global commodities in world history. The commodities featured in this resource have been transported, exchanged and consumed around the world for hundreds of years. They helped transform societies, global trading operations, habits of consumption and social practices.
Historic Documents This link opens in a new window
Primary source documents from 1972 forward in U.S. government and politics.
Database of primary source materials from 1972 forward. Approximately one hundred documents covering the most significant events of each year are presented.
U.S. Declassified Documents Online This link opens in a new window
Provides access to a broad range of previously classified U.S. federal records spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Includes over 700,000 of the most sensitive documents from all the presidential libraries and numerous executive agencies.
Covers major international events from the Cold War to the Vietnam War and beyond.

Other places to find primary sources

Use these websites to find other primary sources:

Primary Sources for Holocaust and Genocide Studies

Newspaper Databases

Newspapers can be a great place to find primary sources, use one of the library's databases to search:

Historical Newspapers (Proquest) This link opens in a new window
Newspaper digital archive of many significant U.S. and some international newspapers dating back to the 18th Century.
New York Times (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
Access to The New York Times (1851 - 2017).
Presents PDF pages of the newspaper, preserving the visual sense of the publication. This online format replaces the microfiche archival coverage.
Wall Street Journal (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
Online access to back issues of the Wall Street Journal, 1889 - 1999.
Newspaper coverage is from 1889 through 1996. For more recent issues of the Wall Street Journal, select the Wall Street Journal (current) link.
Washington Post (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
Online access to back issues of The Washington Post, 1877-1999.
Includes PDF images of nearly all content published in the Washington Post from the beginning, 1877, through 1997. Search the Washington Post Current edition for information after this end date.

Advanced Google Searching

You can use Google! One of the best ways to do that is by using the Advanced Search option. This helps you choose specific websites or domains (.org, .gov, .edu) to find information better suited to your needs and look for primary source documentation.

Google Advanced Search