What is a Primary Source?
Primary sources provide firsthand evidence of historical events.
They are generally unpublished materials such as manuscripts, photographs,
maps, artifacts, audio and video recordings, oral histories, postcards,
and posters. In some instances, published materials can also be viewed
as primary materials for the period in which they were written. In
contrast, secondary sources, such as textbooks, synthesize
and interpret primary materials.
(definition courtesy of the UCLA
Institute on Primary Sources)
Welcome to the eHistory Primary Sources and Documents Section.
We will be gathering documents, images, and other
primary source material here to help with teaching, research and
the investigation of history. The entire collection will be searchable,
and will include results from other sections with primary sources
like the Oral Histories and Maps & Images.
One of the greatest assets of our collection is the Official
Records,
affectionately known as the "OR": all 128 volumes are
available here.
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