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History: Locate primary sources
What is a primary source?
Primary sources include documents or artifacts created by a witness to or participant in an event. They can be firsthand testimony or evidence created during the time period that you are studying.
Primary sources may include diaries, letters, interviews, oral histories, photographs, newspaper articles, government documents, poems, novels, plays, and music. The collection and analysis of primary sources is central to historical research.
Use the terms below in conjunction with your topic to locate primary sources in the UW Libraries Search. You'll find published collections of documents & letters, diaries, maps, newspapers and much, much more.. See Locate primary sources in translation for additional examples.
| sources | journals |
| personal narratives | interviews |
| correspondence | sermons |
| letters | documents |
| diaries | papers |
| images or photographs | advertising |
| maps |
UW Libraries Search
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Examples of primary sources published at the time of the event
By the Quenes Maieste. Elizabeth by the grace of God
Ebook
Published in 1558: A proclamation on the accession of Queen Elizabeth.A View of the State of the Trade to Africa
Ebook
Published in 1710?
From: 18th Century Collections Online
Oral History Interviews with Members of the Jewish Community of TacomaUW Tacoma Library Local History
CHP 1992 no. 05
More examples of primary sources
Primary sources are sometimes republished at later dates. For example, Memoirs of Nisqually is a diary written by someone who lived from 1805-1849, but it was not published until 1979. There are also edited collections of primary source materials published with more recent dates. Documenting First Wave Feminisms includes primary documents dating from the abolition movement to the Second World War.
Documenting First Wave FeminismsUW Tacoma Library Stacks
HQ1154 .D63 2012
Memoirs of NisquallyUW Tacoma Library Local History
F899.T2 H4
The Protestant Reformation by
Originally published more than forty years ago, this important collection brings together the works and writings of the revolutionary minds behind the Protestant Reformation—and it remains a major resource for teachers, students, and history buffs alike. Over the decades, however, modern scholarship has shed new light on this tumultuous period, raising probing questions and providing new connections that have radically changed our understanding and outlook. With this newly revised and updated edition of this essential work—now including texts written by women as well as entries dealing with popular religion—modern viewpoints are cogently addressed, while the scholarly integrity that has made this book a revered classic has been scrupulously maintained. Throughout, Hans J. Hillerbrand's basic assumption remains consistent: religion—no matter how dependent on societal forces—must be seen as the pivotal element in the story of the sixteenth century.
Call Number: UW Tacoma Library Stacks BR305.3 .P75 2009
Sentenced to Science by
From 1951 until 1974, Holmesburg Prison in Philadelphia was the site of thousands of experiments on prisoners conducted by researchers under the direction of University of Pennsylvania dermatologist Albert M. Kligman. While most of the experiments were testing cosmetics, detergents, and deodorants, the trials also included scores of Phase I drug trials, inoculations of radioactive isotopes, and applications of dioxin in addition to mind-control experiments for the Army and CIA. These experiments often left the subject-prisoners, mostly African Americans, in excruciating pain and had long-term debilitating effects on their health. This is one among many episodes of the sordid history of medical experimentation on the black population of the United States. The story of the Holmesburg trials was documented by Allen Hornblum in his 1998 book Acres of Skin. The more general history of African Americans as human guinea pigs has most recently been told by Harriet Washington in her 2007 book Medical Apartheid. The subject is currently a topic of heated public debate in the wake of a 2006 report from an influential panel of medical experts recommending that the federal government loosen the regulations in place since the 1970s that have limited the testing of pharmaceuticals on prison inmates. Sentenced to Science retells the story of the Holmesburg experiments more dramatically through the eyes of one black man, Edward &“Butch&” Anthony, who suffered greatly from the experiments for which he &“volunteered&” during multiple terms at the prison. This is not only one black man&’s highly personal account of what it was like to be an imprisoned test subject, but also a sobering reminder that there were many African Americans caught in the viselike grip of a scientific research community willing to bend any code of ethics in order to accomplish its goals and a criminal justice system that sold prisoners to the highest bidder.
Call Number: UW Tacoma Library W 20.55.H9 H814s 2007
Primary sources by region
Use the tabs on the individual pages to find primary sources for specific regions and countries:
- Africa
- Asia
- Europe
- Latin America
- Middle East
- United States
See links under Primary Sources by Type and Primary Sources by Subject - Pacific Northwest