USAFA Library Guides: History: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

Primary sources provide firsthand accounts or direct evidence to the event, person, object or place. These sources are created by participants or witnesses of the event at the time it occurred or their experiences recorded later in the form of an autobiography, memoir or oral history.

Secondary sources, however, provide a more critical analysis of an event, person or object that often interpret primary sources and refer to secondary sources created by other authors to help formulate a less personal account.

The "Finding Books" tab will help you discover primary sources, i.e. firsthand accounts of people directly involved in or who had witnessed an event. Other primary sources can be found using the tabs for journal and newspaper articles, and statistical information. This page highlights digital collections or works that contain primary source materials. Examples of types of primary sources are listed on the right side of this page.

Primary Source Documents in Reference Works

Milestone Documents: African American History (Salem Press)
Fundamental primary sources in African American history from the 1600s to the present
Milestone Documents: American History (Salem Press)
Covers more than 130 iconic primary source documents from the Revolutionary era to the present day
Milestone Documents: American Leaders (Salem Press)
Features important primary source documents written by the people who shaped the American nation
Milestone Documents: World History (Salem Press)
Key primary source documents from all important world cultures from ancient times to today
Milestone Documents: World Religions (Salem Press)
Fundamental primary sources of the world's religious traditions from ancient times to the present
The War of the Rebellion: Original Records of the Civil War (Ohio State University eHistory)
Official records of the Union and Confederate Armies during the American Civil War
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The print index and multi-volume set is is available on the 4th floor of the library. The call number is E 464 .U5. The library also has print volumes of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. The call number is E 591 .U5.

Primary Sources in Library Databases: General Purpose

Gale Primary Sources
Cross-search Gale primary source collections of books, manuscripts, newspapers, maps, and photos
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Includes British and American newspaper collections
History Vault (ProQuest)
Primary source materials and archival collections on US and world history and military studies
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Alternative website to access contents:
https://proquest.libguides.com/historyvault/contents

Primary Sources in Library Databases: Africa and Middle East History

African History and Culture, 1540-1921 (Readex NewsBank)
Books, pamphlets and other primary source materials covering the history of Africa
Confidential Print: Middle East, 1839-1969
Primary source documents from the British Colonial and Foreign Offices for the Middle East
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Documents in the collection include telegrams, treaties, reports, correspondence, and other materials from the British government in the National Archives UK on Middle Eastern history, politics and culture from 1839 through 1969. Covers the following countries: Afghanistan, Egypt, Sudan, Persia, Suez Canal, Turkey, Jordan, Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Syria.
Middle East and North Africa: Global Perspectives, 1958-1994
Translated print sources, radio and television broadcasts from countries in North Africa and the Middle East
Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa (JSTOR)
Focus on liberation struggles in the region, documenting colonial rule, resistance, exiles, intervention
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Emphasis on Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe

Primary Sources in Library Databases: American History

Accessible Archives
Eyewitness accounts of historical events, vivid descriptions of daily life, editorial observations, commerce as seen through advertisements, and genealogical records found in leading historic periodicals and books
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Content includes: African American Newspapers; America and World War I -- American Military Camp Newspapers; American County Histories; The Civil War Newspapers; Frank Leslie's Weekly, Women's Suffrage Collection and Newspapers and much more
African American Newspapers, 1827-1998 (Readex NewsBank)
Access hundreds of newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African American experience
American Indians and the American West, 1809-1971 (ProQuest History Vault)
Features records on American Indians and the American West from the 19th and 20th Centuries
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ProQuest LibGuide: https://proquest.libguides.com/historyvault/amerindians
Ancestry Limited Edition from ProQuest [via the AF Portal]
Access billions of names from more than 4,000 genealogical databases plus millions of military records
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Censuses from the US, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland
ATLA Historical Monographs Collection Series 1 and Series 2 (Ebsco): Late 13th Century until 1922
The American Theological Association Library collections cover diverse topics in religion and philosophy, a majority of works from the 19th century
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Series 1 provides religious and theological literature from the late 13th century until 1922. Topics covered include church life, demographics, doctrinal disputes, higher criticism, Judeo-Christian religions, Non-Western religions, and social movements.
Series 2 provides literature on the significant shifts in the religious identification of Americans and the growing interest and experimentation with non-Western religions starting from 1893 until 1922.
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States: Challenges and Triumphs in the Pursuit of Equality
Find curated primary source documents focused on Black Freedom in African American history from the late 18th century slavery and abolitionist movement until contemporary times
Civil War Era
Newspapers and pamphlets that focuses on the entire era, from Manifest Destiny through the end of the Civil War (1840-1865)
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Newspaper sources include these titles:
Southern Titles: Richmond Dispatch (Virginia), Charleston Mercury (South Carolina), New Orleans Times Picayune (Louisiana)
Northern Titles: Boston Herald, New York Herald, Columbus State Journal (Ohio)
Border States/Mississippi Valley Titles: The Kentucky Daily Journal, Memphis Daily Appeal
Civil War Primary Source Documents (Ebsco)
Firsthand accounts on all aspects of the American Civil War fought from 1861 to 1865
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From the New York Historical Society, representing both Northern and Southern perspectives
Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files, Europe and Latin America, 1960-1969 (ProQuest History Vault)
American diplomatic reporting on Europe and Latin America during the turbulent times of the 1960s
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Focus on political, military, social, and economic developments of these countries in the mid-20th century.
ProQuest LibGuide:
https://hv.proquest.com/historyvault/hv.jsp?pageid=advanced_ui&module=393
Congressional Publications (ProQuest)
Provides access to Congressional Basic, Congressional Research Service (CRS) and US Serial Set collections
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Comprehensive online collection of primary source congressional publications and legislative research materials covering all topics, including government, current events, politics, economics, business, science and technology, international relations, social issues, finance, insurance, and medicine. Finding aid for congressional hearings, committee prints, committee reports and documents from 1970-present, and the daily Congressional Record from 1985-present. Compiled legislative histories from 1969-present. The U.S.Congressional Serial Set, including the American State Papers, is a series of reports and documents published by Congress starting from 1789 to present. See ProQuest LibGuides for more information about product and content:
https://proquest.libguides.com/pq_congressional
https://proquest.libguides.com/qs_congbasic (Congressional Basic)
https://proquest.libguides.com/crdc (Congressional Research Digital Collection or CRS)
https://proquest.libguides.com/serialset (US Serial Set Digital Collection)
Digital National Security Archives (ProQuest)
Declassified government documents covering US policy toward critical events from 1945 to the present
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Subject coverage: History, Political Science, Latin American Studies, Middle East Studies, Asia Studies, Diplomacy, Intelligence. Examples include the Berlin Crisis 1958-62, Cuban Missile Crisis 1962, the Gulf War 1980-94 and many others.
Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800
Online access to almost all books, pamphlets and broadsides published in America during the 17th and 18th centuries. Essential primary documents for teaching and researching nearly every aspect of early America.
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Subjects covered range from history, literature and culture to politics, government and society
fold3 by Ancestry from ProQuest [via the AF Portal]
Collections of original military records from the Revolutionary War to recent military conflicts
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International events also provided. World War I coverage includes Gorrell's History - AEF Air Service.
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive
Contains full length oral history interviews of prominent African Americans
New Deal and World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Office Files and Records of Federal Agencies, 1933-1945 (ProQuest History Vault)
Administrative records of the Roosevelt White House that focuses on domestic and foreign concerns
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ProQuest LibGuide: https://proquest.libguides.com/historyvault/newdeal
Papers of Dwight David Eisenhower
Find the most significant letters, memoranda, cables, and directives written or dictated by Eisenhower from the years prior to World War II through the full term of his presidency that ended 20 January 1961
Revolutionary War Era Orderly Books from the New York Historical Society (Ebsco)
Orderly books provide detailed accounts of military life during the Revolutionary War period
Rotunda: American History Collection
Online editions of papers from founding leaders of the early American Republic through to the presidential correspondence of Woodrow Wilson in the American Century
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Primary source documents with correspondence and diaries of presidents and other influential American leaders, such as: John Adams, Ulysses S. Grant, Alexander Hamilton, Andrew Jackson, John Jay, Thomas Jefferson, Dolley Madison, James Madison, John Marshall, Gouverneur Morris, George Washington, Daniel Webster and more
Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926 (Gale)
Contains works about the Americas published throughout the world from 1500 to the early 1900's
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Includes books, pamphlets, serials and other documents that provide original accounts of exploration, trade, colonialism, slavery and abolition, the western movement, Native Americans, military actions and much more
U.S. Military Intelligence Reports, 1911-1944 (ProQuest History Vault)
Comprehensive documentation of developments and events in the key nations of the world during the period from World War I to the final campaigns of World War II
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Contains the U.S. Military Intelligence reports for China, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Mexico, Soviet Union
ProQuest LibGuide:
https://proquest.libguides.com/historyvault/milintel
US Serial Set Digital Collection and Maps
Congressional publications 1789-1969 includes the American State Papers, War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Compilation of Messages and Papers of the Presidents 1789-1897 and much more
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The U.S. Serial Set is a collection of primary source U.S. government publications compiled under directive of the Congress. It contains comprehensive and often detailed information on an extremely wide range of subjects, including economics, business, science and technology, international relations, social issues, finance, insurance, and medicine. See ProQuest US Serial Set LibGuide for more information about product and content:
https://proquest.libguides.com/serialset/content
Women at Work during World War II: Rosie the Riveter and the Women's Army Corps (ProQuest History Vault)
Records documenting the experience of American women during World War II
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ProQuest LibGuide: https://proquest.libguides.com/historyvault/womenatwork
World War I: Records of the American Expeditionary Forces, and Diplomacy in the World War I Era (ProQuest History Vault)
Documentation on the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during the First World War as well as materials on U.S. intelligence operations and the post-war peace process (1915-1927)
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ProQuest LibGuide: https://proquest.libguides.com/historyvault/wwiexped

Primary Sources in Library Databases: British History

Confidential Print: Middle East, 1839-1969
Primary source documents from the British Colonial and Foreign Offices for the Middle East
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Documents in the collection include telegrams, treaties, reports, correspondence, and other materials from the British government in the National Archives UK on Middle Eastern history, politics and culture from 1839 through 1969. Covers the following countries: Afghanistan, Egypt, Sudan, Persia, Suez Canal, Turkey, Jordan, Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Syria.
Early English Books Online (ProQuest)
Beyond literary and religious works, find historical materials printed in English between 1473 and 1700
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Digital facsimile page images of virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473-1700
Nineteenth Century British Pamphlets (JSTOR)
Primary sources for the study of sociopolitical and economic factors impacting 19th-century Britain
Nineteenth Century UK Periodicals
Two main parts: First part covers covers the advent of commercial lifestyle publishing in Britain and the second part looks at Empire and the role Britain played as an imperial power throughout the century
Ben Jonson Online
The Cambridge Edition of the Works of Ben Jonson Online contains Jonson’s complete writings for readers of the twenty-first century, in the light of current editorial thinking and recent scholarly interpretation and discovery.

Primary Sources in Library Databases: World History

Aeronautics and Space Flight: Global Origins of Modern Aviation and Rocketry, 1957-1995
Journal articles and reports covering aeronautics and Space Sciences during the 20th century
Border and Migration Studies Online (ProQuest, Alexander Street)
Collection explores and provides historical background on more than thirty key worldwide border areas
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Includes primary sources, published works and videos
Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files, Europe and Latin America, 1960-1969 (ProQuest History Vault)
American diplomatic reporting on Europe and Latin America during the turbulent times of the 1960s
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Focus on political, military, social, and economic developments of these countries in the mid-20th century.
ProQuest LibGuide:
https://proquest.libguides.com/historyvault/state_eurla
Disability in the Modern World (ProQuest, Alexander Street)
Primary and secondary materials related to disability history and disability studies worldwide
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Focus is also on the disability community with key disciplines in the following areas: Independence, Education and Accessibility; Advocacy and Rights; Legislation and Politics; The Media; Arts, Sport, and Culture Theory; Race, Class Sexuality, and Gender; War, Industry, and Technology.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (Gale)
Primary works in the fields of history, literature, religion, law, fine arts, science and more in the 18th century
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Includes books, pamphlets, essays, broadsides and more, published mainly in the United Kingdom
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports, 1941-1996
Transcripts of foreign broadcasts and news for a unique perspective on political and historical events
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Translated into English from foreign media reports from around the globe to include news, interviews, speeches and editorial commentary. Produced by the U.S. intelligence community to benefit policy makers and analysts.
Human Rights Studies Online (ProQuest, Alexander Street)
Primary and secondary materials focused on major human rights and other atrocity crimes worldwide
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A growing collection of print and video resources documenting human rights crimes such as genocides in the 20th and early 21st centuries.
The Making of the Modern World (Gale)
Find materials covering empire and the projection of European power from 1500 to early 20th century
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Searchable in historical context with key documents listed by topics plus a chronology of world events
Morality and Science: Global Origins of Modern Bioethics, 1957-1995
Journal articles and reports covering ethics and the life sciences during the 20th century
Nineteenth Century Collections Online (Gale)
Varied primary source documents covering history, literature and culture in the 19th century
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Includes monographs, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, photographs, statistics, and other kinds of documents in both Western and non-Western languages
Trench Warfare and Unit Magazines of the First World War (ProQuest)
Rare magazines published by service personnel from every nation involved in the First World War
U.S. Military Intelligence Reports, 1911-1944 (ProQuest History Vault)
U.S. Military Intelligence reports for China, Japan, France, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Mexico, Soviet Union
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ProQuest LibGuide: https://proquest.libguides.com/historyvault/milintel
World War I: Records of the American Expeditionary Forces, and Diplomacy in the World War I Era (ProQuest History Vault)
Documentation on the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) during the First World War as well as materials on U.S. intelligence operations and the post-war peace process (1915-1927)
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ProQuest LibGuide: https://proquest.libguides.com/historyvault/wwiexped
World War II: U.S. Documents on Planning, Operations, Intelligence, Axis War Crimes, and Refugees (ProQuest History Vault)
Records documenting U.S. planning and participation in World War II
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ProQuest LibGuide: https://proquest.libguides.com/historyvault/wwii

Primary Sources from the Internet

AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History
Access documents related to American history from 800 to the present
American Memory (Library of Congress)
Browse primary source collections by topic including African American history, war, women's history and more
The American Presidency Project
Provides one of the most extensive collections of presidential documents on the internet
The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy (Yale University)
Collections of primary source documents from ancient to modern history
Documenting the American South
Online access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture
EuroDocs: Online Sources for European History
Selected transcriptions, facsimiles and translations for countries in Europe from antiquity to the present
Foreign Relations of the United States: pre-Truman Administration (State Department)
Access volumes covering the period in US foreign relations prior to the Truman Administration
Foreign Relations of the United States: Truman to Reagan Administration (State Department)
Official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and diplomatic activity
German History in Documents and Images
Primary source materials documenting Germany's political, social, and cultural history from 1500 to the present
History Matters: Making Sense of Evidence
The goal of this website is to help students and teachers make effective use of primary source
Internet History Sourcebooks Project (Fordham University)
Broad outline and view of internet sources for Ancient, Medieval and Modern history, plus thematically texts
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Thematic history source books include: African, East Asia, Global History, Indian, Islamic, Jewish, History of Science, Women's History and LGBT History
Library of Congress: Digital Collections
Access to primary records of the United States (e.g. Presidential papers) as well as world cultures and history
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Collections Items include: Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress
https://www.loc.gov/collections/abraham-lincoln-papers
Library of Congress: Web Guides
In-depth guides to resources, many primary, on a range of topics in US history including world conflicts
Making of America Collection (Cornell University)
Digital library of primary sources in US social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction
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This site provides access to 267 monograph volumes and over 100,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints. Browse or search the following two Civil War publications: Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies AND The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
Our Documents: 100 Milestone Documents (National Archives)
100 milestone documents that chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965
The Victorian Web: Literature, History and Culture in the Age of Victoria
Presents images and documents, including entire books, as tools for finding information on a wide range of topics during the Victorian era in Britain on social history, political history, religion, science, and much more
Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
Most comprehensive source of data currently available on the trans-Atlantic slave trade
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Data on slaving voyages to the Americas between 1515-1866 from original documents and historical publications located in archives, libraries, and other institutions
throughout the world.

Citing Primary Sources

Library of Congress
Cite in Chicago, MLA, APA

Types of Primary Sources

Books: - autobiographies, correspondence; - diaries, letters, manuscripts; - memoirs, pamphlets,; - papers, personal narratives,; - sources, speeches, statistics
Creative Works: - art works, architecture, films; - maps, music recordings; - paintings, photographs; - poems, sculptures, etc.
Government Documents: - law and legislation, treaties
Journal/Newspaper Articles: - witnessed reported events; - reports that quote witnesses
News Sources: - broadcast transcripts
Oral Histories and Culture: - audio/video recordings; - folklore, storytelling, interviews
Research Data: - datasets, original research; - statistics, surveys

Types of Secondary Sources

Books: - based on primary works; - academic research on a subject; - analytical, interpretive; - biographies, dissertations
Journal/Newspaper Articles: - non-witnessed reported events; - scholarly research on topics; - critiques or essays
Research Data: - analysis of data; - interpretation of data