PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES
How do we know what happened in the past? Primary Source A document, speech, or other sort of evidence written or created during the time under study.
Examples of primary sources O RIGINAL D OCUMENTS Autobiographies, diaries, , interviews, letters, minutes, news film footage, official records, photographs, raw research data, speeches. C REATIVE W ORKS Art, drama, films, music, novels, poetry. R ELICS OR A RTIFACTS Buildings, clothing, DNA, furniture, jewelry, pottery.
Secondary sources Any source that is not primary provides an overview of events or an in- depth study of a particular subject, based on primary sources Textbooks, encyclopedias, websites, maps, charts, graphs created after the fact
Based on the description identify whether the document is a primary or secondary source 1. Your world history textbook 2. Julius Caesar’s description of the conquest of Gaul 3. The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin 4. A biography of Cleopatra 5. A letter written home by a World War II soldier 6. Wikipedia 7. A newspaper or magazine article
1. Your world history textbook Secondary 2. Julius Caesar’s description of the conquest of Gaul Primary 3. The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin Primary 4. A biography of Cleopatra Secondary 5. A letter written home by a World War II soldier Primary 6. Wikipedia Secondary 7. A newspaper or magazine article Primary or Secondary (depends on when it was written)