Primary and Secondary Sources Notes and Examples

Primary Sources primary source- a document or object which was written or created during the time a particular event occurred provides an inside or firsthand view of a particular event or time period typically only includes one point-of-view often rare, one-of-a-kind

What are primary sources? Original records from the past recorded by people who were: Involved in the event Witnessed the event, OR Knew the persons involved in the event They can also be objects (artifacts) or visual evidence. They give you an idea about what people alive at the time saw or thought about the event.

Examples of Primary Sources Diaries / Letters / Journals Speeches / Interviews Audio and Video Recordings Photographs Original literary or theatrical works Original advertisements Magazine and Newspaper Articles (as long as they are written soon after the fact) Personal Records/ Gov’t records Visual Images Paintings, drawings, sculpture photographs, film, maps

What are primary sources? Keep in mind that a primary source reflects only one point of view and may contain a person’s bias (prejudice) toward an event. This poster was produced by the U.S. Farm Security Administration

Examples of primary sources Oral Histories: Memoirs, myths, legends passed down by word of mouth Songs and Poems Artifacts: Tools, ornaments, objects Autobiography Furniture Clothing

Secondary Sources secondary source- source that was created after an event or time period and interprets or analyzes primary sources can (but not always) provide a more fair account of the event because it can include more than one point of view, or may include information that was unavailable at the time of the event usually has many copies

What are secondary sources? Although they can be useful and reliable, they cannot reflect what people who lived at the time thought or felt about the event. They can represent a more fair account of the event because they can include more than one point of view, or may include information that was unavailable at the time of the event.

Examples of secondary sources: Textbooks Biographies Charts Histories Newspaper report by someone who was not present Encyclopedias

Determining the Type of Source look for dates, materials used, and other clues to help determine whether the source is primary or secondary some sources, such as magazine articles, paintings, poems, etc., can be either primary or secondary sources depending on when they were created primary source- a magazine article that reports the details of a recent event secondary source- a magazine article written long after an event that uses a variety of sources to analyze/interpret the event

Primary or Secondary? You decide!

Washington Crossing the Delaware Artist- Emanuel Leutze, 1851

The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863

Mount Rushmore, 1941

Australopithecus Skeleton “Lucy” discovered in 1974 estimated age- 3.2 million years

Plane Wreckage from 9/11/01 Attacks Found wedged between two buildings in April 2013