Primary & Secondary Sources NOTES

CREATED DURING THE TIME OF STUDY. Primary Sources part of direct personal experiences of a time or event; original items or records; Created by a person directly involved in the event CREATED DURING THE TIME OF STUDY.

What are secondary sources? item created after an event took place document or analysis of someone else’s experience provide perspective or a description of past events interpretation of primary source Examples: textbooks

Types of Sources

Artifacts physical objects that have survived Were meant to be handled/touched What are some things that would be artifacts? Tools, weapons, money, inventions, clothing, uniforms, political campaign items, pottery, cooking utensils, etc.

Documents Made of paper Has writing on it Meant to be read There are two types of documents: Published Unpublished

Documents –Published/Public Record created for large audiences intended for everyone to read Examples: Books, magazines, newspapers, reports, laws, maps, advertisements, pamphlets, posters, autobiography, manuscripts, paper money, stamps, deeds, census data, court records, etc.

Documents –Unpublished/Personal Papers meant for one person or a small group of people Examples: Personal letters, e-mails, diaries, text messages, wills, tax returns, journals, telegrams, health records, meeting minutes, etc.

Oral History (Interviews) An actual person from the time “speaking” about the experience.

Paintings The original created on canvas by a painter Examples:

Photographs Shows real people Taken from a camera Also known as photos or pictures. Must have been a photo taken from the actual time period to be considered primary

Posters/Prints Displays information or images Must show the image from the time of study Look at the content of poster to determine if in fact it is a poster, a painting, or photograph

Maps shows what people of the time being studied imagined/knew the world to be Examples:

Cartoons Has drawn out characters Meant to make fun of an event or person Usually found in newspapers – but does not make it a document Example:

Sound Recordings Examples: You can hear a person from the past speaking, but he or she is not present in the room where you are listening. Sound recordings are usually parts of an interview cut into smaller parts. Examples: Interviews, music, famous political speeches,

Films/movies Shows us what the time period was like Actual footage Must be filmed at the time of the event being studied for the film to be primary Examples: broadcasts, movies, documentaries, TV shows, news report