When studying a particular topic, you can learn information from many different sources (people or objects that provide information). Some of those sources are known as primary sources.

Primary sources are the original records of a specific time in history. When you examine primary sources, it’s like taking a trip back in time to learn what a certain historical time period was really like – firsthand.

contracts portraits photographs historical documents music Primary sources include: also – newspaper articles speeches

Secondary sources are written or created after (often long after) the original event or moment in time. Secondary sources are the work of people who were not present at the original moment in time. They may share an opinion or argument about the past.

Secondary sources include: textbooks print encyclopedias biographies online encyclopedias

A written or spoken primary source may be referred to as a firsthand account. A first-hand account of an event tells about the event from the point-of-view of someone who was present when the event occurred. A Trip on Ye Olde Mayflower, by Patience Goodbody

Some secondary sources may be referred to as secondhand accounts. A secondhand account describes a person, event, or moment in time from the point of view of someone who was not actually there. A secondhand account is typically based on a firsthand account. Pilgrims and the New World, by Dr. I. M. Bright

Jillian tells her friend Zack about what she saw. She is giving a first-hand account of the penguin’s birth. Zack tells about the penguin being born, even though he didn’t see it. He is giving a second-hand account of the penguin’s birth. Jillian sees a baby penguin being born at the zoo.

No need to be confused! original records of a person’s life, an event, or moment in time tell about a person’s life, an event, or a moment in time from later on