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 Introduction
Primary sources
expose students to different points of view on issues from
the past and present. Interpretations of the past are
constantly discussed and debated. By working with primary
sources, students can become informed and join in the
debate!
Primary sources help students develop knowledge and
analytical skills. When students are working with primary
sources they become engaged in the entire thought process.
Students can:
- think critically
- make intelligent
inferences
- develop reasonable
explanations
- interpret events
and issues in the past and present
Primary
sources are not limited to just print, so when working with
a primary source, remember that there are many types of
primary sources. Technology has made all of mediums
available with the click of a mouse!
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Types of Primary
Sources:
Some primary
sources are
published documents.
They were created for large audiences and were distributed
widely. Published documents include books, magazines,
newspapers, government documents, non-government reports,
and literature of all kinds, advertisements, maps,
pamphlets, posters, laws, and court decisions.
When you
look at published documents, remember that just because
something was published does not necessarily make it the
truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth! Keep in
mind that behind each document you read, there is an author,
and every author has their own point of view. That being
said, even an opinionated source can tell us important
things about the past.
Fortunately
for us, many
unpublished documents
have been saved, and can be used as primary sources.
Have you ever kept a journal or a diary? Unpublished
documents include these along with personal letters, wills,
deeds and even your family Bibles that contain family
histories. Years from now someone may look at your school
report card to find out what kind of student you were.
Report Cards are unpublished primary documents.
Here’s more
to think about when you are doing some research. Unpublished
documents often come from community organizations, churches,
service clubs or any other type of club. Court records, such
as a marriage license, sale of property, tax records and
much more give you another variety of unpublished records.
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Oral
traditions and
oral histories
provide another way to learn about the past from
people with firsthand knowledge of historical events. Oral
histories are as old as human beings. Before people could
write, the only way to pass down information was through
speech! Many people around the world still use oral
traditions to pass along their knowledge. Don't forget that
an oral history could also be listening to a speech!
Don’t forget
Visual
documents!
Have you ever heard
the saying, “A picture tells a thousand words”? Pictures
tell us a lot about the past. These documents can include
photographs, films, paintings, and other types of artwork.
These are snapshots of the past. Look at any picture or
painting and you can see fashion, architecture, culture,
customs, work and play.
Remember though,
like other primary source documents, a visual document has a
creator with a point of view. Even the most magnificent
picture or photograph was created by someone using film,
cameras, paint and canvas to create a certain look.
Task: Virtual Tour through the National
Archives
You will be
taking a tour through the
National Archives Website and take a look at the many
primary sources available.
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Students will look go to
Online Exhibits and look through Elvis with Nixon.
Together look through the pictures and read Elvis’s letter
to President Nixon.
After students have seen the
images and letters, they will browse through some of the
other online exhibits as time allows.
 
At the
conclusion of your virtual tour
take along a souvenir of the Declaration of Independence
with their signature!
Go to the top of the Online
Main Exhibit page and click
The Charters
of Freedom
The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, & the
Bill of Rights
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Proceed to “Join the Signers
of the Declaration” and follow instructions on signing a
copy of this document. Print and enjoy!
Great Links for
Primary Sources:
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