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Any document, image, or artifact created at the time of the topic being researched is a primary source. Examples include: eyewitness accounts, autobiographies and memoirs, diaries, letters, speeches, reports, newspapers, household and day-to-day objects, clothing, works of art, architecture, and photographs.
Please note: primary source documents are a reflection of the time and culture in which they were created and may contain language or images that are considered offensive today.
Important notes for searching for primary sources in news / periodical databases:
These databases also contain primary source material:
means this source contains Primary Sources.
means you can export the citation for this source to NoodleTools.
REMEMBER: Print Reference books are for use IN THE LIBRARY ONLY.
American Civil War: The Definitive Encyclopedia and Document Collection
Defining Documents in American History: Civil War (1860-1865)
Defining Documents offers a broad range of historical documents on important authors and subjects in American history, with primary source documents, in-depth analysis, and comprehensive lesson plans. Defining Documents offers a broad range of historical documents on important authors and subjects in American history. Each two-volume title, designed in consultation with an expert in the field, contains approximately 80 primary source documents with an in-depth critical analysis. Articles begin by introducing readers to the historical context, followed by a description of the author's life and circumstances in which the document is written. A document analysis, written by professional writers and historians, guides readers in understanding key elements of language, rhetoric, and social and political meaning that define the significance of the author and document in American history. Each title is organised by chapter themes, highlighting major ideas in the period. The series begins with a collection of exploration and colonial documents, and continues to cover every time period in American history. This collection will introduce students and educators to a diverse range of genres, including journals, letters, speeches, government legislation, and court opinions. Documents represent the diversity of ideas and contexts that define social, political and cultural subjects throughout American history. An important supplement to each historical document is a carefully designed lesson plan, which follows national history standards for learning, to guide students and educators in document analysis and historical comprehension. Study questions, activities, and suggested author pairings will establish the legacy of documents and authorship for readers today. In addition, comparative analysis highlights how every document emerges from a myriad of social and political influences. A historical timeline and bibliography of important supplemental readings will support readers in understanding the broader historical events and subjects in the period. An introduction for each of the major subjects covered in the title considers the significance of document analysis for students and educators.
Encyclopedia of the American Civil War
The most comprehensive reference set ever compiled on this pivotal confrontation. Its five oversized volumes, rich with illustrations, maps, and primary source documents, offer more than 1,600 authoritative entries that chart the war's strategic aims, analyze diplomatic and political maneuvering, describe key military actions, sketch important participants, assess developments in military science, and discuss the social and financial impact of the conflict. Written by scholars, the essays are both authoritative and easily accessible to history buffs, students, and general readers. Includes over 250 primary source documents
Propaganda from the American Civil War
This illuminating reference work contains excerpts from and analysis of roughly 100 individual pieces of propaganda generated during the American Civil War, balancing the competing perspectives between Union and Confederate partisans, including abolitionists and slaveholders. This book is organized chronologically by year including an antebellum chapter and a postwar chapter, allowing readers to understand how propaganda developed and expanded throughout the war.
Understanding U.S. Military Conflicts Through Primary Sources
Covers 14 conflicts that are significant to U.S. diplomatic and military history. Treatment of each of the conflicts begins with a historical overview followed by a chronology and approximately 30 primary source documents presented in chronological order. Each document is accompanied by a description and annotations and by an analysis that highlights its importance to the event or topic under discussion.
To cite a Primary Source, first choose the NoodleTools option that best describes where you found it:
next to the database name.Website = a document found on the Websites page of the course guide, found through a web directory like SweetSearch, or a search engine such as Google.
Print or In Hand = a document found in a book in the library. For example: in a reference book or a secondary source.
Next, determine what kind of primary source you are citing: