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The Hulbert Taft, Jr. Library

Modern World History: Mexico at the Crossroads: Home

 

Welcome to your guide to finding Primary Sources on Mexico and its history!

 

REMEMBER: the key to success in finding primary sources is to read materials provided by your teacher and REFERENCE SOURCES like the Reference Databases below.

These will provide you with the essential facts - who, what, where, when, why, and how - that you need to know to pursue further research.

 

Primary Sources

Sources created by those who lived it

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.

 

Tips for Citing Primary Sources in NoodleTools

PRIMARY SOURCES IN ONLINE DATABASES

 

HISTORICAL NEWSPAPERS
  • REMEMBER: Always limit the time frame of your search to the year(s) of the particular event you are researching.
    • For example: If you're researching the independence movement in Mexico, limit the time frame of your search to approximately 1810-1821.

 

 

REFERENCE DATABASES CONTAINING PRIMARY SOURCES

Find Primary Sources Using Advanced Search in RhinoCat

RhinoCat is the Library's automated catalog of books, ebooks, and other library materials.

Do an Advanced Search in Rhinocat to identify library books and ebooks containing primary sources using these steps: 

  • In the first Advanced Search line change Keyword to Subject and paste in (sources OR diaries OR narratives) including parentheses ( )
  • In the second Keyword search line, replace the xxxxx with your search term(s). NOTE: If your keyword term is a phrase, use quotation marks around the phrase: "Berlin Wall"

 

FIND PRIMARY SOURCES ON THE INTERNET

INTERNET ARCHIVE is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, archived websites, and more.

 

DOCUMENTS OF MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE

Biographies and documents in translation of Miguel Hidalgo, José María Morelos, Vicente Guerrero, and Agustín de Iturbide. By the Sons of DeWitt Colony, Texas and hosted on the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine of archived webpages.

If you have any questions, see
Mr. Padgett, Ms. Taylor, or Mr. Previti
OR email us at 
spadgett@taftschool.org  
  taylorp@taftschool.org
rpreviti@taftschool.org
We're here to help!

Resource Allows NoodleTools Export Citations can be exported from this source to NoodleTools.
Contains Primary Sources This source contains Primary Sources.

 

Tips for Citing Primary Sources in NoodleTools

PLEASE NOTE: Do not copy and paste complete citations from electronic sources. NoodleTools cannot generate footnotes from copied and pasted citations.

 

To cite a Primary Source, first choose the NoodleTools option that best describes where you found it:

  • Database = an electronic source found in a Taft Subscription Database such as Gale eBooks.
    • You can export citations from many of our databases. Look for Resource Allows NoodleTools Export  next to the database name.
    • If you find a document in a Taft Subscription Database that doesn't have the export feature, you will need to create an original citation.
    • You must provide the permanent URL for your source. Look for any of the following on the page: permalink, persistent link, stable link, durable link, "Get link", Cite, Citable Link. 

  • 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:

  • Look at the list of options in NoodleTools. Is it a newspaper article, a speech, a letter, or another item listed? If so, choose that item type.
  • If you are not sure, you can use Anthology / Collection which enables you to cite a source found within another source.
You can also see (or email) Mr. Padgett, Ms. Taylor, or Mr. Previti and we'll help you figure it out.