Primary materials need to be carefully read and interpreted. Some questions to ask include:
A primary source is:
Primary sources are the evidence left behind by participants or observers of a given event or during a particular period of time. Historians use primary sources to support their interpretation of the past.
Examples of primary sources include
The availability and kinds of primary sources vary with time period and topic. For example in times of low literacy, there will be fewer documents and those that exist will come from a certain class of people (those that are literate) or from a governing source. Primary sources for earlier periods of time will be more scarce than for recent times. Though many primary sources have been transcribed and published, primary sources are usually in the original language (though some have been translated into English) so most material from the Russian Revolution is in Russian rather than English.
For links to primary sources available in the UNLV Libraries (these include collections online, in print and on microfilm) as well as to primary source collections freely available on the web see:
Photographs, drawings and other images provide information you can't always get from a text source. Images can provide details of everyday life such as clothing or material culture.
It is important to keep in mind that photographs are not an unbiased reflection of reality -- the photographer chooses what and how to depict a certain scene.
Help: Making Sense of Documentary Photographs, Analyzing Photographs, Analyzing Political Cartoons, Analyzing Material Culture, Making Sense of Films, and Making Sense of Advertisements
Keep in mind that non-UNLV students must be in the UNLV Libraries to use any of the links that include a lock icon.
American Memory from the Library of Congress provides a wide range of primary source materials in all the categories above.
The full text of letters and diary entries, often from works that have been previously published as books containing collections of letters or diaries. Use the Browse indexes to find works about specific historical or life events.
Good for: Studying early modern governance, material culture, prominent families, and the organization of knowledge in health, medicine, humanities, and sciences.
Contains: Records, correspondence, and manuscript collections.
Dates covered: 1500-1700.
Good for: Exploring women’s letters and diaries to learn about historical events and details of daily life in the past.
Contains: Handwritten letters and diaries with a detailed index
Dates covered: 1770s-1970s
Digitized diaries and oral histories of lesser-known women of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales providing narratives that reveal personal perspectives on race, gender, class, disability, sexuality, aging, and more.
Use the date range limit to narrow your search to a relevant time period.
1690-1923
Historical newspapers from every state in the U.S.
1732-1950
National and regional British newspapers representing different political and cultural views.
Good for: Researching historical events through American newspapers, including Nevada newspapers.
Contains: Historical newspapers.
Dates covered: 1789-1963.
Good for: Reading newspaper reports of major events of the U.S. Civil War.
Contains: Clippings from Union and Confederate sources.
Dates covered: 1860-1865.
1931-2010
Black newspaper from Georgia that was the first in the US to publish a daily edition.
1893-2010
Black newspaper from Maryland that was the first to have correspondents reporting on World War II, foreign correspondents, and female sports correspondents.
1909-2010
African American newspaper from Chicago, Illinois.
1849-2014
Major daily newspaper from Chicago.
1934-2010
Black newspaper from Ohio that played a prominent role in encouraging political participation, Black solidarity and self-reliance.
1934-2010
Black newspaper from California; the oldest and largest black newspaper in the West.
1881-2015
Historical California newspaper.
1939-2010
Black newspaper from Detroit that documents African American culture, history, politics, and the arts.
1922-2010
Black newspaper from New York that was the largest black community weekly in the United States. Contributors to the newspaper have included W. E. B. Du Bois, Roy Wilkins and Malcolm X.
1851-2020
Historical New York newspaper.
1916-2010
Black newspaper from Virginia known for in depth research.
1912-2010
Black newspaper from Pennsylvania that is the oldest continuously published Black newspaper in the US.
1911-2010
Black newspaper from Pennsylvania that had a circulation of over 250,000 subscribers.
1877-2007
Daily newspaper from Washington, DC.
Newspapers including Reno Gazette-Journal (1876-2008), San Francisco Examiner (1889-2007), and Spokane Statesman-Review (1894-2009); also includes selected 20th century newspapers from St. George, UT, and Tulare County and Salinas, CA.
1800-1900
American newspapers including the New York Herald, Lynchburg Virginian, The Hawaiian Gazette, Rocky Mountain News, Southern Illustrated News (VA), Daily Inter Ocean (Chicago), the Milwaukee Sentinel, and many more.
1603-1800
Newspapers, pamphlets, proclamations, and newsbooks from the British Library.
1672-1737
British newspapers, periodicals, pamphlets and broadsheets from the Bodleian Library.
1785-2019
The Times (London) newspaper.
free online collections (find more on Historic Newspapers page)
lists and search tips
Search for articles published in popular magazines and journals from different times in history.
1681-1920
Popular British periodicals mostly from the 19th century.
1843-2015
Issues of The Economist, a news magazine with a global scope published in London.
1903-1995. Film industry and fan publications.
1800-1900
Magazines revealing British life in the Victorian age and the events, lifestyles, values, and ideas that shaped their world.
1800-1900
Magazines by and for British imperial colonizers, settlers, missionaries, and travelers.
1902-2013
London Times Literary Supplement publishes essays, letters, poems and articles.
Good for: Researching fashion and culture, including specific garments, accessories or brands.
Contains: Images and text from Vogue Magazine.
Dates covered: 1892-present.
Collections of several types of primary sources curated around a topic or theme.
1850-1990s
Search three archival collections representing 20th century advertising and marketing from Adam Matthew Publishers.
1493-1945
Primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman collection about American history from the earliest settlers to the mid-twentieth century.
1400-1950s
Primary sources for American Indian history in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books from pre-contact through the mid-20th century.
1830-1939
Pamphlets, maps, books, ephemeral material and rare printed sources related to the history of the American West.
1948-1980
British government files from the Foreign, Colonial, Dominion and Foreign and Commonwealth Offices documenting the history of South Africa's apartheid regime.
1940-present
Primary sources from more than 35 countries related to LGBTQ activism and the HIV/AIDS crisis.
281 collections of historical primary source documents, including government records and archival collections.
Good for: Primary sources from the civil rights movement in the United States.
Contains: Official publications and primary source material including records of the NAACP, papers from presidential administrations, and relevant records from the FBI and other federal agencies.
Dates covered: 1901-2000.
Good for: Researching international affairs from a British perspective.
Contains: Commentary, speeches, and analysis from a nonprofit NGO.
Dates covered: 1920-2008.
Good for: Studying China's relations with the West in the 19th and early 20th century.
Contains: Academic and literary journals and missionary periodicals in English about China.
Dates covered: 1817-1949.
Good for: Researching China and its relations with the West during the late Qing and Republican periods.
Contains: Official correspondence, dispatches, reports, memoranda, and records of the Maritime Customs Service of China.
Dates covered: 1858-1949.
Good for: Exploring Chinese life and culture over the past 300 years.
Contains: Primary source documents like printed books, pamphlets, paintings, manuscripts, diaries, newspapers, and periodicals.
Dates covered: 1750-1980.
Good for: Researching the life and career of Winston Churchill, British Prime Minister during and after World War II.
Contains: Primary sources including personal papers and official records.
Dates covered: 1690-1965 (mainly 1940-1955).
Good for: Understanding the perspective of Anglican missionary administrators and workers on cultural encounters around the world.
Contains: Newspapers, journals, and reports.
Dates covered: 1804-2009.
Good for: Primary source evidence of the British administration of the American colonies.
Contains: British government documents from the Colonial Office (CO 5).
Dates covered: 1606-1822.
Good for: Primary sources documenting European colonization of the African continent from the British government’s perspective.
Contains: Government records from the British Colonial Office and Foreign Office.
Dates covered: 1834-1966.
Good for: Primary sources recording the British perspective on Central and South America and the French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
Contains: Government and agency records.
Dates covered: 1833-1969.
Good for: Primary sources about British involvement in the Levant, the Arabian peninsula, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Sudan.
Contains: Government and agency records.
Dates covered: 1839-1969.
Good for: Primary sources generated by the British Foreign and Colonial Offices about events in the United States, Canada, and the English-speaking Caribbean.
Contains: Government and agency records.
Dates covered: 1824-1961.
Good for: Evidence of changing views about gender, themed around conduct, domesticity, consumption and leisure, education, and the body.
Contains: Primary sources like correspondence, advice literature, periodicals, ephemera and government documents.
Dates covered: 1500s-1920.
Good for: Researching British trade and colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent.
Contains: British government records from the India Office.
Dates covered: 1599-1947.
Good for: Examining scripts of plays submitted for license in England before 1824.
Contains: Archive of plays, diaries, playbills, theatre records, and correspondence.
Dates covered: 1737-1824.
Good for: Exploring colonial history, politics, culture and society from British and European perspectives.
Contains: Primary sources from archival collections.
Dates covered: 1492-1969.
Good for: Studying American social, cultural, and popular history in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Contains: Primary sources like periodicals, pamphlets and books.
Dates covered: 1800-1920.
1919-1980
British Foreign Office files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan between 1919 and 1980.
1947-1980
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the political and social history of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
1919-1952
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on Japan: sections on Japanese Imperialism and the War in the Pacific, 1931-1945; Occupation of Japan, 1946-1952; and Japan and Great Power Status, 1919-1930.
1971-1981
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the Middle East in the 1970s.
1880s-1990s
The J. Walter Thompson Company advertising agency archives include brand case studies and account files about campaigns for Kellogg’s, Kodak, Kraft, Oscar Mayer, Pan Am, the US Marine Corps, and more.
Primary research collection which explores the lives of seafarers in the Anglo-American maritime world during the period 1600-1900.
1957-1963
Archival collection from the British National Archives focused on Harold Macmillan’s government and selected policy committees.
1935-1965
Market research reports and supporting documents regarding the American consumer boom of the mid-20th century from the archives of Ernest Dichter and the Institute for Motivational Research.
1913-1965
Selected sets of documents from the archives of the NAACP.
Good for: Finding primary sources about the development of urban centers and of the restructuring of society that took place during the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain.
Contains: Government and archival collections
Dates covered: 1750-1916
Good for: Finding primary source documentation related to the European “Scramble for Africa,” colonial conquest and the legacy of slavery, missionaries, explorers, economics, world politics, and international strategy.
Contains: Books, manuscripts, government records and newspaper accounts
Dates covered: 1800-1906
1969-1974
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the Nixon presidency and impeachment (FCO 7 and FCO 82).
1900-2000. Campaign materials, periodicals, propaganda, government records, oral histories, and ephemera from fringe political movements on the right and the left.
1950-1975
Primary sources documenting music and popular culture in the US and Britain, 1950-1975, including manuscripts, video, photos, underground magazines and more.
1945-1950
Records from the National Archives of the UK reveal challenges facing Displaced Persons, refugees and humanitarian aid organizations in the aftermath of World War II.
1490-2007
Case studies documenting slavery in America, the Caribbean, Brazil and Cuba, along with material examining European, Islamic and African involvement in the slave trade.
1850-1950
Primary sources like catalogs, price lists, and brochures reflecting the history of consumer advertising and marketing and life and leisure in America. Includes department store catalogs, cosmetic advertisements, real estate brochures and much more.
Good for: Finding primary sources related to popular entertainment in America, Britain, and Europe.
Contains: Books, posters, scrapbooks, and optical toys.
Dates covered: 1779-1930.
Good for: Researching the Atlantic world and early Colonial period.
Contains: Archival collection (Ferrar Papers).
Dates covered: 1590-1790.
1500-1930
Manuscripts, pamphlets and books about witch hunts, including anti-persecution writings, works by penologists, legal and church documents, exposés of persecutions, and philosophical writings and transcripts of trials and exorcisms.
1903-1962
Original documents from the National Archives on the suffrage question in Britain, the Empire and colonial territories.
Digitized collections of books published during different time periods.
1749-1900
Printed menus, advertisements, cards, playbills, poems and other printed items never intended to last.
1820-1922
Pamphlets with advice and opinions about all kinds of 19th century controversies.
Good for: Reading publications that document early American history and culture.
Contains: Books, pamphlets, and broadsides.
Dates covered: 1639-1800.
1801-1819
Complete books, pamphlets and broadsides published in North America between 1801 and 1819.
Good for: Researching early English literature and culture.
Contains: Most extant printed books in English published before 1700.
Dates covered: 1475-1700.
Good for: Researching 18th-century English literature and culture.
Contains: Most extant books published in English.
Dates covered: 1701-1800.
Good for: Searching books and periodicals, including full text access to those in the public domain and limited search for those still under copyright.
Contains: Scanned books and periodicals
1600-1926
Cross-search five Making of Modern Law databases: Making of Modern Law: Foreign, Comparative and International Law 1600-1926, Making of Modern Law: Foreign Primary Sources, Making of Modern Law: Primary Sources 1620-1926, Making of Modern Law: Treatises, 1800-1926, and Making of Modern Law: Trials 1600-1926.
Good for: Finding primary source materials on exploration, trade, colonialism, slavery and abolition, the western movement, Native Americans, military actions and more.
Contains: Historical books, pamphlets, serials and other documents about North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Dates covered: 1500-1926
Official government publications, including laws, treaties, and records of legislative proceedings.
United States
Good for: Researching U.S. legislative information.
Contains: Congressional publications, bills, laws, regulations, committee information, and more.
Dates covered: 1789-present.
1789-present
Contains searchable full text of all U.S. bills and resolutions from 1789 to the present.
1751-present
Government reports, laws, legislative histories, ebooks and selected scholarly articles related to branches of the United States armed forces.
Great Britain
Good for: Primary sources documenting European colonization of the African continent from the British government’s perspective.
Contains: Government records from the British Colonial Office and Foreign Office.
Dates covered: 1834-1966.
Good for: Primary sources recording the British perspective on Central and South America and the French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean.
Contains: Government and agency records.
Dates covered: 1833-1969.
Good for: Primary sources about British involvement in the Levant, the Arabian peninsula, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Sudan.
Contains: Government and agency records.
Dates covered: 1839-1969.
Good for: Primary sources generated by the British Foreign and Colonial Offices about events in the United States, Canada, and the English-speaking Caribbean.
Contains: Government and agency records.
Dates covered: 1824-1961.
Good for: Researching British trade and colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent.
Contains: British government records from the India Office.
Dates covered: 1599-1947.
Good for: Exploring colonial history, politics, culture and society from British and European perspectives.
Contains: Primary sources from archival collections.
Dates covered: 1492-1969.
1919-1980
British Foreign Office files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan between 1919 and 1980.
1947-1980
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the political and social history of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
1919-1952
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on Japan: sections on Japanese Imperialism and the War in the Pacific, 1931-1945; Occupation of Japan, 1946-1952; and Japan and Great Power Status, 1919-1930.
1971-1981
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the Middle East in the 1970s.
1600-1926
Cross-search five Making of Modern Law databases: Making of Modern Law: Foreign, Comparative and International Law 1600-1926, Making of Modern Law: Foreign Primary Sources, Making of Modern Law: Primary Sources 1620-1926, Making of Modern Law: Treatises, 1800-1926, and Making of Modern Law: Trials 1600-1926.
1945-1950
Records from the National Archives of the UK reveal challenges facing Displaced Persons, refugees and humanitarian aid organizations in the aftermath of World War II.
Digitized photos, films and art images.
Good for: Texts on the invention and early history of photography, collections of photographs, photograph albums, and early books illustrated with photos.
Contains: Books, photographs
Dates covered: 1800s-early 1900s
These links allow you to search across multiple databases at the same time.
Good for: Searching across all collections of historical primary sources from Adam Matthew Publishers.
Contains: Primary sources held in libraries, museums and archives around the world.
281 collections of historical primary source documents, including government records and archival collections.
Good for: Searching across all collections of historical primary sources from Adam Matthew Publishers.
Contains: Primary sources held in libraries, museums and archives around the world.
Freely available online collections
Microfilmed research collections
