USMA Library Homepage: How Do I?: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

What is a primary source?

A document, text, map, image, or artifact that provides evidence about the past that was created during the time period being studied OR at a later date by a participant or eyewitness to the event.
A primary source may be unique (an original letter), or it may be reproduced, copied, published, translated, or be in physical or digital form.
Government documents are a specialized type of primary source, providing direct evidence of the functions, policies, and actions of a given government.
A primary sources has not been interpreted by a non-observer or non-participant’s account or later observation.
- For example, the Declaration of Independence is a primary source, but a book that discusses the impact of the Declaration of Independence is not a primary source.
Note: While primary sources are valuable in research, they may not always be accurate.
Some examples of primary source formats include:

Archival Materials	Manuscript Materials	Photographs
Audio Recordings	Video Recordings	Films
Journals	Letters	Diaries
Speeches	Scrapbooks	Published Books (at the time)
Government Publications	Oral Histories	Newspapers (at the time)
Records of Organizations	Autobiographies/Memoirs	Magazine Clippings (at the time)
Printed Ephemera	Artifacts, e.g. clothing, costumes, furniture	Research Data, e.g. public opinion polls

What is NOT a Primary Source?

Here's a list of sources you may encounter, which, while helpful and useful for researching aspects of your topic, are NOT considered Primary Source materials. Remember, if you have a questions about whether something counts as a Primary Source, your instructor has the final word (although a Librarian can certainly provide advice!).

• A dictionary or encyclopedia article (these are sometimes referred to as "background" sources, since they provide an overview, or background, on a given topic, without the depth needed for a research paper).

• A textbook that contain data or information drawn from primary sources.

• Any NON-eyewitness account that relies on information from other people or sources.

• An account that includes an opinion of what the writer believes occurred during an event, or an assessment of what the writer feels is the influence/legacy/meaning of the event, by a writer who was NOT present at the event in question.

• A magazine or newspaper account summarizing the event. HOWEVER: depending on the event you are researching, newspaper articles can provide an indication of how the event was viewed at the time, such as how a speech or decision made by leaders was received, how the general public reacted to a given event, or how a community or group was affected by the event.

Why are primary sources important?

Provide a snapshot of history on the topics we're interested in. These primary sources, be they documents or artifacts, stand alone, without context or interpretation.
Give us a chance to see firsthand something from another time period. Since we're looking at the object or document itself, we are the primary interpreters of the meaning embodied in that item - helping us realize that different eyes can see different meaning and significance in any given object or document.
It's up to us to analyze the document or artifact, set it into the context we know (other related items we've seen or read, other information we have about the time period, and what we know about the person or people who created the document), and come to a conclusion about its significance.

Here's some "Insider's Advice" from an instructor of History here at USMA. History instructors LOVE seeing cadets use a variety of sources with different perspectives, including:

• Diaries (written at the time of the events): for what they reveal about the person you are researching.

• Military orders: were written for a specific audience and show intent.

• Letters: were written for a specific audience and show intent. However, be aware of/consider the intended audience when using.

• AARs (After Action Reports) & Congressional documents: for the action, execution and reception they reveal regarding an event.

• Newspapers: indicate the reception of an event, decision, law, etc. Be careful though: bias may affect the information presented.

• Memoirs: for their distance from the event, meaning the writer had time to reflect on past actions. However, note that this reflection at a chronological distance may be defensive (to preserve a reputation) rather than critical.

How do I find primary sources?

The USMA Library Circulating Collection provides access to countless Primary Sources, both in our print collection and through our subscription databases.
Remember that when you are looking for primary sources, you're looking for documents that supply firsthand or original information: a treaty, the text of a law, a transcript of a trial or hearing, the diary or memoir written by someone involved in your events, etc.
When searching for a Primary Source, brainstorm some keywords based on what you already know, being as broad as possible. Try using the names of people involved in your event, groups who might have been influential, or the name of the event itself.
- For example, let’s suppose you’re interested in writing about operations on Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg. Some possible names or keywords to try are: ‘Chamberlin, Joshua’ (search as "Author"), and ‘20th Maine,’ '15th Alabama,' or 'Little Round Top' (in quotes, as "Keyword").
- You can also search for types of resources by utilizing the "Keyword" search command; try 'personal narratives Gettysburg' or 'Regimental Histories Gettysburg' without quotes.
USMA Archives & Special Collections is a great place to find primary information sources that provide a unique insight into the events or people you are researching.
- The Special Collection consists of rare, unique, unusual, or fragile materials that relate to the mission of the USMA Library and the Academy, or which were created by or donated by a graduate of West Point.
- The Archives include materials related to the history of the Military Academy, including information about the curriculum over time, application papers, textbooks, information about faculty members and Superintendents, and demerit books, just to name a few of the varied types of materials held here.
- These materials do NOT circulate, but you view them. During the Academic year, you can visit the West Point Room during open hours, and ask a staff member what information might be available on your topic. They will be happy to help you find a relevant primary source.
- You can also search Scout for items in the Special Collection and Archives. On the left side of the Scout result page, choose to limit by collection and click “Special Collection” to find only those items. Visit the West Point Room or contact our Special Collection and Archives staff to view the item(s).
USMA Digital Collections: Search our Digital Collection, which collects and displays items from our unique resources collection that have been digitized. These items include Civil War maps, maps of West Point, Class Albums and Class rings, and historic photographs of West Point.

Try these databases when looking for primary source materials for your research:

19th Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Searchable database containing digital facsimile images of newspapers; presented as full page layout as well as single articles; advertisements and illustrations included. Includes numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S.
Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window
Primary source material in American history. Includes historical periodicals and books, with eyewitness accounts of historical events, descriptions of daily life, editorial observations, commerce as seen through advertisements, and genealogical records
PART I: A NEWSPAPER PERSPECTIVE
PART II: THE SOLDIERS’ PERSPECTIVE
PART III: THE GENERALS’ PERSPECTIVE
PART IV: A MIDWESTERN PERSPECTIVE
PART V: IOWA’S PERSPECTIVE
PART VI: NORTHEAST REGIMENTAL HISTORIES
PART VII: ABRAHAM LINCOLN LIBRARY ABOLITIONIST BOOKS
American Civil War: Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Provides access to an extensive range of diaries, letters, and memoirs of persons somehow involved in the American Civil War.
Colonial State Papers This link opens in a new window
Provides access to papers concerning English activities in the American, Canadian, and West Indian colonies between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Integrates two research tools as one service: Collection CO 1 from The National Archives (full name: Privy Council and related bodies: America and West Indies, Colonial Papers); and Calendar of State Papers, Colonial: North America and the West Indies 1574-1739.
Conditions and Politics in Occupied Western Europe, 1940-1945 This link opens in a new window
Full-text documents received in the British Foreign Office from all European states under Nazi occupation during World War II. Primary sources relate to wartime conditions in France, Italy, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the Vatican.
U.S. Declassified Documents Online This link opens in a new window
Database of declassified material provided via US presidential libraries, most covering the years following World War II onward.
Official Documents of the United Nations This link opens in a new window
Collection of official United Nations documentation, beginning in 1993. Provides access to the resolutions of the General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council and the Trusteeship Council from 1946 onwards.
ProQuest Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Full text collection of a wide range of current and historical American newspapers.
Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice, 1490-2007 This link opens in a new window
Collection of documents covering the history of slavery worldwide. Topics covered include the African Coast, the Middle Passage, the varieties of slave experience, religion, revolts, abolition, and legislation. The collection also includes case studies from America, the Caribbean, Brazil, and Cuba.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set [Readex] This link opens in a new window
Database of Congressional documents and reports from 1817 through 1994. Provides access to primary source material on all aspects of American history, including committee reports related to bills and other matters, presidential communications to Congress, treaty materials, and selected executive department and non-governmental publications.
War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies [via Making of America] This link opens in a new window
Primary sources (correspondence, orders, reports, and returns) generated during the course of the Civil War.

Examples of primary sources from our collections

Special Collection
- Memorial of Gen. J.F.K. Mansfield, United States Army, who fell in battle at Sharpsburg, Md., Sept. 17, 1862
  - Addresses at the funeral of General Mansfield, in Middletown, Conn., September 23, 1862: Mr. Taylor’s address. Mr. Jacson’s address. Mr. Dixon’s address. –Rev. Mr. Taylor’s discourse on the life and character of General Mansfield, September 28, 1862.
- Ulysses S. Grant papers.
  - Summary: Letter to cousin McKinstry Griffith telling of cadet life at West Point, 1840; and more

Archives
- Assembly / Association of Graduates, U.S.M.A
  - The Alumni magazine of West Point, published by the Association of Graduates (also available through the Digital Collection.
- Memorandum Book, by John Pitman, USMA 1867
  - Ordnance officer; Assistant Instructor, USMA, 1870-72. Memorandum Book, with cadet demerits and class standing, 1864-65.
- Camp Buckner: cadet activities (West Point, N.Y.: United States Military Academy, 1966)
  - Cadet life and military training at Camp Buckner, USMA.

Digital Collections
- Photographs of West Point - William H. Stockbridge
  - William H. Stockbridge was an official photographer for the United States Military Academy and took hundreds of photographs of West Point during the years 1902-1932.
- Annual Report of the Superintendent
  - Copies of the Annual Reports, dating from 1890 through 1989.
- Howitzer Collection
  - Collections of digital versions of the Howitzer, the yearbook of the United States Military Academy.

Primary Sources in the Sciences

Learn more about primary sources in the sciences here.

How Do I?: Primary Sources

Support for In-Person and Remote Learning

Primary Sources

Primary Sources in the Sciences