"Primary sources are original records created at the time historical events occurred or well after events in the form of memoirs and oral histories. ... These sources serve as the raw material to interpret the past, and when they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they provide the resources necessary for historical research."
Source: Using Primary Sources on the Web
The vast majority of primary sources remain available only in paper.
Types of primary sources:
Hofheimer Library owns some runs of the 19th century periodicals Harper's Weekly and Littel's Living Age, which will be of interest as primary source material for a variety of history projects. Harper's covers some of the 1850's and late 1860's through just past 1900. The library already has coverage of the Civil War years, 1861-65, and Reconstruction and researchers will need to see a librarian for assistance. Littel's Living Age runs 1844 through 1851, and 1861-1865, and these can be found in the First Floor Periodicals section.
Also of interest to students working on Civil War topics is our collection of Frank Leslie's Illustrated News, which was pro-South in its reporting on the Civil War. Hofheimer has 4 volumes, 1862-65.
Contains nearly 1,400 fully searchable printed works from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of Jim Crow. It includes documents related to African Americans and citizenship, voting rights, literacy, land rights, employment, and more, including the gaps between written law and practice.
Contains more than 1,000 fully searchable printed works from the beginning of Jim Crow to post-World War I. These works provide insights into African American culture and life during this period of segregation and disenfranchisement and include such topics as African American identity, relationships with peoples of other nations, and literature.
Comprehensive coverage of the experience and impact of African Americans in the late 20th century to today, as recorded by the news media. Series 3 covers 1976 to the present.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law from HeinOnline provides access to information about slavery and abolition movements in the United States, Great Britain, and throughout the English-speaking world. The collection includes colonial-era, federal, and state slavery statutes, pamphlets, and other historical documents, as well as scholarly articles, judicial cases, and selected publications from the University of North Carolina Press's slavery collection.