Assignment

Secondary sources are the product of the analyses of primary sources, with context provided by secondary sources.

They are generally written by professional historians or students to build on the work of other historians.

The best place to find secondary sources for your work is the Ashford University Library. What separates a Secondary Source from a Primary Source?

Secondary sources and memoirs and oral history interviews are all created after a historical event happened.

The important difference is that secondary sources are not first-hand accounts, like memoirs or oral history interviews. What about textbooks and encyclopedias? Are they Secondary Sources? Textbooks, encyclopedias and other reference works, and most documentaries and educational websites are not secondary sources because they are based only on secondary sources. They are called tertiary sources.

Although they provide some good general information that can help students begin the research process, they are generally not acceptable for use in university-level work.

Primary Sources

What are Primary Sources?

Primary sources are documents or artifacts created during a historical event or by someone who personally witnessed a historical event.

Primary sources can take many forms, including: o First-hand accounts—oral histories, memoirs, diaries, letters, interviews, etc. o Media accounts—newspaper or television report o Political or legal documents—Congressional Records, Presidential Papers, Court rulings, Speeches, census or tax records o Artistic works—Photographs, paintings, sculptures, films o Artifacts—clothing, buildings, pottery

All primary sources, except first-hand accounts, must have been created at the time of the historical event that you are researching.

First-hand accounts must be an explanation of the historical event that you’re researching by someone who personally witnessed the event. Where Can I find Primary Sources? There are many places to find primary sources online, like websites for archives and museums.

Here are some places where you can find primary sources: Library of Congress National Archives and Records Administration History Matters National Security Archive FBI Archive Foreign Relations of the United States Tenement Museum Herbert Hoover Library Franklin D. Roosevelt Library Harry S. Truman Library Dwight D. Eisenhower Library John F. Kennedy Library Lyndon B. Johnson Library Richard Nixon Library Gerald Ford Library