PRIMARY SOURCES: IMAGES
Library of Congress' American Memory project includes 65 collections containing photographs
Life magazine photo archive hosted by Google with Browsing Capability
New York Public Library's NYPL Digital Gallery has access to over 600,000 images
PRIMARY SOURCES: DOCUMENTS
Avalon Project from Yale University - click on century of interest
Chicago Historical Society -- for primary sources on local events -- Look at other state or local historical societies for more information
Digital History from the University of Houston: Scroll down to find the time period for your project or on the LEFT click on primary sources (especially Landmark documents); see additional modules on American history
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History -- Investigate by era OR search the collection
History Matters from George Mason University has links to primary documents and photographs related to US history.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook from Fordham University -- choose a time period relevant to your topic
Library of Congress: search American Memory by Timeline or by Topic and other Library of Congress' recommended links to Primary Source Collections; plus links to Historical Newspapers
National Archives and Records Administration for links to 100 milestone documents in American history.
National History Day (sponsored by University of Maryland and others) list of online primary sources
Presidential Speeches (last updated 2007)- by sliding the bar, go to the time period of interest; this tag cloud shows by word size and brightness intensity key issues of the day.
State Historical Societies may also have images and suggested links
United States Historical Documents - a Chronology from University of Oklahoma
PRIMARY SOURCES: STATISTICS
Social Explorer- visually explore demographic data; current and correct data (along with additional data) and that allows mapping of search results
National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) provides population, housing, agricultural, and economic data, along with GIS-compatible boundary files, for geographic units in the United States from 1790 to the present
A primary source is an original document containing firsthand information about a topic.
Different fields of study may use different types of primary sources.
In the Arts and Humanities, common examples of a primary source are:
In the Sciences, these are common examples of primary sources:
A secondary source contains commentary on or discussion about a primary source. The most important feature of secondary sources is that they offer an interpretation of information gathered from primary sources
Secondary sources in the Arts and Humanities:
Secondary Sources in the Sciences: