Primary Sources and Secondary Sources (notes)

Primary Source
A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study.

Primary Source
Examples of Primary Sources include:
Audiooral histories or memoirs, interviews, music Imagesphotographs, videos, film, fine art Objectsclothing (fashion or uniforms), tools, pottery, gravestones, inventions, weapons, memorabilia Statisticscensus data, population statistics, weather records Textletters, diaries, original documents, legal agreements, treaties, maps, laws, advertisements, recipes, genealogical information, sermons/lectures

 Why are primary sources so important to historians?

Is there truth in history?

What is true to you may not be true to someone else. Perspective What is true about a topic or an event depends on when and where you view the topic or event from. What is bias? Can it be prevented? Is everything in your textbook the truth? In order to find something close to the truth we must use primary sources.

Secondary Source
A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are written after an event happens.

Secondary Source
Examples of secondary sources include:
Textbooks Magazine articles Histories Encyclopedias Biographies

Why are secondary sources important?