1. What are the benefits of using primary sources?

Primary sources provide a window into the past—unfiltered access to the record of
artistic, social, scientific and political thought and achievement during the specific period
under study, produced by people who lived during that period.

 1. Develop critical thinking skills- Using primary source require you to be both critical
and analytical as you read and examine documents and objects.

 2. To acquire empathy for the human condition and deeper understanding- Primary
sources bring you into contact with the firsthand accounts of events. They help you
relate in a personal way to events of the past and promote a deeper understanding of
history as a series of human events.
 3. To consider different points of view in analysis- Primary sources expose you to multiple
perspectives on great issues of the past and present.

 4. Construct knowledge- Inquiry into primary sources encourages you to wrestle with
contradictions and compare multiple sources that represent differing points of view,
confronting the complexity of the past.

 5. To understand the continuum of history- By using primary sources, you come to

understand that we all participate in making history every day, leaving behind primary
source documentation that scholars years later may examine as a record of “the past.”

2. Primary Sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct
connection with it. Primary sources can include:
Texts of laws and other original documents.
Newspaper reports, by reporters who witnessed an event or who quote people who did.
Speeches, diaries, letters and interviews - what the people involved said or wrote.
Original research.
Datasets, survey data, such as census or economic statistics.
Photographs, video, or audio that capture an event.

Secondary Sources are one step removed from primary sources, though they often quote or otherwise use
primary sources. They can cover the same topic, but add a layer of interpretation and analysis. Secondary sources
can include:
Most books about a topic.
Analysis or interpretation of data.
Scholarly or other articles about a topic, especially by people not directly involved.
Documentaries (though they often include photos or video portions that can be considered primary sources).