Some of the Library's databases contain an abundance of primary source material, depending on what you are looking for. Not every item in these databases is primary, so remember to evaluate each source carefully.
Primary source newspapers published from 1728 to the late 1990s. Includes thousands of titles from all 50 states.
More than 3,000 books, pamphlets, and other sources documenting Canadian history from the first European contact to the late 19th century.
Primary sources that document the relationships among peoples and the environment in North America from 1534 to 1850.
Digital images of over 180,000 titles including books, pamphlets, essays, broadsides, and more in the fields of history, literature, religion, law, fine arts, and science.
The lived experiences of 1,325 women shared in diaries and letters. The collection also includes biographies and an extensive annotated bibliography of the sources included.
Books, images, documents, scholarly essays, commentaries, and bibliographies, documenting the multiplicity of women's reform activities. Updated quarterly.
A tool that searches across many of Gale's databases containing British and American historical newspapers and other periodicals.
Legal materials on slavery in the U.S. & the English-speaking world: every colonial/state/federal statute on slavery, and state/federal legal cases on slavery.
Large primary source collection for the study of women's history, with over 4,000 books, pamphlets, and periodicals spanning four centuries and 15 languages.
Primary sources telling the story of the rise and fall of empires over five centuries; from Columbus, Captain Cook, and others, right through to de-colonisation and modern debates over American Imperialism.
The most comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1684 and 1912.
Letters and diaries detail the personal experiences of 1,000+ British and Irish women writing from 1500-1900, all age groups and life stages, all ethnicities, and many geographical regions.
Images, texts, videos, and sounds from across the United States.
Digital page images of virtually every work printed from 1473-1700 in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and British North America, and works in English printed elsewhere.
When doing historical research, it is important to distinguish between primary and secondary sources:
"Primary sources provide first-hand testimony or direct evidence concerning a topic under investigation. They are created by witnesses or recorders who experienced the events or conditions being documented. Often these sources are created at the time when the events or conditions are occurring, but primary sources can also include autobiographies, memoirs, and oral histories recorded later. Primary sources are characterized by their content, regardless of whether they are available in original format, in microfilm/microfiche, in digital format, or in published format." (What Are Primary Sources? Yale University)
Secondary sources are written by someone who was not present during the event or condition under discussion. Authors of secondary sources use primary sources or other secondary sources to gather their information.
Not every one of the above materials is always a primary source; each item must be considered individually.