What are Primary Sources?

One of the things we talked about in today's online class was primary source materials - these aren't always 'documents' like the copy of the Missouri Compromise that I handed out in class on Tuesday. Historians use primary sources materials (including documents) to study and to write about history.  When we read history we are one step removed from the process - we are reading what someone else is reporting/interpreting from their study and work with primary materials.  Much of the history that we read is even farther removed from that - like our text book.  Bennett did not write our text using his own studies of primary sources - he used other historian's works to write our book.  He selected certain points of view of history in order to write his own point of view --- we are at least twice removed from primary sources! AND if you are relying on ME to interpret Bennett for YOU, you are even further removed!! 

It is good for you as a history student to have access to primary sources and to practice the work of historians by using those sources to form your own view of history.  One of the greatest sources for primary source materials we have is the Library of Congress and they have some parts of their collections available digitally so we can access them whenever we want.  Check out their website HERE...I'll be posting a permanent link in our sidebar soon.

I'd like you to watch the following video which is a short introduction to the LOC and their collection.  As you watch, think about how limited our list of primary sources was!

History Channel - Library of Congress - Visitor Experience from Viewpoint Creative on Vimeo.