What is a good primary source?

What is a good primary source?

Examples of Primary Sources

• archives and manuscript material.
• photographs, audio recordings, video recordings, films.
• journals, letters and diaries.
• speeches.
• scrapbooks.
• published books, newspapers and magazine clippings published at the time.
• government publications.
• oral histories.

What are the characteristics of a primary source?

Primary sources can either be first-hand observation/analysis, or accounts contemporary with the events described. Primary sources document events, people, viewpoints of the time. When research is more era, rather than event driven, scope of possible primary sources broadens considerably.

What are the strengths of primary sources?

Advantages: Primary sources directly address your topic and often provide information that is unavailable elsewhere. For example, the questions you compose for an interview or a survey will likely target your unique interest in the topic.

How do you find a good primary source?

6 Free Online Resources for Primary Source Documents

1. National Archives. The National Archives is a fantastic resource.
2. DocsTeach. Also run by the National Archives, DocsTeach is full of activities for educators.
3. Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational is a great resource for global history.
4. Fordham University.
5. The Avalon Project.
6. Life Magazine Photo Archive.

Is love letter a primary source?

Letters are first-hand written records of events and communication between people, so they count as primary sources.

Is a video interview a primary source?

It is important to remember that only the raw interview is a primary source. This means the unedited audio or video recording are primary sources. Most importantly: if you refer to an interview conducted by someone else in your research, you must acknowledge this as a secondary source.

Is news footage a primary source?

A PRIMARY SOURCE is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (excerpts or translations acceptable): Diaries, speeches, oral histories, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official record, newspaper ads/stories.

How do you analyze primary sources?

How to Analyze a Primary Source

1. Look at the physical nature of your source.
2. Think about the purpose of the source.
3. How does the author try to get the message across?
4. What do you know about the author?
5. Who constituted the intended audience?
6. What can a careful reading of the text (even if it is an object) tell you?

Why primary source is important in history?

The use of primary sources exposes students to important historical concepts. First, students become aware that all written history reflects an author’s interpretation of past events. Second, through primary sources the students directly touch the lives of people in the past.