Types of primary material used for historical reconstruction.
Oral histories capture the voices of those who lived through the past, but using them as evidence requires careful listening, critical reflection, and cross-checking. This article draws on guides from the Library of Congress, TeachingHistory.org, and WSU Libraries to show how historians analyze interviews, navigate memory’s fallibility, and uncover the perspectives often missing from the written record.
Drawing on the guidance of archivists and historians, this article explains how letters and diaries serve as primary sources, the conventions that shape them, and the methods for extracting reliable evidence from these personal texts.
How historians use photographs as primary sources, from the Pit Brow Girls of 1893 to modern archival practice, revealing the power and pitfalls of visual evidence.
Drawing on contemporary reports, eyewitness accounts, and the archives of the Manchester Guardian, Daily Express, and others, this article reconstructs how British newspapers covered the Korean War, shaped public opinion, and reflected a nation’s fears of atomic conflict and communist ‘brainwashing.’
Maps are far more than geographical representations—they are primary sources that reveal the knowledge, biases, and ambitions of their creators. This article draws on historical guides and archival practice to show how to analyze maps as evidence of past worldviews.
A practical guide to using government documents—census records, congressional reports, hearings, and more—as primary sources. Learn how to interpret these records, avoid common pitfalls, and find them in depository libraries and digital archives.