Primary Sources  

Brief explanation of what these types of sources are and examples of each.

Tips for evaluating the quality of content on the Web from the University at Albany Libraries

A collaborative project of the Wisconsin Historical Society and National History Day, this site contains eyewitness accounts of North American exploration.

Primary source and archival materials relating to American culture and history from the Library of Congress.

Includes unedited film archives of news stations with coverage of the civil rights movement.

The DPLA offers a single point of access to millions of items—photographs, manuscripts, books, sounds, moving images, and more—from libraries, archives, and museums around the United States. Users can browse and search the DPLA’s collections by timeline, map, format, and topic; save items to customized lists; and share their lists with others. Users can also explore digital exhibitions curated by the DPLA’s content partners and staff.

Part of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library, this site provides a selection of digitized images and texts, manuscript and archival finding aids.

Database to identify digitized primary sources relating to American women's history.

From the University Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, this site provides primary sources related to southern history, literature, and culture, including books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs.

Created by the American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning (Graduate Center, CUNY) and the Center for History and New Media (George Mason University), this site includes "primary documents in text, image, and audio about the experiences of ordinary Americans throughout U.S. history. All of the documents have been screened by professional historians and are accompanied by annotations that address their larger historical significance and context."

A gateway to matierals held by the New York State Archives, New York State Museum and New York State Library.

This site is from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. It includes U.S. historical documents from pre-Colonial times to the present.

Over 130 full text primary source documents with expert analysis and commentary.

The National Archives preserve legally or historically important documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government. Especially interesting is the Digital Vaults section.