U.S. History: 1877 to present - HIST202 - Primary Sources

U.S. History: 1877 to present - HIST202 - Primary Sources

This guide contains primary sources that can be used to do research on U.S. History from 1877 to the present. A primary source is a firsthand account or direct evidence of an event or topic. They are original works created at the time of the historical event, and can be documents, images, or artifacts.

These differ from secondary sources, which are one step removed from the original work. In other words, they are an interpretation or analysis of a historical event or topic based on what was learned from primary or other secondary sources.

One way you can tell these two types of sources apart is whether or not they have a reference or works cited list. Primary sources should not have these since they are the original record of an event! Secondary sources will contain references.

How to use this Guide

The gray tabs represent different historical events or time periods for which you may need to use primary sources in your research. Within each tab are different places where you can locate these works: in the Library Catalog (Books & eBooks), in the Library Databases, or on the Internet. The first tab, "Resources spanning time periods" contains resources that either cover many years or do not fit into another category. Use the Next and Previous buttons at the bottoms of the pages to move between them.