Primary sources come from people and organizations who lived through the historical events in question. They can include:
* Speeches
* Memoirs -- but be careful! Sometimes people make themselves look better in their memoirs than they really were
*Diaries
*Letters, emails, telegrams
*Government documents, proclamations
*News reports
*Physical items and archaeology from the time period can also be used as a primary source
North American Slave Narratives
Internet History Sourcebooks Project
There are many more out there! If you need help finding something, ask your librarian.
*Who created the primary source? What is their background? Can you tell what their viewpoint is?
Writers of primary sources don't necessarily know everything that's going on. For example, a soldier writing home about a Civil War battle only saw his immediate area of the battlefield.
A writer may not have specialist knowledge. For example, an explorer meeting an indigenous culture for the first time probably was not a trained anthropologist.
A writer may have prejudices or agendas. For example, a monk at a monastery founded by a certain king might write the archives to emphasize that king's victories.
*How was the primary source transmitted to us?
Some sources were copied over and over. Errors and deliberate changes could creep in.
Some sources have come down to us in incomplete versions where part of the manuscript was lost.
Many sources were written in different languages, but the version you're reading is probably in English. Keep in mind the translation might not always be exact.
