|
Finding Primary
Sources
on the Internet |
This is where the Internet really shines. There are thousands of
primary
sources relating to history on the Web and in Gopher and FTP
files. Primary
sources are historical materials produced by persons who were on
the scene
when the historical events they describe occurred. Most primary
sources
are in written form. Written primary sources include personal
correspondence,
diaries, journals, memoirs, autobiographies, and government
documents (laws,
treaties, reports, ordinances, proceedings, etc.). Some newspaper
accounts
qualify as well. You will find primary sources on the Internet
mainly by
using subject directories and search engines.
Each method has its advantages. subject directories may easily
lead
you to material relevant to your topic. You could then
select Ronald
A.
Hoskinson's Gulf War Diary. is a useful source for
information on
the Gulf War.
Plan to use several subject directories and search engines
in
a particular search. (See Finding
History
Resources on the Internet for examples of some of the
possibilities and problems of using both subject directories and
search
engines to find primary sources for particular subjects.)
One problem in using primary source material is that
sometimes
one cannot determine whether the document has been accurately and
completely
transcribed and/or translated. Here is an example: Using the
subject directory,
The
English Server: History and Historiography, you will find an
item titled,
Laws
of William. If you open it, you will find a compilation of
ten laws
promulgated by King William I, sometime after his conquest of
England in
1066. Nowhere in this on-line document will you find any
information about
the date or dates of the laws, who collected them into the
compilation,
who transcribed and/or translated them into the modern English of
the on-line
document. Neither is there any hint about the location of the
source material
(manuscript or printed) on which the on-line document was based.
Historical
scholars usually want all or at least most of this information, so
that
they can judge the document's accuracy and completeness.
Some Primary Source Projects on the Internet
Here is just a sample of some excellent sites (usually sponsored
by
a university or a government agency) which have primary sources
organized
around one or more historical themes or a particular time period.
- The
Library of Congress has a usefule guide which desribes
the value of using primary sources, how to find and cite them.
- The
Avalon Project. This project, produced and managed by the
Yale Law
School, contains documents relevant to the fields of law,
history, economics,
politics, diplomacy, and government. It is international in
scope. It is
an excellent, growing site. There are four major sections: Pre
18th Century Documents, 18th
Century Documents, 19th
Century Documents, and 20th
Century Documents. For an example, select the last
section, then scroll
down to Harry
S.
Truman: Papers. Then select The
Truman Doctrine. There will be displayed President
Truman's address
before a joint session of Congress, March 12, 1947, in which he
laid out
the famous foreign policy stance relating to Greece and Turkey.
-
19th Century
Documents Project.
From the site: "When completed this collection will include
accurate transcriptions
of many important and representative primary texts from
nineteenth century
American history, with special emphasis on those sources that
shed light
on sectional conflict and transformations in regional identity.
Because
of our location in South Carolina and the salient role of its
natives in
the era's history there will also be a number of materials
relevant to
South Carolina or South Carolinians." For examples, select Early
National
Period. There one will find President
Andrew
Jackson's message, vetoing the charter of the Second Bank of
the
United States (1832) and the Women's
Rights
Petition to the New York Legislature (1854).
-
The Labyrinth.
Subtitled:
"A World Wide Web Server for Medieval Studies." Sponsored by
Georgetown
University. Consists mainly of links to other Web sites that
have primary
and secondary sources but promises to develop new resources.
-
Project
Bartleby (also
referred to as The Bartleby Library). From project materials:
"Project
Bartleby electronic media represent with 100% accuracy an
original work--a
goal achieved by professional editorial standards that spare no
expense
in the scanning, data entry, proof-reading, and markup
protocols. The quality
of its services make them suitable for both pleasure reading and
professional
scholarship."
-
The Cybrary of the Holocaust.
This is
one of several Internet collections on the subject and probably
the best.
Contains many documents of survivors, perpetrators, Holocaust
deniers,
etc.
-
The
Digital
Classroom: Primary Sources and Activities. A selection of
documents
in the National Archives. While geared to public school
instruction, the
documents are of potential use to all scholars and students.
There are
only a few documents available at the site, but more are added
from time
to time.
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