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Primary sources
Primary sources are contemporary documents that are associated with the historical event. Examples of primary sources include diaries, letters, magazine and newspaper articles, court hearings, and government documents. For more information review our guide to primary resources.
To find primary sources in the print format search use the EIU Library Catalog.
Listed below are examples of primary sources in the Booth Library collection related to United States history:
Correspondence of James K. Polk, 1817-1832 by Call Number: E337.8 .P63ISBN: 9780826511461Publication Date: 1969-12-31
Letters of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, with Related Documents, 1783-1854 by Call Number: F592.7 .J14Publication Date: 1962
Memoirs of General W. T. Sherman by Call Number: E467.1.S55 A3 1990ISBN: 0940450658Publication Date: 1990-10-01
The Papers of Alexander Hamilton by Call Number: E302 .H247ISBN: 9780231089265Publication Date: 1987-07-21
Booth Library also has several historical newspaper and magazine databases that provide access to primary sources.
- History DatabasesLists all databases relevant to doing research in History available at Booth Library
- Newspaper DatabasesLists all newspaper databases accessible from Booth Library
Listed below are examples of the library's historical and magazine databases
- New York Times (Historical) This link opens in a new windowFull text articles and scanned image page-views for this national newspaper | 1851-2019
- African American Newspapers: The 19th Century This link opens in a new windowCollection of 11 different African-American Newspapers in full text through Accessible Archives | The Christian Recorder, The Colored American, Frederick Douglass’ Paper, The Freedmen’s Record, Frederick Douglass Monthly, Freedom’s Journal, The National Era, The Negro Business League Herald, The North Star, Provincial Freeman
Weekly Advocate - American Periodicals This link opens in a new windowFull text and images from historical magazines | Topics include American independence, general interest, children's publications, journal articles for women, and the Civil War | 1740s - early 1900s
- Pennsylvania Gazette 1728-1815 This link opens in a new windowPublished in Philadelphia from 1728 through the early 1800s | Benjamin Franklin`s Newspaper | Firsthand View of Colonial America
- Nineteenth Century UK Periodicals This link opens in a new windowPrimary source articles from 19th-century British periodicals | Events, lives, values, and themes that shaped the British Empire and the 19th-century world | Includes Series I (New Readerships) and Series II (Empire)
