Primary Resources
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.
To find primary sources for HIS 2500 use the EIU Library Catalog.
Below are some examples of primary sources found in the Booth Library collection:
The abolitionists : a collection of their writings by Call Number: E449 .R88 1964axPublication Date: 1964
American Antislavery Writings: Colonial Beginnings to Emancipation (LOA #233) by Call Number: E446 .A48 2012xISBN: 9781598531961Publication Date: 2012-11-08
The Frederick Douglass Papers by Call Number: E449 .D733ISBN: 9780300022469Publication Date: 1979-09-10
Pre-Civil War reform; the variety of principles and programs by Call Number: HN64 .R23Publication Date: 1967
Booth Library also has several historical newspaper and magazine databases that provide access to primary sources. Link to the History databases here and the newspaper databases here.
Examples of the library's historical and magazine databases useful for HIS 2500 are:
Chicago Tribune (Historical) (full-text articles, 1849-1990)
London Times (full-text articles, 1785-1985)
New York Times (Historical) (full-text articles, 1851-2010)
More Primary Resources
The following websites provide access to primary sources that are relevant for research into Antebellum Reformers.
Abraham Lincoln Papers, Library of Congress
Papers of Abraham Lincoln, Illinois Historic Preservation Library and Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library
Documenting the American South
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
John Brown/ Boyd B. Stutler Collection Database
The Liberator (online archive from fair-use.org)
PBS Africans in America Resources
Samuel J. May Antislavery Collection
Territorial Kansas Online
Uncle Tom’s Cabin and American Culture
Valley of the Shadow Project
WPA Slave Narratives, Library of Congress
Resources, Teaching US History: Reform
Primary vs. Secondary Sources
A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources provide direct or firsthand evidence about an event.
Examples of primary sources include the following: (click on a type of source to see an example)
| - Letters | - Diaries |
| - Newspapers | - Speeches |
| - Personal Narratives | - Correspondence |
| - Interviews | - Memoirs |
| - Photographs | - Video Recordings |
| - Documents | - Archives |
A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources were created at a later time than the event being studied.
Examples of secondary sources include:
| -Biographies | -Works of Literary Criticism |
| -Monographs | -Reviews |
| -Most Journal Articles | -Most Published Books |
