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RELS 103: Race & Religion (Robinson): Primary (Historical) Sources

Fall 2024

Primary Sources

Primary sources are first-hand witnesses to a historical event or period, created at that point in history. They offer a perspective untouched by hindsight, which can help us identify the actions, motivations and emotions involved in a historical event -- to understand history as it was experienced at the time rather than as we analyze it today. 

With that said, remember that history is a relative term, and primary sources need not be "old" depending on the topic/perspective you are trying to understand! If you were doing a project on Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, newspaper articles published this morning could be a primary source. It's all about how you read the source.

Successful Searching

Who(se Voices)?

Similarly to academic articles, there are some very general tools that you can use to search primary sources broadly. However, it is usually more productive to work out in advance....

Who do you want to hear from? 

This could be...

  • a perspective; 
  • a category of people (ex - women, people of color, formerly-enslaved individuals) 
  • a specific group (ex, an organization, a religious denomination)
  • a geographic area 

or some combination of the above! 

Where are They?

Next, figure out where your voices "live" in the historical record. For example: 

  • Politicians' perspectives could show up in places such as public addresses; government publications, or in mainstream newspapers. 
  • The perspectives of an individual could live in the sources above; in interviews or letters printed in newspapers and magazines; or in a personal memoir, among others. 
  • Religious perspectives are likely to live either in religious-specific publications or in pamphlets put out by a church or related organizations. 
  • etc. 

Remember: not all perspectives are represented equally in the historical record! 

Choose Your Tools! 

Now, you need to determine where we have access to that part of the historical record. 

Most primary source collections are categorized by...

  • Date
  • Geography
  • Genre, and/or
  • Topic

For example, if you are hoping to find news reports on the March on Washington, not just any database will do! You need a resource that: 

  1. Provides access to newspapers (even better, access to African-American newspapers)
  2. Includes resources published in the US (even better, resources local to Washington DC); 
  3. Covers the 1960s and 1963 specifically. 

This page of the guide is designed to give you some starting points -- but you can also ask Jennifer or Prof. Robinson for a recommendation! 

Search! 

  • Keep your searches simple, and be creative with your search terms. How did people in the period you are researching speak and write?  What words would they have used to describe events or ideas? Are there specific names or organizations that you can focus in on? 
     
  • Work with, not against, your search tools. Databases designed for primary sources often will let you narrow your search by features like publication date, geographic location, or type of source. 
     
  • Pay attention to the order of search results.  If your search is very broad or you get a lot of results, sorting by relevance can help you find starting places. But when looking at newspapers or other sources that might build on each other and create a story over time, you may want to sort Oldest to Newest instead! 
     
  • Don't just search -- browse! Keyword searching for primary sources can be imprecise, especially if you don't know exactly what you're looking for. Give yourself time to click in and out of sources you're unsure of, browse through the pages, and look at the context of sources like newspaper articles (what other stories appeared on the same day? what advertisements?) for maximum information. 
     
  • Pace yourself. Primary sources can take longer to find than academic articles. You may also need more time to decipher, digest, and interpret the content of your primary sources. Leave yourself plenty of time to do this work, and ask questions or for assistance earlier rather than later! 

Analyze:

Collections of Primary Sources

Newspapers & Magazines:

For even more options, visit: https://libguides.holycross.edu/newspapers

Personal Narratives:

...and of course:

Books in Dinand

Although we often think of primary sources as being located online, some primary sources can also be found in the library. This includes books published during the relevant time period as well as memoirs, collections of essays, and others. 

When searching in the Library Catalog, used Advanced Search to choose a publication date range. When using CrossSearch, you can check the Catalog box on the left navigation bar to only search for items in the library catalog, then use the date slider to look at publication dates in your time period. 

[A note on historical language] 
Because the call number arrangement and subject headings used in the Library of Congress system are quite old, both the organization and the language used can sometimes be problematic. Librarians as a profession are working hard to change the way our information is organized -- but in the meantime, subject headings will help you find information filed under terminology we wouldn't typically use today. 

It is important to recognize where the catalog may use outdated terminology, both to acknowledge, in our position as researchers, its shortfalls and inherent biases, AND to enable us to find the sources we are looking for. 

Pamphlets, Correspondence, etc.

Legal & Government Documents:

Social Media:

Social media platforms can be a valuable resource for “primary sources” on ongoing phenomena. Believe it or not, there are even specific guidelines for citing social media as part of your research! 

Use the resources below to help you consider social media's role in your project. 
 
Site Searching: 
 
You can also use Google Site Searching to search social media. Just note that many of these sites will require a log-in to view results.
  • site:*.x.com "#blacklivesmatter" will search for references to the hashtag #blacklivesmatter on Twitter/X;
  • site:*.tiktok.com "#blacklivesmatter" will search TikTok
  • site:*.instagram.com "#blacklivesmatter"  will search Instagram 
  • etc.