Subject: Primary Documents (Sources)

Material created at the time history was being made. Letters Diaries Maps Period clothing Early toys Videos Audio recordings Newspaper clippings Photographs Newsreels Blueprints Illustrations Old postcards Documents Relics, artifacts, antiques, etc. Old tools Eyewitness accounts Drawings Old posters

A girl found a box of letters written by a soldier to his wife and children during the Civil War. Are those letters primary documents?

My grandmother found a diary written by a daughter of a Civil War soldier dated from 1863-1865. She talked about what the war was like in New Orleans. Is that a primary document?

I went visit my grandmother. She gave me a chest I went visit my grandmother. She gave me a chest. The chest was filled with her childhood items. She told me that she loved her doll and toys. When I opened it, I found her toys, some photographs and her birth certificate. Are those things primary documents?

I went to the library and found a newspaper written in 2005 about the first Louisiana Indian tribes. Is that newspaper a primary document?

My sister and I went to the museum in town My sister and I went to the museum in town. We saw posters and buttons for the Governor’s race from 1980. Are those a primary documents?

Our town has a festival each year Our town has a festival each year. In 1999, a newspaper reporter wrote an article on the celebration and festival. I found that 1999 newspaper at the library with that article. Is that a primary document?

Yesterday, my brother Sam wrote a story about the Louisiana Purchase which occurred in 1803. Is his story considered a primary document?

One Louisiana Governor was Huey P. Long One Louisiana Governor was Huey P. Long. He gave a “Share the Wealth” speech in 1934. There is a film (video clip) of Huey Long giving his speech in 1934. Is that news clip a primary document?

One famous painter in the 16th century was Leonardo Da Vinci One famous painter in the 16th century was Leonardo Da Vinci. He painted a special picture called the “Mona Lisa.” That original painting is hanging in a museum in France. Is that a primary document?

At our town museum, I saw many old tools, spinning wheels and other artifacts from the year 1899. Are those items primary documents?

My grandmother wrote letters to her cousin about Mardi Gras festivals in New Orleans in 1959. She found the mask that my granny wore that year. My cousin found the box of letters and the mask and mailed the package to me. Are those primary documents?

I wanted to do a report on how Acadian people arrived here in Louisiana. I interviewed someone who knew about it. I couldn’t interview anyone who was there, because they are not living anymore. I made a video last week about Acadian life in the 1800’s. Is that a primary source?

My father told me a story about how the Superdome was built in the 1970’s. My dad was 19 years old when it opened in 1975. He said he remembers everything about the opening. My dad told me the story. He took pictures and bought souvenirs that day. Would the story he told me, the photos and other items be considered primary sources?

When I went visit my great grandmother last summer, I found a box of old postcards that her grandfather mailed while he was fighting in World War I. Are those postcards primary documents?

A month ago, I read a book about the Civil War A month ago, I read a book about the Civil War. I enjoyed learning about the Civil War very much. I had to make a report, so I wrote my research paper on how the Civil War began in 1861. Is my report considered a primary document?

When I went to the library last week, I saw a map that was made in 1960. It shows the streets and roads in my town at that time. It was a surveyors map that the mayor of the town wanted to have printed at that time. Is that 1960 map a primary document?

When my mom was born, my grandmother started a diary for my mother When my mom was born, my grandmother started a diary for my mother. She wrote about what was happening at the time she was born. In the diary, she also put my mom’s birth certificate, baby pictures, newspaper articles, a snip of her hair and the document with her baby handprints and footprints. Are those all primary documents?

At a museum in Washington D. C At a museum in Washington D.C., a historian found a letter written by Abraham Lincoln in 1864. Is that letter a primary document?

I was looking in the attic for information about my great, great grandfather. I found his birth certificate, his high school diploma, some letters he wrote during World War II, his uniform, his wedding ring and his marriage certificate to my great, great grandmother. Are those all primary documents?

My great grandfather sang a song on old recorder My great grandfather sang a song on old recorder. The museum has the audio tape of his singing. On the tape his says the year is 1935 and then he sings his old French song. Is that audio recording a primary document?