1. Primary and Secondary Sources

2. Different Types of Sources
There are two different types of sources
Primary- evidence from a time period or event
Secondary- someone else’s interpretation of a time period or event.
Direct Source- First Hand account
Indirect Source- Second Hand information

3. What is a Primary Source?
An informational source from the time of an event
Autobiographies
Diaries
Documents
Eyewitness accounts
Laws
Letters
Newspaper articles
Speeches
Artifacts
Oral histories
Photographs
Film footage
Art
Music

4. Why do we use primary sources?
It’s hard evidence from the time period, not information that has been passed through the telephone game of telling and retelling history.
Only your interpretation

5. Does a Primary Source have to be the original material?
No – it can be in another form, but it can’t be edited or interpreted in any way.
For example,
A picture of King Tut’s coffin
printed in a book or posted on
a website can be considered
a primary source.

6. Questions to ask yourself when looking at Primary Sources
Who wrote (or made) this?
How do they know the information they are telling me?
When did they write/ make it?
Why did they write/ make it?
Who did they write/ make it for?

7. What are Secondary Sources?
An informational source that analyzes the event.
These sources often use several primary sources to compile their information.
This is someone else’s interpretation of an event, not a first person account.
Examples
Biographies
Encyclopedias
History books
Textbooks

8. Are Secondary Sources useful?
Yes – They provide the necessary background or context to be able to interpret Primary Sources.
For example,
World Book 2005 or your Social Studies textbook can provide background information about the events leading up to the Trojan War.

9. Reading Sources
Ask these basic questions about every source, no matter how obvious the answer might seem.
Who wrote this?
What does it say?
When was it written?
Where was it written?
Why was it written?

10. Summing Up
It is important to determine the type of information you are looking at.
Primary sources are original sources of information
Secondary sources summarize, analyze, or critique primary sources
Both primary and secondary sources can be good sources of information, but you need to critically evaluate them.