Primary Sources Pathfinder Last updated: April 2004 The purpose of this pathfinder is to introduce some of the primary source materials available at the Charles County Public Library. A primary source is one that provides original, firsthand information about a person or event. Examples of primary sources include correspondences, diaries, manuscripts, speeches, photographs, etc.

REFERENCE books that contain primary source materials:

R 970.0049 Encounters in the New World: A History in Documents. Lepore, Jill. Oxford University Press, 2000.

R 973.2 Colonial America: A History in Documents. Gray, Edward G. Oxford University Press, 2003.

R 973.2 Colonial America: Primary Sources. Saar, Peggy. UXL, 2000.

R 342.73 The Bill of Rights: A History in Documents. Patrick, John J. Oxford University Press, 2003.

R 306.362 The Struggle Against Slavery: A History in Documents. Waldstreicher, David. Oxford University Press, 2001.

R 973.7 American Civil War: Primary Sources. Hillstrom, Kevin. UXL, 2000.

R 973.7 The Civil War: A History in Documents. Seidman, Rachel. Oxford University Press, 2001.

R 973.8 The Gilded Age: A History in Documents. Greenwood, Janette. Oxford University Press, 2000.

R 325.32 Imperialism: A History in Documents. Smith, Bonnie G. Oxford University Press, 2000.

R 940.3 World War I: A History in Documents. Coetzee, Frans. Oxford University Press, 2002.

R 940.3 World War I: Primary Sources. Pendergast, Tom. UXL, 2002.

R 324.623 Women’s Suffrage in America: An Eyewitness History. Frost, Elizabeth. Facts on File, 1992.

R 973.91 The Depression and New Deal: A History in Documents. McElvaine, Robert S. Oxford University Press, 2000.

R 940.53 World War II: Primary Sources. Bigelow, Barbara C. UXL, 2000.

R 909.8 The Cold War: A History in Documents. Winkler, Allan M. Oxford University Press, 2000.

R 959.7043 The Vietnam War: A History in Documents. Yound, Marilyn B. Oxford University Press, 2002.

R 973 Documents of American History. Comager, Henry Steele. Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1973.

Books available for check-out that contain primary source materials:

306.362 Lest We Forget: the Passage from Africa to Slavery and Emancipation. Thomas, Velma Maia. Crown, 1997.

J 973.0496 Bury Me Not in a Land of Slaves: African-Americans in the Time of Reconstruction. Hansen, Joyce. Franklin Watts, 2000.

323.4 Civil Rights Reader: Basic Documents of the Civil Rights Movement. Friedman, Leon. Walker, 1967.

973 100 Key Documents in American Democracy. Levy, Peter. Greenwood Press, 1994.

973 Black Americans: A History in Their Own Words, 1619-1983. Meltzer, Milton. T.Y. Crowell, 1984.

PRIMARY SOURCES on the Internet:

American Memory: Historical Collections for the
National Digital Library
http://memory.loc.gov
This website has been developed by the Library
of Congress. It offers over 7 million primary
sources relating to the history and culture of the United States.

Our Documents
http://www.ourdocuments.gov
This site is maintained by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Click on the link “Milestone Documents” to access a list of historical documents, ranging in date from 1776-1965.

OTHER PLACES to find primary sources:

Maryland State Archives
350 Rowe Blvd.
Annapolis, MD. 21401
(800) 235-4045 / (410) 260-6400

Southern Maryland Studies Center
College of Southern Maryland
8730 Mitchell Rd., P.O. Box 910
La Plata, MD. 20646-0910
(301) 934-7626 x7107

National Archives at College Park
8601 Adelphi Rd.
College Park, MD. 20740-6001
(866) 272-6272

Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE
Washington, DC. 20540
(202) 707-5000