A True Historical Understanding
"Primary Source: a first-hand, direct source of information or research, such as the words of a
person who is the subject, official government records, or the memoirs of
others; document examined that had not been amended by a third party."
There is no better way to study the past than through consultation of original, primary source documents produced within the time period in question. Examining the past gives a historians a first hand look at historical accounts. By doing this, historians are able to gain a historical consciousness by fully viewing history in its original context. For example it is one thing to read about a specific battlefield, soldier uniform, or machinery. However seeing pictures, videos and written personal accounts about them can adds a greater understanding of the topic in question.
Primary sources of use to historians include:
Through digital curation projects, lucrative primary sources are now at our fingertips. Various online databases done by electronic publishers like Gale and ProQuest provide historians with primary sources that can assist in both research and help build an overall historical understanding.
Primary sources of use to historians include:
- Letters
- Manuscripts
- Newspapers
- Books and monographs
- Personal and official correspondence
- Minutes of meetings
- Political and governmental records
- Personal memoirs
Through digital curation projects, lucrative primary sources are now at our fingertips. Various online databases done by electronic publishers like Gale and ProQuest provide historians with primary sources that can assist in both research and help build an overall historical understanding.