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HU 3900: Inquiry Seminar - Urban History - Prof. Constance Clark: Primary Sources

Primary Sources for History

Primary sources are materials that provide firsthand testimony or the closest evidence to a subject under investigation. Researchers often use these firsthand accounts of specific events, or direct investigations to understand events from the viewpoint of people living during that time period. Primary sources include letters, diaries, photographs, newspaper articles, and pamphlets. 

Primary Sources: Library Databases

Archives at WPI

The Gordon Library Archives are a great resource for primary sources. To learn more about the Archives' collections or to schedule a visit to the Archives, please e-mail archives@wpi.edu or fill out their contact form

Primary Sources: Examples of Helpful Websites

To find primary sources via Google, try adding keywords like journals, papers, letters, documents, primary sources, documentary history, maps, or archives to your search terms. 

Image of the front cover of The Motorists Handbook of Detroit. The cover is yellow with red ink. Below the title of the book, there is an image of five people in a car.

The Motorists Handbook of Detroit

Detroit, Mich., The Motorist handbook company, c1914.

Library of Congress