Learning US History With Primary Documents

The use of primary documents in the

classroom represents a unique was of bringing history into the lives of

students

The magic of seeing an original document and the sense of being

transported back in time.

What are They?• Primary sources are materials that

were created by those who participated in or witnessed the

events of the past.

Letters Reports

Photographs Drawings

Sound Recordings Motion Pictures

Artifacts …

Where are they?• From attics to graveyards: how to locate

primary documents.

• Internet libraries

• Family albums garage sales/auctions

• Historical societies antique dealers

• Museum collections newspapers

• …

Where are they?• http://www.archives.gov/ National Archives

• www.ourdocuments.gov This site features full color images of 100 milestone documents .

• www.loc.gov/learn Library of Congress

• This photo of President Johnson listening to a tape sent by Capt. Charles Robb from Viet Nam on July 31, 1968

Where are they• Memory.loc.gov American Memory-online archive of

more than 120 collections important to America’s heritage

• Loc.gov/exhibits Exhibitions-Digital versions of exhibits physically on display at the Library of Congress

• Yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm The Avalon Project at Yale Law School features thousands of documents related to the fields of law, history, & diplomacy.

• Sos.state.il.us/departments/archives/archives.html Illinois State Archives

• http://www.chicagohistory.org/

Where are they?• Some resources in the national archives are…

• More than 6,000 photographs of Civil War personalities and scenes

• The Articles of Confederation

• The police blotter listing the assassination of President Lincoln

• More than 100 original sketches drawn by artist Charles Alston to highlight the

participation of African Americans during WW II

• More than 100,000 others