Douglas D. Schumann Library & Learning Commons: HIST 4175-01: Modern American History, Elections in America: Primary Sources

What Are Primary Sources?

Primary source materials provide "eyewitness" accounts of a particular person, era, or event that is under study. Such materials may include books, maps, diaries, manuscripts, letters, artwork, contemporary newspaper articles, advertising, photographs, films, and recordings.

Note: Navigate to the newspaper tab if you want to look at newspapers for primary source documents.

Presidential Debates & Speeches

Films On Demand
Watch excerpts from presidential debates or speeches. Enter search terms and then limit
results to Primary Sources and Newsreels.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Background information including articles, images, videos, magazines, websites, and links to primary sources including letters & speeches. Please note: For this assignment you may not cite encyclopedias as one of your scholarly sources.

American Presidency Project (University of California, Santa Barbara)
Collection of web resources on the American presidency, including documents, public papers, executive orders, addresses, press conferences, debates, election data, approval ratings, much more.
Famous Presidential Speeches from UVA - Miller Center
Easy access to presidential speeches and scholarship. Filter by name of president and type of speech.
Presidential Elections, 1789 to 1920: Resource Guides (Library of Congress)
Search by election year and find primary texts and images from the Library of Congress.

Digital Repositories for Primary Sources

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA)
Millions of digital primary source items from U.S. libraries, museums, and archives.
Internet Archive
Archives of Boston Public Library's collection of historical Boston planning documents.
LIbrary of Congress - Digital Collections
Digital record of American history and creativity provided by the Library of Congress.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian collections from museums, archives, libraries, and research units relating to areas for Art & Design, History & Culture, and Science & Technology. Includes images, videos, audio files, podcasts, blog posts and electronic journals.