Primary Sources

Recently, I visited a very close friend of mine in Ely, MN.  Sarah (my bestie) had just completed her first book and was anticipating her book signing event with a great deal of pride.  She had worked very hard on her book Dorothy Molter: The Root Beer Lady and was extremely proud of the fact that it was written using primary sources.  Sarah was certain that every detail in her book was true and could not be argued.  She wanted Dorothy's story to be an accurate reflection of her life.

What is a primary source?  Primary source is a term used to describe source material that is closest to the person, information, period, or idea being studied.  It is an artifact, a document, a recording, or other source of information that was created at the time under study and serves as an original source of information about the topic.  A primary source can be also be a person with direct knowledge of a situation, or a document created by such a person.  
Another great spot I visited while on vacation was the  Prospect House in Battle Lake, MN.  Here I held touched, and admired primary sources from the civil war:  letters, swords, envelopes, bullets, and clothing.  This house is full of history - literally!  From photos to clothing, signs to toys, dishes to letters.  Oh, what stories primary sources can tell us about the past.
Teachers and students may want to consider using and reviewing primary source documents when they are learning about historical events.  The following sites may be helpful for anyone looking for primary sources online:  100 Terrific Sites and History Source Documents.