Primary and Secondary Historical Sources

We can find various types of historical documents:

• Archeological documents (weapons, tools, jewelry, remains, pottery, etc.)

• Written documents (newspapers, books, registries, etc.)

• Iconographic documents (engravings, statues, portraits, drawings, caricatures, etc.)

• Audiovisual documents (cassette recording of an interview, reporting, documentaries, etc.)

Despite the fact that valuable information can be contained in a variety of historical documents, historians believe that written sources reveal the most about the past. The invention of writing marks the beginning of History, distinguishing it from Prehistory. A great number of documents and objects have been preserved since the invention of writing. They are stored in museums, libraries and universities throughout the world. Historians and researchers use these documents to help them understand how people lived in the past, how societies and civilizations worked.

Using these many documents, we can define two classifications: those described as eyewitness documents (also called primary sources) and those described as indirect sources (also called secondary sources). A primary source document is a document that was created at the time of the event we wish to study, or shortly thereafter.

We usually recognize a primary source when the person who wrote or created the document (newspaper, book, etc.) was a direct witness to the scene or event. We can get a good idea of this from the publication dates of documents.

Here are some primary sources:

• Newspapers, magazines;
• Letters, correspondence;
• Photographs;
• Films and videos;
• Works of art (books, sculptures or paintings) that directly depict events;
• Original sound recordings.

An indirect source, or secondary source, is a document that analyzes primary sources. This category includes the writings of historians or researchers who analyzed or commented on newspapers, letters and works of art.

These historians were perhaps not present during the Second World War, but they reported what the journalist saw in 1940 in their textbooks. This means that a history textbook is a secondary source.

Here are some secondary sources:

• History textbooks

• Biographies

• Journalism, films recounting a part of history

• Works of art from our era depicting or recounting a part of history

Because we have such an abundance of historical documents and of different sources, we must pay careful attention when analyzing a document. You can increase the success of your analysis by asking yourself the following questions: Who? When? What? Why? Where? How? (The 5W+H). Then, confirm whether or not your document(s) are primary sources or secondary sources:

Primary:

• The document was created at the time of the event, or soon after it.

• The document was created by someone who saw the event or who lived at exactly the same time (eyewitness).

• The document is rare today.

Secondary:

• The document was created well after the event.

• The document uses examples from a primary source.

• The document states an opinion about past events.