LibGuides: History 378W: Chinese in Diaspora: Find Primary Sources

Using Primary Sources

(http://web.stanford.edu/group/chineserailroad/cgi-bin/website/)

What is a Primary Source?

Primary sources are produced by participants or direct observers of an issue, event or time period. These sources may be recorded during the event or later on, by a participant reflecting upon the event. In some cases, it will be difficult to obtain the original source, so you may have to rely on copies (photocopies, microfilm, digital copies). Copies or transcriptions of a primary source still count as a primary source.

Some examples of primary sources include:

Newspapers
Speeches
Government documents
Legal documents
Public opinion polls
Personal materials, including letters, diaries, interviews, memoirs, autobiographies, and oral histories
Images
Works of art (novels, plays, paintings, etc.)

Trial Database

China, America and the Pacific
UT has *temporary* access to this database through November 10, 2022.

“Sourced from world-class collections at American and Canadian libraries including the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, China, America and the Pacific offers unique insights into the history of North American trade and cultural interactions with China. Coverage also includes Pacific trading centres, such as Hawai‘i.”

How to Analyze Primary Sources

While primary sources are often desirable for the raw, non-interpreted information they provide, it is important to analyze them for your research. Ask yourself these questions:

Who is the creator and what was their relationship to the event or issue?
Why did the creator produce this source?
Was the source for personal use? For a large audience?
Was the source intended to be public (newspaper) or private (correspondence)?
Everyone has biases. What biases or interests might have influenced how the source was created?
Can the source be substantiated by other primary sources? Can you confirm what the creator is saying?