LibGuides: Primary Sources: World History

Finding Primary Sources for Research in World History

On this page, you can find primary source material - both websites and books in the WSA Library - on World History.

French Revolution Board Game, 1789, with events from the Storming of the Bastille to the National Convention - Britannica ImageQuest For help with learning how to use online primary sources, see:

World History Sources

Look for primary sources in WSA databases.

For websites covering a multiple time periods and geographical locations, see:

Primary Source Books and Websites for World History Research

Primary sources on specific time periods:

Ancient History
Medieval History and Renaissance Period (100 CE through 17th century)
The French Revolution (1789-1794)
19th Century Paying Cuban troops who fought for the US in the Spanish American War, Guantanamo, Cuba, July 1899 - Britannica ImageQuest
Modern History - 20th and 21st centuries
World War I
World War II

Primary sources on specific countries or regions:

African History
Asian History
British History
European History
Latin American History
Middle Eastern History

Primary sources on specific topics:

History of Children and Youth
History of Religions
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Persons' History

Slavery in the World: History, Culture, & the Law
Women's History

World History Sources

Features of this website include:

Finding World History - Scholarly reviews of online primary source archives, including teaching potential
Unpacking Evidence - Eight guides to analyzing primary sources: music, images, objects, maps, newspapers, travel narratives, official documents, and personal accounts; each guide includes:
- an introductory essay
- a list of questions to ask when working with a particular type of evidence
- interactive quizzes
- a sample analysis of one source
- an annotated bibliography
- an annotated list of relevant websites
Analyzing Documents - Eight multimedia case studies model strategies for interpreting particular types of primary sources (music, images, objects, maps, newspapers, travel narratives, official documents, personal accounts) and placing them in historical context; learn how historians use sources, what questions they pose, and where else they go for information.

World History Sources
A website designed to help world history teachers and students locate, analyze, and learn from online primary sources and to further their understanding of the complex nature of world history, especially the issues of cultural contact and globalization. A project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.

Primary Source Websites and Books for Research in World History - Multiple Time Periods and Geographical Locations

These websites have primary sources documents from a range of time periods and regions of the world. Take care when using Internet sites for primary sources, since most sources contain both primary and secondary texts. Be sure you have properly identified your document.

Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
Documents relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government. Search by time period - ancient times (4000BCE - 399) to the 21st century - or by document collection, covering a variety of topic in world and American history.
Cambridge Digital Library
Cambridge University Library has built a vast collection over the past six centuries, with an extraordinary accumulation of books, maps, manuscripts and journals. The Foundations of Faith strand of content includes important works from many religious traditions, particularly Judaism, Islam, Christianity and Buddhism. The Foundations of Science content begins with the papers of Isaac Newton, includes the papers and drafts that led to Charles Darwin's The Origin of Species, and also the Papers of the Board of Longitude.
Digital Bodleian
The digital collections of the Bodleian Libraries of Oxford University; visitors can either search all collections at once, or use filters to limit searches to specific groups of materials - early printed books, ephemera, history and politics, maps, oriental (Asian), prints and portraits, science and natural history, or western manuscripts.
EyeWitness to History.com
Eyewitness accounts, arranged by date - from ancient times through the twentieth century. Presented by Ibis Communications, Inc. a digital publisher of educational programming.
Hanover Historical Texts Collection
Digital versions of historical texts; browse by keyword or subject heading: Ancient Greece and Rome (the Presocratics); Medieval Europe (Letters of Crusaders, Britain); Early Modern Europe (The Italian Renaissance, The Reformation in Germany and Switzerland, The Catholic Reformation, The Religious Wars, The Witch Hunts, The Scientific Revolution, The Enlightenment, France, Britain); Modern Europe (The French Revolution, 19th Century Conservatism, Nationalism, The Revolutions of 1848, National Unification, Labor and Socialist Movements, The Russian Revolution); Africa; Asia; United States (17th Century Colonial History, 18th Century Colonial and US History, 19th Century U.S. History, 20th Century US History).
History of Science Sourcebook
A subset of texts from Fordham University's three major online Sourcebooks (Ancient History, Medieval, and Modern History), covering the history of science in: the Ancient Near East, Egypt, Greco-Roman culture, Byzantium, Islam, Latin Christendom, China, India, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, Classical Science, the Industrial Revolution, New Science (Darwin, Freud, Einstein), Science, Technology and the Transformation in the Means of Production, Moral Issues and Modern Science.
Modern History Sourcebook
Texts from Fordham University's History Sourcebook project covering Western history, from the Reformation through the 21st century. Includes English translations for many texts.
Old Maps Online
Gateway for historical maps in libraries around the world, currently indexes more than half a million of ancient, antique, vintage and old historic maps from prominent archives and libraries, including the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, and the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.
Online Library of Liberty
A collection of full-text books and essays related to individual liberty and free markets, with contents organized by titles, people, and ideas. Historical periods include: ancient Asia, Greece, and Rome; the Medieval Period; the Renaissance; the Reformation; and the Early Modern Period through the 21st century. Authors represent 42 nationalities, American and from countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.
OnlineNewspapers.com
World newspaper directory, with links to thousands of online newspapers, listed by country and region.
World Digital Library
A collection of books, journals, manuscripts, maps, motion pictures, newspapers, prints, photographs, and sound recordings from countries all over the world, covering from prehistoric times to the present. Select a time period of interest, then use limiters to focus your search, or browse by place, topic, type of item, or language. A project of the Library of Congress and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

WSA Library books with primary sources

The World's Great Speeches by Lewis Copeland (Editor); Lawrence Lamm (Editor)
Call Number: 808.85 Wor
ISBN: 0486204685
Publication Date: 1972-06-01
Nearly 300 speeches provide public speakers with a wealth of quotes and inspiration, from Pericles' funeral oration and William Jennings Bryan's "Cross of Gold" speech to Malcolm X's powerful words on the Black Revolution.
Eyewitness to History by John Carey (Editor)
Call Number: 909 Eye
ISBN: 0380708957
Publication Date: 1990-06-01
Presents a collection of over 300 accounts of some of the most momentous moments in history as told by the people who witnessed them.
Atlas of World History by Patrick K. O'Brien (Editor)
Call Number: R 911 Atl
ISBN: 019521921X
Publication Date: 2002-11-07
Text, maps, and illustrations present the history of the world from ancient times to the present day. Includes a chronology of important dates, a glossary, and reference tables.

Ancient History Primary Sources

Websites with primary sources

Ancient History Sourcebook
Ancient history resources in the Sourcebook cover: Human origins, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Persia, Israel, Greece, Hellenistic world, Rome, late antiquity, Christian origins. Contains,translations of many texts.
Antigone
An open forum journal with articles devoted to all aspects of the Ancient Greek and Roman worlds. Topics covered include: Ancient Religion, Greek Language, Greek Literature, History, Latin Language, Latin Literature, Material Culture, Philosophy, The Classical Tradition, and The Future of Classics.
Eurodocs: History of Prehistoric and Ancient Europe
Sources for European history in prehistoric and ancient times, with selected transcriptions, facsimiles and translations. Presented by the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University.
Perseus Collection: Greek and Roman Materials
Includes English translations for many of the documents; from the Perseus Digital Library at Tufts University.

Gale Virtual Reference Library books with primary sources

Greece - Daily Life through World History in Primary Documents
Primary source material on ancient Greece, from Daily Life through World History in Primary Documents in Gale Virtual Reference Library
Rome - Daily Life Through World History in Primary Documents
Primary source material on ancient Rome from Daily Life Through World History in Primary Documents, in Gale Virtual Reference Library.

WSA Library books with primary sources

The New Penguin Atlas of Ancient History by Colin McEvedy; John Woodcock (Illustrator)
Call Number: 912.3 McE
ISBN: 0140513485
Publication Date: 2003-05-27
A chronological series of maps and text which trace the evolution of ancient cultures, following the movements of races in Europe, the Mediterranean area, and the Near East from 50,000 B.C. to the fourth century A.D.
Eyewitness to Discovery: First-Person Accounts of More than Fifty of the World's Greatest Archaeological Discoveries by Brian M. Fagan (Editor)
Call Number: 930 Eye
ISBN: 9780195081411
Publication Date: 1997-01-30
Gathers accounts of archaeological discoveries, from the tomb of Tutankhamun and the Aegean Marbles to Otzi the Iceman and Macchu Picchu.
The Ancient Greek World by Tracy Barrett; Jennifer T. Roberts
Call Number: 938 Rob
ISBN: 019515696X
Publication Date: 2004-05-06
Introduces the history, culture, and people of ancient Greece and examines its many contributions to the development of Western society. The authors use an array of primary sources to give a history of the politicians, generals, soldiers, slaves, farmers, merchants, craftsmen, philosophers, poets, scientists, and playwrights, who shaped the ancient Greek world.

Medieval and Renaissance History Primary Sources

Websites with primary sources

De Re Militari: Society for the Study of Medieval Military History
Primary (and secondary) sources on medieval and renaissance military history. Includes the Crusades, Hundred Years' War, Anglo-Norman Warfare, and the Vikings and Norse.
Epistolae: Medieval Women's Letters
A collection of letters to and from women dating from the 4th to the 13th century AD. These letters from the Middle Ages, written in Latin, are presented with English translations and are organized by the women participating.
EuroDocs: History of Medieval and Renaissance Europe - Primary Documents
Sources for European history primary documents, with selected transcriptions, facsimiles and translations. Presented by the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University.
Florilegium Urbanum
Presents a selection of primary source texts illustrative of various aspects of medieval urban life. Texts are grouped under four headings: community (various aspects of social life), economy (the conduct of commercial and industrial activities, locally, regionally, and internationally, and the regulation of commerce and labour), government (constitutional development and political activities in towns, and the key functions of government) and lifecycle ( the individual and aspects of personal life, and women's rights and roles in society).
Global Middle Ages Project—G-MAP
Online web portal for the Global Middle Ages Project (GMAP) based out of the University of Texas (UT) at Austin. It links to a series of Digital Humanities projects by scholars from around the world about people, places, and objects from the period of roughly 500–1500 CE.
Medieval Sourcebook
Texts from Fordham University's History Sourcebook project, covering the period from late antiquity to the Age of Exploration. Includes the end of the classical world, Byzantium, Renaissance, and the Reformation, and has translations of many texts.
Perseus Collection: Renaissance Materials
Includes English translations for many of the documents; from the Perseus Digital Library at Tufts University.
Restoring Byzantium
Kariye Camii, a Late Byzantine church, underwent a massive restoration in the first half of the thirteenth century. It was a mosque in the nineteenth century, resulting in a rich and beautiful combination of interior and exterior architecture. This site offers many resources including photographs of artwork, before-and-after images, and extensive bibliographies.

Gale Virtual Reference Library books with primary sources

Middle Ages - Daily Life through World History in Primary Documents
Primary source material on the Middle Ages, from Daily Life through World History in Primary Documents in Gale Virtual Reference Library.
Renaissance - Daily Life Through World History in Primary Documents
Primary source material on the Renaissance, from Daily Life through World History in Primary Documents in Gale Virtual Reference Library.

WSA Library books with primary sources

The Penguin Atlas of Medieval History by Colin McEvedy
Call Number: 940.1 McE
ISBN: 0140511520
Publication Date: 1986-02-04
Provides outline maps focusing on Europe, western Asia and North Africa, showing borders shifting back and forth across the face of Europe over time as countries and Empires rise and fall.
Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses by Martin Luther; Stephen J. Nichols (Editor)
Call Number: 230.41 Lut
ISBN: 0875525571
Publication Date: 2002-11-01
Presents Martin Luther's "Ninety-Five Theses," the 1517 religious protest that led to the Protestant Reformation, and includes background on Luther's life and the document's significance.
Historical Atlas of the Renaissance by Robert Ritchie
Call Number: R 940.2 Rit
ISBN: 0816057311
Publication Date: 2004-06-01
Presents an historical atlas of the cultural and political development of the Renaissance, and contains detailed maps, photographs, and illustrations that describe the major periods of Renaissance art and architecture, the Habsburg Wars, explorations, Tudor England, and the beginning of the Reformation.

The French Revolution (1789-1794)

Websites with primary sources

Imaging the French Revolution: Depictions of the Revolutionary Crowd
Forty-two images of crowds and crowd violence in the French Revolution, with analyses by scholars of these depictions of the Revolutionary crowd; a project of the Center for History & New Media at George Mason University and the Department of History, University of California, Los Angeles.
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution
An archive of some of the most important documentary evidence from the Revolution, including 338 texts, 245 images,13 maps, 13 songs, a timeline, and a glossary. Also includes ten essays that cover all the major topics in the history of the revolution: the social causes of the revolution, the fall of the monarchy, women and the revolution, the story of Napoleon, and the legacies of the Revolution; a project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University and the American Social History Project at City University of New York.
Newberry French Revolution Collection Pamphlets
The Newberry Library's French Revolution Collection consists of more than 30,000 pamphlets and more than 23,000 issues of 180 periodicals published between 1780 and 1810. There are complete runs of well-known journals, as well as many rare and unknown publications. The collection represents the opinions of all the factions that opposed and defended the monarchy during the turbulent period between 1789-1799 and also contains innumerable ephemeral publications of the early Republic. While the majority of the pamphlets were printed in Paris by the Imprimerie nationale, there are also significant numbers of provincial publishers and fictitious imprints. Presented by The Newberry, an independent research library in Chicago.

WSA Library book with primary sources

Regicide and Revolution by Michael Walzer; Marian Rothstein (Translator)
Call Number: 944.03 Reg
ISBN: 0231082584
Publication Date: 1993-03-25
Provides background information on regicide and the trial of King Louis XVI, and includes eleven speeches given during the trial, with selections by Maximilien Robespierre, Thomas Paine, Jean-Paul Marat, and others.

19th Century Primary Sources

WSA database with primary sources on 19th Century world history: JSTOR (in JSTOR's 19th Century British Pamphlets collection).

Throughout the 19th century, pamphlets were an important means of public debate, covering the key political, social, technological, and environmental issues of their day. 19th Century British Pamphlets contains the most significant British pamphlets from the 19th century held in research libraries in the United Kingdom. The JSTOR collection includes more than 26,000 digitized pamphlets, with over one million pages total, and brings together a group of primary sources for the study of sociopolitical and economic factors impacting 19th-century Britain.

JSTOR
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JSTOR has millions of primary sources across four collections: Global Plants, 19th Century British Pamphlets, Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa (focusing on the complext and varied liberation struggles in the region), and World Heritage Sites: Africa (with visual, contextual, and spatial documentation of African heritage sites).

WSA Library book with primary sources

Imperialism: A History in Documents by Bonnie G. Smith
Call Number: 325.32 Smi
ISBN: 0195108019
Publication Date: 2000-11-09
Historical documents help trace the development of imperial growth throughout the world

20th & 21st Century Primary Sources

Websites with primary sources

Making the History of 1989: The Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe
Primary sources drawn from the emergence of resistance movements in the 1980s, the events of 1989, and the immediate aftermath in Eastern Europe, with sources organized by country of origin. The site also features an introductory essay, suggestions for further reading; a project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.

WSA Library book with primary sources

The Words of Peace: The Nobel Peace Prize Laureates of the Twentieth Century--Selections from their Acceptance Speeches by selected and edited by Irwin Abrams ; foreword by Jimmy Carter.
Call Number: 327.17 Wor
ISBN: 9781557044167
Publication Date: 2000-06-01
This collection contains excerpts from the Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speeches and lectures given by laureates since the award's inception in 1901.

World War I

Websites with primary sources

1914-1918 Online: International Encyclopedia of the First World War
An English-language virtual reference work on the First World War - a multi-perspective, open-access knowledge base that is the result of an international collaborative project involving more than 1,000 authors, editors, and partners from over fifty countries.
Campaign, Battle and Location Map of the Great War
A collection of 52 maps from World War I, provided by the Department of History, US Military Academy, West Point. The page has a link to a table of symbols used on the maps.
Europeana 1914-1918
Explore stories, films and historical material about the First World War. The site mixes resources from libraries and archives across the globe with memories and memorabilia from families throughout Europe.
FirstWorldWar.com
The site gives a summary overview of World War I with maps, propaganda posters, vintage audio and video, vintage photographs, and memoirs and diaries.
The Great War Primary Documents Archive
Offers primary and relevant secondary documents, from between 1890-1930, relating to almost all aspects of the Great War. The site has documents organized by year, primary sources listed alphabetically by author, an image archive, and sections related to memoirs and personal reminiscences, the maritime war, and the medical front.
Medals and Awards of the Great War
Images and descriptions of the orders and medals given by the countries involved in World War I. Medals are divided into different types: bravery/merit awards, campaign medals, service medals, and faithful service awards.
Military Resources: World War I
A compilation of resources on World War I from the National Archives and Records Administration, along with links to external sites, may of which have primary source material.
Peace Treaty of Versailles: June 28, 1919
Full text of the Treaty of Versailles, organized into sections of articles dealing with specific subjects (the Covenant of the League of Nations; political clauses for Europe; German rights and interests outside Germany; Military, Naval and Air Clauses; prisoners of war and graves; penalties; reparations; and others.
Trenches on the Web
This 'Internet history of the Great War' website includes posters, weaponry, maps, songs, artwork, and photographs, and is one of the largest collections of information pertaining to World War I on the web.
A University Goes to War: Illinois State Normal University Women of World War I
Digital images of letters, completed surveys, news clippings, photographs, and postcards from 31 women association with Illinois State Normal University who served in some capacity during World War I - as nurses, reconstruction aides or Red Cross workers, even as Navy typists in Washington, D. C. , with about half seeing service in Europe. Presented by Illinois State University and the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State.
Veterans History Project
A collection of personal accounts of American war veterans. The site has personal narratives (audio and video-taped interviews and written memoirs), correspondence (letters, postcards, v-mail, and personal diaries), and visual materials (photographs, drawings, and scrapbooks). Search by conflict (World Wars I and II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and the wars in the Iraq Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq. A project of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
Wars and Conflicts: World War One
This BBC site contains a wide variety of material on World War I, including a timeline, essays, films, audio, and photographs. Intereactive ebooks, not available for download outside of the UK, can be veiwed in non-interactive PDF format.
World War I - Research Resources
The U.S. Army Center of Military History provides published material, archival material, and images related to American involvement in World War I, covering military history, published statistics on awards and medals, and World I-era posters.
World War I: 1914-1918
A directory of World War I educational websites, with sections devoted to links to World War I museums, literature and art of the era, war memorials, and sites from Germany, France, and the Netherlands.
World War I: A Resource Guide
Provides links to all of the Library of Congress resources related to World War I: a list of digital collections on this topic, 'America's Library' (Jump Back in Time) pages, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Today in History pages on important dates in World War I, and stories from the Veterans History Project - written accounts in letters, diaries, and memoirs and photographs from veterans who were 'in the trenches' along with others who were 'above and beyond the battlefield (airmen and a nurse.)

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

World War I Reference Library, Vol. 3: Primary Sources
Presents full or excerpted primary source materials, including diaries, speeches, letters, journals and memoirs, related to major topics of the period, including the roots of the war; causes of U.S. involvement; the Espionage Act and Sedition Act; weapons of mass destruction; and more.

WSA Library book with primary sources

World War I: A History in Documents by Frans Coetzee; Marilyn Shevin-Coetzee
Call Number: 940.3 Coe
ISBN: 0195137469
Publication Date: 2002-04-25
Examines various aspects of World War I both in Europe and on the home front through a collection of contemporary documents, including memoirs, newspaper articles and editorials, poems, letters, and photographs.

World War II

Websites with primary sources

The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II: A Collection of Primary Sources
Documents related to the dropping of the atomic bomb and the end of World War II, organized by topic: Background on the Atomic Project; Defining Targets; Debates on Alternatives to First Use and Unconditional Surrender; The Japanese Search for Soviet Mediation; The Trinity Test, the Potsdam Conference, and the Execution Order; The First Nuclear Strikes; Toward Surrender; and Confronting the Problem of Radiation Poisoning.
The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Documents related to the planning, execution, and aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945, and an eyewitness account from Father John A. Siemes, professor of modern philosophy at Tokyo's Catholic University; from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School.
HyperWar: Diplomatic and Political Documents of WWII
Hundreds of diplomatic and political documents produced by various agencies of the United States, United Kingdom and British Commonwealth governments.
World War II: A Resource Guide
Provides links to all of the Library of Congress resources related to World War II: American Memory Historical Collections (including 'man-on-the-street' interviews following the attack on Pearl Harbor, maps of the Battle of the Bulge, and photographs of the Japanese-American internment camp at Manzanar and American women works during World War II); Today in History pages on important dates in World War I, and stories from the Veterans History Project.
World War II: Documents
Documents in law, history, and diplomacy from the countries involved in World War II, from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School.
World War II Resources
Original documents, photographs, images, and more regarding all aspects of World War II, from the United States, European countries, and Japan. Site maintained by the Pearl Harbor Working Group.

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

World War II Reference Library, Vol. 4: Primary Sources
Twenty speeches, diary entries, newspaper accounts and other original source documents related to World War II. Also included are sidebars, glossary, timeline, sources for further study and indexes.

WSA Library books with primary source material

Anne Frank, Beyond the Diary by Ruud Van der Rol; Rian Verhoeven; Anna Quindlen (Introduction by); Tony Langham (Translator); Plym Peters (Translator)
Call Number: 940.53 Rol
ISBN: 9780140369267
Publication Date: 1995-05-01
Photographs, illustrations, and maps accompany historical essays, diary excerpts, and interviews, providing an insight to Anne Frank and the massive upheaval which tore apart her world.
The Diary of a Young Girl : The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank; Otto H. Frank (Editor); Mirjam Pressler (Editor); Susan Massotty (Translator); Otto M. Frank (Editor)
Call Number: 940.53 Fra
ISBN: 0385480334
Publication Date: 1996-02-01
A thirteen-year-old Dutch-Jewish girl records her impressions of the two years she and seven others spent hiding from the Nazis before they were discovered and taken to concentration camps. This new translation of Frank's famous diary includes material about her emerging sexuality and her relationship with her mother that was originally excised by Frank's father, the only family member to survive the Holocaust.
I Will Bear Witness: A Diary of the Nazi years 1933-1941 by Victor Klemperer; Martin Chalmers (Introduction by)
Call Number: 943.08 Kle
ISBN: 9780375753787
Publication Date: 1999-11-15
Provides an account of everyday life in Hitler's Germany as recorded between 1933 and 1941 in the secret diaries of historian Victor Klemperer, a Dresden Jew and World War I veteran.
See Naples and Die: a World War II Memoir of a United States Army Ski Trooper in the Mountains of Italy by Robert B. Ellis
Call Number: 940.54 Ell
ISBN: 0786401990
Publication Date: 1996-08-01
A personal narrative of the experiences Robert Ellis had while serving in the 10th Mountain Division ski troop in Germany during World War II.

African History Primary Sources

WSA database with primary sources on Africa: JSTOR

JSTOR
JSTOR has millions of primary sources across four collections: Global Plants, 19th Century British Pamphlets, Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa (focusing on the complex and varied liberation struggles in the region), and World Heritage Sites: Africa (with visual, contextual, and spatial documentation of African heritage sites).
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Off-site access requires username and password.

Websites with primary sources

African History Sourcebook
A subset of texts derived from the three major online Sourcebooks from Fordham University's History Sourcebook project: Internet Ancient History, Internet Medieval History and Internet Modern History. along with added texts and related web resources. On this site historical sources on the history of human societies in the continent of Africa are presented, when available, without making prejudgements about what is "African".
Tombouctou Manuscripts Project
Since its inception over a decade ago, the Tombouctou Manuscripts Project has been dedicated to the study and translation of a vast and varied collection of digitized manuscripts in Timbuktu. The project addresses the history of the book in Africa and aims to clarify the material archive in which these texts reside. In recent years, the Tombouctou Manuscripts Project has begun to focus on Arabic writing cultures throughout the Africa, thus situating itself in broader literary, historical, and theoretical discourses.
Zamani Project
The site features Geographic Information Systems and 3D models of archeological sites in places such as Ghana, Mali, Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and South Africa. Other interesting features include panorama tours, laser scans, and the possibility for exploration of a virtual world. A project of the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Asian History Primary Sources

Websites with primary sources

Asia for Educators
Primary source documents from Asia, all with 'DBQs' (document-based questions). Search by time period (4000 BCE to the 21st century) or region (China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Southeast Asia). A project of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University.
The Avalon Project: Indochina - Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos
Documents in law, history, and diplomacy related to Indochina, covering the time period from 1950 to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident in 1964.
China Historical Geographic Information System (CHGIS)
CHGIS provides scholars and researchers a database of administrative units and populated areas in China from the unification (222 B.C.E.) through the end of the dynastic period (1911 C.E.). With access to this wealth of statistical information, users of CHGIS are able to easily search and track the changes to all recorded geographical entities in Chinese history, and can compare such evolutions to current geographic formations.
East Asian History Sourcebook
A subset of texts derived from the three major online Sourcebooks from Fordham University's History Sourcebook project: Internet Ancient History, Internet Medieval History and Internet Modern History. along with added texts and related web resources.
Indian History Sourcebook
A subset of texts derived from the three major online Sourcebooks from Fordham University's History Sourcebook project: Internet Ancient History, Internet Medieval History and Internet Modern History. along with added texts and related web resources. Topics covered include: Indus Valley cultures, the Vedic Age, the formation of religious traditions, Medieval India, Greek and Chinese sources on India, Muslim era India, the Western intrusion, Indian nationalism, India since independence, Pakistan since independence, Bangladesh, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Indian genders and sexualities.
International Dunhuang Project: The Silk Road Online
The cave library in Dunhuang—an oasis town on the Silk Road in western China—remained sealed and secluded for over a millennium until 1900. The International Dunhuang Project provides access to the wealth of manuscripts, documents, paintings, and artifacts that have been excavated from the cave, complete with cataloguing and contextual information.
Silk Road Narratives
A collection of historical texts, interactive maps, and other resources exploring cultural interaction across Eurasia from the beginning of the Common Era (A. D.) to the Seventeenth Century. A project of the Simpson Center for the Humanities at the University of Washington.

WSA Library books with primary sources

Legacies : A Chinese Mosaic by Bette Bao Lord
Call Number: 951.05 Lor
ISBN: 0394583256
Publication Date: 1990-03-24
Interviewing the turbulent recent events in China with her own personal life story and those of family, friends, and acquaintances, the author creates an evocative portrait of China and its people. Includes first-person accounts of the Tiananmen Square Incident in 1989.
Twentieth Century China: A History in Documents by R. Keith Schoppa
Call Number: 951.05 Sch
ISBN: 0195147456
Publication Date: 2004-09-16
Presents a collection of documents that chart the history of change and revolution in China over the course of the twentieth century, including official reports, eyewitness accounts, cartoons, poetry, songs, articles, and advertisements, and features commentary and photographs

WSA Databases with Primary Sources

You can use this list of WSA databases with primary sources as a starting point for your research. See the box below for suggestions on what keywords to use when searching WSA databases for primary sources.

WSA Databases with Primary Sources
Click this link to open up a list of WSA databases with primary source material. The databases here cover a wide range of subject matter and include different types of primary sources;

What Keywords Should I Use?

Using the General Keyword search box - type in your topic plus one of the following words or phrases:

Archive Source*
Correspondence
Diar* (this retrieves both
         Diary and Diaries)
History Archive*
     History Document*
History Source*
Interview*
     Letter*
Personal Narrative*
     Primary source*
  Speech*

Note: Use of the * at the end of a word will search for both singular and plural forms.

Gale Virtual Library History eBook Collection

Gale History eBooks
A subcollection of WSA's GVRL eBooks for use in history research, with primary sources and History in Dispute articles.
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Remote access requires Library ID password.

British History Primary Sources

Websites with primary sources

British Cartoon Archive
A collection of more than 150,000 British editorial, socio-political, and pocket cartoons, dating back to 1904. Cartoons can be found under any of the cataloging terms used (e.g. cartoonist, publication, date, name or subject). Presented by the University of Kent.
British History Online
Resources on the medieval and modern history of the British Isles. Search datasets, guides and calendars, maps, primary sources, and secondary texts, and narrow search by subject, location, or time period. Created by the Institute of Historical Research, at University of London, School of Advanced Study.
Churchill Archive for Schools
Resources on four broad themes: key developments in modern British and empire history, key developments in modern world history, Anglo-American relations in the twentieth century, and Churchill: discussion, debate and controversy. Within each theme, "investigations" (document-based questions) are linked with 6 to 8 documents from the full Churchill Archive, along with background historical information.
Shakespeare Documented
A collection of primary-source materials documenting the life of William Shakespeare (1564-1616), bringing together all known manuscript and print references to Shakespeare, his works, and additional references to his family, in his lifetime and shortly thereafter including Stationers’ Register entries and printed editions of Shakespeare’s plays and poems (up to and including the 1623 First Folio) and documents that refer to other members of Shakespeare's family.

WSA databases with primary sources on British history: Churchill Archive and JSTOR (in JSTOR's 19th Century British Pamphlets collection).

Churchill Archive
Includes more than 800,000 pages of original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965, amassed by Winston S. Churchill throughout his life, ranging from his personal correspondence to his official exchanges with kings, presidents, politicians, and military leaders.
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JSTOR
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JSTOR has millions of primary sources across four collections: Global Plants, 19th Century British Pamphlets, Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa (focusing on the complext and varied liberation struggles in the region), and World Heritage Sites: Africa (with visual, contextual, and spatial documentation of African heritage sites).

European History Primary Sources

Websites with primary sources

EuroDocs: 20 Years - 1995-2015
Online sources for European history primary documents, with selected transcriptions, facsimiles and translations. Presented by the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University.
EuoDocs: Europe - Conversions to Christianity
Collection of links to primary source documents related to Pre-Christian peoples and the spread of Christianity in Europe. Presented by the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University
EuroDocs: Europe - Human Rights
Collection of links to primary source documents related to the history of human rights in Europe, including human rights and freedoms; serfdom, slavery, and abolition; religious toleration; property rights; and workers' rights. Presented by the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University.
EuroDocs: Europe - Religious Reformation
Collection of links to primary source documents related to the history of religious reformation in Europe. Presented by the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University.
EuroDocs: Europe - Women's Roles and Rights
Collection of primary source documents related to the history of women in Europe, including women's laws, rights, and suffrage; women's roles in society; women's voices; and opinions against women's equality. Presented by the Harold B. Lee Library of Brigham Young University.

WSA Library books with primary sources

Illustrated Letters: Artists and Writers Correspond by Roselyne De Ayala; Jean-Pierre Gueno; John Goodman (Translator)
Call Number: 846.7 Ill
ISBN: 0810906538
Publication Date: 1999-11-01
Presents sixty illustrated letters by nineteenth-and early-twentieth-century European artists and writers, with entries in chronological order, dating from 1787 through 1998. The editors provide biographical contexts for both the text of the letter and the accompanying drawings.
Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo by Zlata Filipovic; Christina Pribichevich-Zoric (Translator); Janine Di Giovanni (Introduction by)
Call Number: 949.74 Fli
ISBN: 9780143036876
Publication Date: 2006-02-28
Diary accounts present the true-life experiences of eleven-year-old Zlata Filipovic as she sees her peaceful life in Sarajevo gradually change as the war in her country advances.

Latin American Primary Sources

Websites with primary sources

Colonial Latin America Sourcebook
Links to online primary sources related to
Colonial Latin America, conquest and exploitation in Latin America (specifically, Indigenous Voices, Mexico, Peru, Profits, Criticism), and the creation of Latin American cultures in Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, and Brazil. Part of the Internet History Sourcebooks Project. Presented by the History Department of Fordham University, New York.

WSA Library books with primary sources

Children of God's Fire: A Documentary History of Black Slavery in Brazil by Robert Edgar Conrad (Editor)
Call Number: 306.36 Con
ISBN: 0271013214
Publication Date: 2000-12-14
Collects 117 documents that provide information about slavery and the slave trade in Brazil, including consular reports, travelers' narratives, regional laws, Jesuit accounts, and more.
The Motorcycle Diaries: A Journey Around South America by Ernesto Che Guevara
Call Number: 918 Gue
ISBN: 1920888101
Publication Date: 2004-09-01
Latin American revolutionary Che Guevara chronicles his 1952 adventure on motorbike throughout South America with friend Alberto Granado, during which he came face-to-face with the realities of poverty throughout the continent.
History Will Absolve Me by Fidel Castro
Call Number: 972.91 Cas
Publication Date: [between 1963 and 1980]
A bilingual edition of Fidel's courtroom speech in his own defense, October 16, l953. Original title: Historia me absolverá.

Middle Eastern Primary Sources

Websites with primary sources

Islamic History Sourcebook
A subset of texts derived from the three major online Sourcebooks from Fordham University's History Sourcebook project: Internet Ancient History, Internet Medieval History and Internet Modern History. along with added texts and related web resources. Topics covered include: the pre-Islamic Arab world, Muhammad and foundations - to 632 CE, Islamic faith and theology, Islamic expansion and empire, the Caliphate, the Persians, the Turks, the Ottomans, the expansion eastward, interactions with the west, the western intrusion, Islamic nationalism, the Islamic world since 1945, and Islamic history maps.
Jewish History Sourcebook
A subset of texts derived from the three major online Sourcebooks from Fordham University's History Sourcebook project: Internet Ancient History, Internet Medieval History and Internet Modern History. along with added texts and related web resources. Topics covered include: the people of Israel, The emergence of Judaism, the Jewish Middle Ages, and Jewish life since the Enlightenment.
MidEast Web for Coexistence
Middle East historical and peace process source documents,maintained by the Israeli nonprofit MidEast Web.

History of Children and Youth

Children and Youth in History
Explore more than 300 annotated primary sources focused on children and youth throughout world history. Read the introductory essay to learn strategies for using these sources critically. Sources are organized by region: Africa, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East/North Africa, North America, Pacific Basin, and South/Southeast Asia.

History of Religions

Websites with primary sources

Christian Classics Ethereal Library
A collection of over 1,000 classic Christian texts, ranging from the early days of the Christian era to the twentieth century. Search by author, title, subject, or language (most texts are in English). Presented by Calvin College.
Islamic History Sourcebook
A subset of texts derived from the three major online Sourcebooks from Fordham University's History Sourcebook project: Internet Ancient History, Internet Medieval History and Internet Modern History. along with added texts and related web resources. Topics covered include: the pre-Islamic Arab world, Muhammad and foundations - to 632 CE, Islamic faith and theology, Islamic expansion and empire, the Caliphate, the Persians, the Turks, the Ottomans, the expansion eastward, interactions with the west, the western intrusion, Islamic nationalism, the Islamic world since 1945, and Islamic history maps.
Jewish History Sourcebook
A subset of texts derived from the three major online Sourcebooks from Fordham University's History Sourcebook project: Internet Ancient History, Internet Medieval History and Internet Modern History. along with added texts and related web resources. Topics covered include: the people of Israel, The emergence of Judaism, the Jewish Middle Ages, and Jewish life since the Enlightenment.

WSA Library databases

Religion and Philosophy (Gale OneFile)
Use Religion and Philosophy (Gale OneFile) to learn about the impact that religion has had on culture throughout history, including literature, arts, and language.Features a selection of more than 240 magazines and academic journals with full text. Login with Google email when accessing off campus.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, & Queer History Primary Sources

Online Archive and Exhibit of American LGBT magazines
An archive of U.S. gay and lesbian magazines from the 1950s and 1960s, featuring annotated bibliographies, digitized materials and more than 1,000 items — including photos, letters to the editor, op-eds, feature stories, news stories and advertisements — from Africa; Asia and the Pacific; Canada; Latin America and the Caribbean; the Middle East; and Russia, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Digital Transgender Archive
An online hub for digitized historical materials, born-digital materials, and information on archival holdings related to transgender history. The term transgender is used to refer to a broad and inclusive range of non-normative gender practices. The archive brings together a trans-historical and trans-cultural collection of materials related to trans-ing gender. The collection is built by more than 20 different archives and organizations from around the world.
GLBT Historical Society Archives
Collections of the GLBT Historical Society that are accessible online, including personal papers, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and organizational records. These collections include unpublished material such as letters, diaries and scrapbooks documenting the lives of both average people and community leaders.

Slavery in the World: History, Culture & Law

WSA Database

Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture and Law
In addition to having comprehensive coverage of statutes and court cases related to slavery, this database has a variety of primary source material, including autobiographies, letters, slave narratives, and more. Presented by HeinOnline. Login always required.

Women' History Primary Sources

Websites with primary sources

Women's History Sourcebook
Texts from Fordham University's Internet Ancient History Sourcebook, Internet Medieval Sourcebook and the Internet Modern History Sourcebook, covering women's history. The sourcebook presents online documents and secondary discussions which reflect the various ways of looking at the history of women within broadly defined historical periods and areas.
The Women's Library @ LSE
The books in this collection constitute some of the oldest material from The Women’s Library and LSE, dating from the early 17th century to the mid 19th century. The collection explores how social expectations of women and their perceived roles in society have changed throughout the centuries, featuring perspectives from both female and male authors. The books include academic and philosophical works, such as treatises, essays and recorded lectures, as well as petitions, instructional books, works of fiction, satire and general entertainment. Presented by the London School of Economics Library.
Women in World History
More than 200 primary sources, organized by region of the world (Africa, the Americas, East Asia, Europe, Mid-East/North Africa, Russia, South Asia, Southeast Asia); a project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.