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History & Political Science

This guide supports History & Political Science courses at PennWest University.

Finding Primary Sources

Books are a good place to start searching for primary sources. The possibilities are endless, but here are a few sources that demonstrate the variety of what is available:

Records of the Salem Witch-hunt 

Civil Rights Chronicle: Letters from the South

The Papers of George Washington (6 volumes)

Pennsylvania Newspapers

Below is a list of some broad online collections of primary sources.

You will find many more on your interest with some creative web searching. A good start is to enter your topic followed by words indicating primary sources. For example,

Salem witch trials "primary sources"
Civil rights movement song lyrics

World War II diaries