The Historian's Tools PRIMARY SOURCES
		Primary sources are materials directly related to a topic by time or participation. These materials include letters, speeches, diaries, newspaper articles from the time, oral history interviews, documents, photographs, artifacts, or anything else that provides first-hand accounts about a person or event. An interview with an expert (such as a professor of Civil War history) is not a primary source. Quotes from historical figures in secondary sources are not considered primary.
		TEST YOUR SKILL! Classify each of the sources below as primary or secondary by clicking the link. Then check your answer and learn more about each source. Research topic: "Charles Lindbergh and his flight to Paris" Sample sources: New York Times newspaper article describing Lindbergh's arrival in Paris PRIMARY SECONDARY Article about Charles Lindbergh in the Encyclopedia Britannica PRIMARY SECONDARY A 400-page biography of Charles Lindbergh PRIMARY SECONDARY An autobiography written by Charles Lindbergh PRIMARY SECONDARY A photograph of the Spirit of St. Louis found in a textbook PRIMARY SECONDARY
Minnesota Historical Society· 345 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55102-1906· 651-259-3000   Copyright © 2002