Sunday, April 16, 1865

Clear all day, and / very pleasant.This morning / we received the

sad / news of President / Lincoln's death. No / particulars. the flagsare all half masted.I sent two letters / one to Leogun (?) and / one to Hollnes.We did n't get any / papers, nor mail today.Every thing appears / to be sad and sorrowful / over the Death of ourPresident. / It certainly / is a great shock to the / Country, about this time.

Monday, April 17, 1865

Clear all day.Today's paper confirms / the

Death of our President. / He was assassinated / while at Ford's Theatre / seeing the "American / Cousin played" on Friday / evening. The assassin is / supposed to be Wilkes / Booth (the Actor).He also made an / attempt on Secretary / Seward's life but / at last account he / was still alive. Received two letters / one from Clarke, and / one from Leem (?).Cannon's firing all / day.

Pocket Diary Transcriptionof Charles H. Peterson

Primary SourcesHow to locate and use them effectively

Nicole Ramirez, Fall 2012

What are Primary Sources?

What are Primary Sources?

● Diary entry● Scrapbook● Newspaper Article ● Newspaper Sketch ● Leave Pass● Letters / Cards

What are Primary Sources?

Are these Primary Sources?

Are these Primary Sources?

What are Primary Sources?Definition● A primary source is any item, such as an original photograph or a diary

entry, that provides a first-hand account of an experience, event, or historical period from the perspective of the creator or the people that were present

Locating Primary Sources (Activity)

Task: Locate Primary Sources for the following research topic:

● Prohibition in the 1920s and medical marijuana today

1. Begin your search. Within your research groups, discuss - Where would you start your search? What would you search for?

2. Revise your search. Within your research groups, discuss - How do you refine, clarify, or modify your search? (Particularly if you are unsuccessful or unhappy with your initial results.)

Locating Primary Sources (Activity)1.2.3. If you continue to experience difficulty conducting your search, what are

your next steps?

- Give up. (Just kidding! Of course not.)

- Consult your teacher.

- Ask a librarian.

Locating Primary Sources

Where do primary sources

'live'?

Physical RepositoriesPhoto courtesy of LAPL

Photo courtesy of LAPL

Photo courtesy of

CSUN, Daily

Sundail

Photo courtesy

of CSUN, Daily

Sundail

Public Libraries University Archives & Special Collections

Physical Repositories

Archives / Repositories Museums

Photo courtesy of ONE

Photo courtesy of ONE Photo courtesy of Mayme A. Clayton LIbrary and Museum

Courtesy of BookPatrol.net

Digitized Collections

http://www.loc.gov/ http://www.archives.gov/

http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/ http://www.oac.cdlib.org/

http://www.nps.gov/history/ http://www.historyexplorer.si.edu/(Discover History tab)

Proquest Historical Newspapers Not an exhaustive list

Locating Primary SourcesStrategies:

● Identity key terms, figures, and dates

Topic: Prohibition in the 1920s and medical marijuana today

Terms18th Amendment Volestead Act Cullen-Harrison Act

FiguresCarrie Nation Anti-Saloon League George Cassiday

DatesJanuary 17, 1920 December 5, 1933

Locating Primary Sources● Establish place

- proximity to location occurrence- donations to the university attended

Locating Primary Sources● Use academic language

puppy doggie Zoe

dog canine Beagle

Canis lupus familiaris

primary sources

archives repositories

special collections

ephemera artifacts

Locating Primary Sources● Search broadly to start

● Narrow down your search using criteria

Topic: Prohibition in the 1920s and medical marijuana today

Broad

Prohibition in the 1920s

Prohibition Regulations

18th Amendment Volestead Act Cullen-Harrison Act

Narrow

Locating Primary Sources● Rhetoric (at the time vs. current usage)

e.g. World War I --> "The Great War"

● Identify perspective (bias)The Civil War (American) --> "War of Northern Aggression" or "The War Between the States"

Locating Primary Sources● Citation Searching

of Secondary Sources

Effective Inclusion of Primary Sources● Provide illustrative examples

- Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean

Effective Inclusion of Primary Sources● Present multiple perspectives

“.... a rebel colonel visited the hospital, and requested the privilege of talking to all the Irishmen who were there ... as he had something special to say to them... he introduced himself ... he had received orders ... to recruit his regiment with Irish prisoners. He had been to ... other prisons ... and some had joined him ... Scarcely had he finished speaking, when every man ...

“ ... every man turned from him with contempt, saying “never would they join the Confederate army: they would rather starve in prison, and die and decay,” and said he ought not to call himself an Irishman, and think that other Irishmen had no more principle than himself; and, if they caught him within Union lines, would have the Lynch law enforced for his benefit: therefore he went away without any recruits.”

Excerpts a from POW account

Effective Inclusion of Primary Sources● Analyze sources independently & put forth your own original ideas

Contextualizing Sources

How do you evaluate bias and validity of a primary

source?

Contextualizing Sources● Mulitple perspectives● Voices present, voices absent● Validity ● How do you know what is a good source (valid vs. forgery)● verifying the information you're finding is for the actual person you are

seeking information regarding

From Duke:Before you use the evidence you find there, ask yourself these important questions. What are the documents you’ve found: letters, pamphlets, pictures, advertisements, handbooks, newspaper articles? Who authored them, for what intended audience, and with what motives? Can you trust it, and how would you verify its claims?http://www.duke.edu/~ekb6/Developing%20Effective%20Research%20Strategies.pdf