The Power of Primary Sources

“Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results.” ~Machiavelli

When most of us think of consulting, we think of experts like layers or those in marketing. As historians, we have the chance to consult with those from the past and guide our students through the process. How do we do this? Through primary sources. To begin with, you have to have to teach the context for the historical period you are studying. Once that’s established, this is your opportunity to teach your objectives towards mastery. That’s right, mastery. That’s how confident I am in the power of primary sources to not only understand the past, but to become historians and critical thinkers. 

Now in an ideal world, districts would provide these resources for you, but the reality is they don’t. I want to show you ways I’ve discovered over the years to find the sources that will best help your students grow. It does take some research on your part, but the results are more than worth it. 

I like to start by searching for major databases like the Library of Congress, National Archives, and other similar databases. Several universities have great databases as well. It’s a good idea to have a file open where you can copy and paste the information and where you found it. Don’t spend too much time searching. Type what you’re looking for and if the first ten or so hits don’t provide what you’re looking for, move on. Another strategy I like to use is to be specific in my Google searches. Just typing in Roman primary sources won’t work. Add other key words, such as “Roman primary sources crises of the third century documents” and see what comes up. Remember, you’re only looking for a few sources to bring the past alive.

Just by reading a paragraph or two from someone who was alive at the time, who experienced the event, will take your history class beyond just reading the textbook and showing the occasional video clip. You don’t have to do this for every unit. You can always add to it over the years, but the more you can expose your students to primary sources, the more you’ll build up their historical thinking skills. At the end of the day, what more can you ask for?

If you’re interested in exploring my resources designed to teach students about the past, click here.