History+Day

- Information on source requirements and sources

National History Day Research Central - Includes links to primary sources. Some links are also listed below. Scroll down to view.
http://www.nationalhistoryday.org/USHistoryPrimarySources.htm

- Use this worksheet to help your organize your sources and help determine if the Fiat Library has the resources for your topic.


 * Need help interpreting your primary sources? ** Download these worksheets from The National Archives. This primary source analysis worksheet from The Library of Congress can be used on-line. You can also think like a historian by Making Sense of Evidence from George Mason University. It's a bit wordy for elementary students but you may be able to glean some tips by skimming the information or by going directly to the "model interpretation" page.

(aka AWC) sample


 * Why do we do National History Day? ** A national evaluation of National History Day suggests that students who participate in this academic program and competition perform better on standardized tests, are better writers, and are more confident and capable researchers. Read the report. The report is 61 pages but the benefits from participating in National History Day can be found on pages 21 and 22. (posted Feb. 4, 2011)

Primary Sources -
updated 12/13/12 > Nineteenth Century Documents Includes documents of events prior to the Civil War through the antebellum period.
 * [|African American Women] - Digitized letters and special collections.
 * Africans in America - Resource Bank Index links to primary sources.
 * [|AMDOCS] - Primary documents for the study of American history. Includes inaugural addresses, speeches, treaties, diaries, etc.indexed by year, beginning with 1492 up to current year.
 * America in Class - These links from the National Humanities Center provide primary sources according to era. Use the pull down menus after selecting the era.
 * [|The American Memory Collection] - This website, sponsored by the Library of Congress, documents major events in American history. [|Browse]by collection or time period.
 * [|American Studies Hypertexts]- Indexed by person.
 * [|Archiving Early America] - Includes texts of founding documents and instructions on how to read 18th century documents. (Includes Advertising
 * Atomic Archive - History of the Atom bomb ~ includes historical documents, treaties and photos of the Manhattan Project, Hiroshima and the Cold War.
 * The Avalon Project- A documentary record from the 15th century through the 21st century.
 * [|Conversations with History]- Recorded interviews with contemporary figures. Search by name, topic or most recent interview.
 * [|Digital History]- Documents, multimedia, exhibits. Note: timelines are not primary source documents.
 * DocsTeach - Documents from The National Archives.
 * [|Documenting the American South] - Resources for the study of Southern history, literature and culture.
 * [|Documents Chronology]- Links to important documents in chronological order.
 * Eyewitness To History - History Through the Eyes of Those Who Lived It.
 * From Revolution to Reconstruction- Documents from the Revolutionary period to the aftermath of the Civil War.
 * [|The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History -] This site is rich in resources. Don't get lost while exploring! Select the "Primary Sources" link at the top of the page.
 * Great Documents Includes documents prior to the Revolutionary through the 19th Amendment.
 * [|History and Politics Out Loud]- Politically significant audio of speeches, transcripts and recordings.
 * History Matters - Use the "full search" function or browse over 1,000 sources alphabetically in Many Pasts. Sources also include annotations to place source in context.
 * [|The Internet Modern History Sourcebook] - Select appropriate American History topic from the menu on the left.
 * Irish Potato Famine - Includes Irish and British newspapers. Also, this site from the Virginia Curriculum includes primary and secondary sources.
 * [|NARA] (The National Archives and Records Administration homepage) - View documents such as letters, photos, reports, etc. from our nation's history. The Exhibits page includes primary sources by era. Online resources also includes sources.
 * Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute - Select the King Resources document inventory to access primary sources.
 * [|NARA 100 Milestone Documents]- The 100 most important American documents from 1776 to 1965.
 * New Deal Network
 * Oral History Online! Oral History Online Make sure to read the tips on evaluation oral history.
 * Our Documents Lists the top 100 documents in American history.
 * Pennsylvania - Digital collection from the commonwealth library.
 * [|USA: Index to Sources]
 * U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates 1774-1873 http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html
 * U.S. Historical Documents
 * WWW-VL History Index - Includes primary sources by continent, era and topic.