The building blocks of historical argument are primary sources. What makes a source "primary" is if it is a direct testimony or artifact from the people your research is about.
Sometimes this can be obvious. If you're writing about the Battle of Gettysburg, a diary of a soldier who fought in the battle would clearly be a primary source. Usually a memoir, or a newspaper account, would be as well.
Something you may have learned is a secondary or tertiary source might be a primary source in the right context. Usually a textbook would be a tertiary source--but if you're writing about the development of textbooks, then they become primary sources for your project.
On this page, you'll find links to some of the "classic" primary sources--newspapers, diaries, letters--that we have available at CFL.
Searchable American local newspapers enable users to explore America’s past, from the colonial period to 1923.
Indexes articles, book essays, and book reviews focusing on women, sexuality, and gender during the Middle Ages.