Social Studies: Primary vs Secondary Sources
Identifying firsthand and secondhand accounts
Social Studies: Primary vs Secondary Sources
Identifying firsthand and secondhand accounts
Social Studies - Grade 6-8
- 1
A soldier writes a letter home during a war in 1863 describing what he saw that day. Is this a primary source or a secondary source?
Think about whether the writer was there during the event.
This is a primary source because it was created by a person who directly experienced the event at the time it happened. - 2
A textbook published in 2020 summarizes the causes of the American Civil War. Is this a primary source or a secondary source?
This is a secondary source because it explains and summarizes information about an event after it happened. - 3
A photograph taken at a civil rights march in 1965 is used in a history project. Is the photograph a primary source or a secondary source?
Ask whether the item captured the event as it happened.
The photograph is a primary source because it was created during the event and provides direct evidence from that time. - 4
A historian writes a biography in 2015 about Harriet Tubman using letters, records, and interviews. Is the biography a primary source or a secondary source?
The biography is a secondary source because the historian is interpreting and explaining information about a person from the past. - 5
Read this situation: A student finds the diary of a child who lived through the Great Depression. What kind of source is the diary, and why?
Diaries often record personal experiences directly.
The diary is a primary source because it contains firsthand thoughts and experiences written by someone who lived during the Great Depression. - 6
A documentary made today uses old photos, interviews, and narration to explain the attack on Pearl Harbor. Is the documentary mainly a primary source or a secondary source?
The documentary is mainly a secondary source because it brings together and explains information from earlier sources to teach about the event. - 7
A government census record from 1900 lists the people living in a town. Is this a primary source or a secondary source?
Official records made at the time of an event are often primary sources.
This is a primary source because it is an original record created at the time to document information about people living then. - 8
A website article explains what daily life was like in ancient Egypt using information from artifacts and written records. Is the article a primary source or a secondary source?
The article is a secondary source because it is interpreting evidence from the past instead of being created during ancient Egyptian times. - 9
Explain one difference between a primary source and a secondary source in your own words.
Use the idea of firsthand versus secondhand information.
A primary source gives direct evidence from a person or time period involved in the event, while a secondary source explains, studies, or summarizes that evidence later. - 10
Name one advantage of using a primary source when studying history.
One advantage of using a primary source is that it can show firsthand details, feelings, or observations from the time being studied. - 11
Name one reason a historian might also use secondary sources when researching a topic.
Think about how summaries and explanations can help researchers.
A historian might use secondary sources because they help organize information, provide background, and show how other historians have interpreted the evidence. - 12
A museum label next to an artifact explains where the object was found and why it is important. Is the label a primary source or a secondary source?
The museum label is a secondary source because it explains and interprets the artifact rather than being the original object from the time period.