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Reference Resources
These resources are good places to start gathering background information
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Español
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Español
日本
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français
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Online Databases
These resources will help you find more detailed and in-depth information in articles from magazines, newspapers, primary sources, etc.
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Britannica Original Source contains primary source documents IN HISTORY, LITERATURE, SCIENCE, LAW, POLITICS, RELIGION, AND MORE
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Reliable Web Sites
This extensive list will lead you to sites you can count on to have reliable information
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National Archives (Try searching "NHD"
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US Government Services and Information (government documents and pictures)
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The American Presidency Project (archived documents pertaining to the presidency)
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The World Digital Library (preservation of important events in worldwide history)
Find Images for Your Project
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(Pictures can count as primary source documents!)
Primary Sources
You will need to cite both PRIMARY and SECONDARY sources in your project
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Primary Sources - Raw and unedited sources that give a firsthand account of a specific event from the time period when it occurred. CLOSEST TO THE ORIGIN OF INFORMATION. (Examples: diary entries, correspondences, photographs, memoirs, historical newspapers, speeches, cartoons, videos, artifacts, etc.)
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Secondary Sources - These give an overview of the topic. Often analyzing, interpreting, or summarizing. RELATE TO INFORMATION THAT ORIGINATED ELSEWHERE. (Examples: reference/encyclopedia articles, textbooks, magazine articles, etc.)
Primary sources: US History
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Digital Public Library of America: Sets of primary sources by topic. Include US Domestic Affairs, US Foreign Policy and Debate and Diplomacy Abroad.
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Docs Teach (National Archives): sets of primary sources by broad topic
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Gilder Lehrman: browse by time period or topic
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Smithsonian History Explorer--search on the right side of the screen
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Chronicling America: Library of Congress--do an advanced search of newspapers to narrow down by keywords and dates
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Library of Congress general search--use the search box at the top to put in your topic and keyword
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LIFE Magazine Photo Archive--search photos by keyword and date
Subject-Specific
Primary Source Sets from the Library of Congress
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Alexander Hamilton (Plan of new government, Federalist Papers)
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Child Labor (Labor reforms, anti-child labor)
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Civil Rights Movement (Civil rights reforms, reactions to reforms)
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Civil War: Nation Moves Toward War, 1850-61 (Reactions to pro/anti-slavery movements, abolition, efforts at political reform)
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Constitution (Creating new government and debates about)
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The Great Migration (Reactions to demographic changes in the United States)
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Immigration Challenges for New Americans (Reactions to changes in immigrant populations)
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Industrial Revolution in the United States (Wide-reaching change in how the economy works and how society is organized)
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Informational Text (Sources showing reactions to different historical events and ideas)
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Inventions and Innovations (Changes to how things work and reaction to changes)
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Inventive Wright Brothers (Changes to how things work, ideas about how things work)
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Japanese American Internment (Reactions to and experiences of internment)
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Jim Crow and Segregation (Calls for reform, reaction to reform efforts)
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LGBTQ Activism and Contributions (Calls for reform, reaction to reform efforts)
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Mass Persuasion Campaigns (Campaigns representing reaction to an event/issue, including calls for reform)
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NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom (Calls for reform, reaction to reform efforts)
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The New Deal (Government reform, in reaction to economic conditions)
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Political Cartoons and Public Debates (Campaigns representing reactions to an event or issue, including calls for reforms)
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Reconstruction (Calls for and examples of reform, rebuilding, reaction to reform efforts)
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Rosa Parks (Civil rights reforms, roles of individuals and groups)
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Transportation (Reforms and efforts to improve)
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Women’s Suffrage (Voting reforms, reaction to proposed reforms)
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World War I (Social reactions to aspects of WWI)
While NHD does not specify how many sources you must use in your research, a suggested number would be around 20-25. Additionally, you should have around TWICE AS MANY PRIMARY SOURCES AS SECONDARY SOURCES.