A primary source provides a first hand account of a topic or an event from the people that experienced it.
Primary sources can include: speeches, diaries, letters, interviews, radio and television broadcasts created at the time of the event, posters, paintings, maps, photographs, pamphlets, legal and official documents, survey data, and manuscripts.
This guide highlights some of the archives you can use to access this type of material.
Explores the movement of peoples from Great Britain, Ireland, mainland Europe and Asia to the New World and Australasia during the Century of Immigration (c.1800-1924).
Accessibility statement for Migration to New Worlds
Includes the publications, speeches and archives of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House). Useful for researchers of international affairs, diplomacy, security, economics, law and business.
Accessibility statement for Chatham House Online Archive
Consists of several collections of records on World War II. Together these provide many different views of World War II from the top level of military planning to the U.S. homefront and the fate of civilians in Europe.
Accessibility statement for World War II: U.S. Documents on Planning, Operations, Intelligence (..)
Covers U.S. involvement in the region from the early days of the Kennedy administration to the evacuation of U.S. troops in 1973. Documents trace the decisions of the U.S. foreign policy apparatus as well as events on the ground.
Accessibility statement for Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy
Online collection of declassified records documenting U.S. foreign and military policy since 1945. It covers the most critical world events, countries, and U.S. policy decisions from post-World War II through to the 21st century.
Accessibility statement for Digital National Security Archive
Hosts thousands of digitised books published before 1900.
Accessibility statement for Historical Texts
Parliamentary papers (primarily House of Commons) from 1660 to 2005. Also contains content from Hansard from 1803 to 2005 and Command Papers 1833-2004.
Accessibility statement for Proquest U.K. Parliamentary Papers
Digital archival collections in social, economics, political and cultural affairs of Britain throughout the Second World War.
Accessibility statement for War, State and Society
Focus on the period between 1776 and 1928, and contain a wide range of primary and secondary sources on feminism.
Accessibility statement for History of Feminism
