Primary Source Access

The connected world of the internet offers unprecedented opportunities for student and teachers to be able to access impressive archives of primary source historical documents from the convenience of their web-browser.

It is widely agreed that students who effectively use primary source documents will develop better historical thinking skills, than by using another author's interpretation.

Unfortunately, getting at these resources is often difficult because the principal mission of their holders is to make them available to adult historians, and not middle and high school age students. Finding documents is made even more difficult because of the sheer volume available and lack of historical context they exist in.

The goal of this project is to provide access to these valuable resources in an age-appropriate manner by working closely with their archivists.

Links:

Virginia Center for Digital History
The Library of Congress
Digital Historical Inquiry Project