What are Primary Sources in History
Primary sources are the pieces of evidence that historians analyze and interpret to support their historical arguments.
Depending on your topic, almost any kind of material can be used as a primary source as long as it was created during the time period that you are researching or was created by someone who participated, as in the case of oral histories or memoirs.
Letters, Diaries, Scientific Data, Interviews, Photographs, Maps, Videos, Manuscripts, Newspapers, Speeches, Oral Histories, Artifacts, Government Documents, Art, Ephemera, Broadsides, Memoirs, Songs, and More!
For a brief overview of strategies for finding and accessing primary sources in history, visit the History Research guide:
Online Primary Source Collections
Provided through library subscriptions or by local institutions, these collections offer a rich variety of primary sources on civil rights and Black history.
- Historical Newspapers of South Carolina This link opens in a new windowFree online access to historical local and regional newspapers originating throughout South Carolina in the 19th and 20th centuries. Includes content from the African-American newspapers Lighthouse and Informer and The Palmetto Leader not found in Chronicling America.
- State Newspaper (1891-present) This link opens in a new windowKeyword-searchable, online access to the entire historical archive of Columbia's newspaper from 1891 up to today's issue.
- NAACP Papers This link opens in a new windowKeyword-searchable access to the association's archives, both national and branch offices, including memos, legal briefings, and direct action summaries. Find primary source materials related to all aspects of the civil rights movement from 1909 to 1972.
- ProQuest News & Newspapers This link opens in a new windowIncludes all the newspaper titles, recent and historical, that the library subscribes to from ProQuest. Other online newspaper resources are available by choosing Newspapers under Database Types.
- Richland Library Local History Digital CollectionsThe collections found here include photographs, pamphlets, books, maps, and other historical materials from the Civil War to the present day.
- University of South Carolina Digital Collections - Browse by TopicCheck out the topics Black History and Civil Rights to find collections contributed by a number of different special collections areas at the university.
- South Carolina Digital Library (SCDL)Combines collections from libraries, archives, museums, and cultural heritage institutions across the state to promote South Carolina’s cultural and historical resources.
Published Photograph Collections
Find more like these by including Subject contains "pictorial works" in an Advanced search along with topic keywords.
Columbia, South Carolina by Author and local photographer Vennie Deas-Moore has compiled a wonderful selection of historical images celebrating the black experience in Columbia.
A True Likeness: The Black South of Richard Samuel Roberts, 1920-1936Rediscovered photos and portraiture of the Southern black community in Columbia, South Carolina, from the 1920's & 30's, taken by self-taught photographer Richard Samuel Roberts.
Unforgettable by An extraordinary collection of images and stories celebrating 50 years of South Carolina African American history, heritage, and culture.
Remembering Columbia by Merges images with accounts of people, sites, and events pulled from historical newspapers, diaries, and ephemera.
