Oesterle Library: Activism and Civic Engagement: Find Primary Sources

What are primary sources?

Primary sources are original records created at the time historical events occurred or well after events in the form of memoirs or oral histories. They enable researchers to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period to help them understand and interpret the past. (See definition from the American Library Association's Reference & User Services Association's History Section.)

Primary Sources in the North Central College Archives

To learn more about the history of activism and civic engagement at North Central College, visit the archives! Appointments are available from 9 to 4 pm on weekdays during the term. You can also search the Chronicle, North Central College's newspaper, or the Spectrum, North Central's yearbook, any time on line. A list of some North Central College organizations that have been involved in activism and civic engagement appears below to help you start your research.

Appalachia Service Program
Asian Connection
Black Student Association
BreakAway
Cardinals in Action
Circle K
Gay Straight Alliance/ OUTreach
Green Scene
Human Relations Council
International Justice Mission
Mosaic
Multicultural Association
NCC Democrats
NCC Green
NCC Pro Life Club
NCC Republicans
Prohibition League
La Raza Unida/ Raza Unida
Students in Free Enterprise/ENACTUS
Students for Social Justice
Uncommon Life Movement

Tutorials for North Central College Publications

Download the handouts below to learn more about searching the North Central College Chronicle (student newspaper) and the Spectrum (yearbook).

NCC Chronicle Tutorial
Tips for searching the digitized Chronicle.
NCC Spectrum Tutorial
Tips for searching the digitized Spectrum yearbooks.

Primary Sources on the Web: United States

Use keyword searches such as the following in the databases below to find primary source materials on activism and civic engagement in the United States:

Activism
Civic Engagement
Protest Movements
Social Movements
Political Participation
Citizenship

Chicago Tribune (Current)
Full-text of current issues of the newspaper, 1996-present
Chicago Tribune (Historical)
Full-text archive of the newspaper, 1849-1998

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
This site allows you to search and view newspaper pages from 1880-1922 and find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
Library of Congress Digital Collections
The Library of Congress Digital Collections is a massive online repository of primary sources related to US and global history.
Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets
Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop critical thinking skills by exploring topics in history, literature, and culture through primary sources. Drawing online materials from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States, the sets use letters, photographs, posters, oral histories, video clips, sheet music, and more. Each set includes a topic overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.

HarpWeek (historical Harper's Weekly Magazine)
Harper's Weekly magazine, 1857-1912, covering general topics during the Civil War, Progressive Era and Gilded Age

History Matters: Many Pasts
Created by the American Social History Project / Center for Media and Learning (Graduate Center, CUNY)
and the Center for History and New Media (George Mason University). "Many Pasts" contains primary documents in text, image, and audio about the experiences of ordinary Americans throughout U.S. history. All of the documents have been screened by professional historians and are accompanied by annotations that address their larger historical significance and context.
Illinois Digital Archives
The Illinois Digital Archives provides access to primary source materials in Illinois libraries, archives, museums, historical societies and other cultural institutions.
Making of America
Making of America is a digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. The collection currently contains approximately 10,000 books and 50,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints.
National Archives
The National Archives holds historical U.S. government documents - federal, congressional, and presidential records. The catalog provides access to their description, as well as records that have been digitized.

New York Times (Historical)
Full-text archive of the newspaper, 1851-2018, including PDF page images of all issues.
U.S. Major Dailies (ProQuest Newspapers)
Full-text of major national newspapers including the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and the Wall Street Journal, from 1980 to the present.

Primary Sources on the Web: The World

Use keyword searches such as the following in the databases below to find primary source materials on activism and civic engagement outside the United States:

Activism
Civic Engagement
Protest Movements
Social Movements
Political Participation
Citizenship

London Times (1785-2014)
Full-text access to the London Times covering major international historical events from the French Revolution to the Falkland War.

World Digital Library
The World Digital Library (WDL) makes available on the Internet, free of charge and in multilingual format, significant primary materials from countries and cultures around the world.
World History Archives
World History Archives, by Hartford Web Publishing, offers documents to support the study of world history from a working-class and non-Eurocentric perspective.