Primary Sources

When searching, especially for primary sources, consider: what words would have been used in the time and place that you are studying?

Example 1: Although African American is a standard term today, people at different times in the past may have used the terms Afro-American, black, colored, Negro, African, etc. to refer to a similar group of individuals.

Example 2: What we today call the American Civil War may have been referred to in its own time as the war of the Rebellion, the war between the states, the war of Northern aggression, etc.

Try swapping terms in your search to make sure you are targeting the right historical language.

Content courtesy of Erin Cassidy, Sam Houston State University Library 2013