DEFINITION: Primary sources are original sources created at the time a historical event occurs (or possibly afterwards) and are directly associated with their creater (or user). Essentially, a primary source is the subjective interpretation of a witness to an event. Primary sources serve as the raw materials historians use to interpret / analyze the past.
Some examples include:
| Diaries | Memoirs | Letters | Advertisements |
| Speeches | Newspapers | Interviews | Government Documents |
| Photographs | Works of Art | Wills | Audio / Video Recordings |
| Maps | Manuscripts | Research Data | Ancient Artifacts |
