Primary sources are records created at the time of an event or experience, or as told by people who were present at the event, works literature or influential works such as those listed below. Get Tips for Finding Primary Sources.
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Chinese American Voices : From the Gold Rush to the Present
Described by others as quaint and exotic, or as depraved and threatening, and, more recently, as successful and exemplary, the Chinese in America have rarely been asked to describe themselves in their own words. This superb anthology, a diverse and illuminating collection of primary documents and stories by Chinese Americans, provides an intimate and textured history of the Chinese in America from their arrival during the California Gold Rush to the present. Among the documents are letters, speeches, testimonies, oral histories, personal memoirs, poems, essays, and folksongs; many have never been published before or have been translated into English for the first time. They bring to life the diverse voices of immigrants and American-born; laborers, merchants, and professionals; ministers and students; housewives and prostitutes; and community leaders and activists. Together, they provide insight into immigration, work, family and social life, and the longstanding fight for equality and inclusion. Featuring photographs and extensive introductions to the documents written by three leading Chinese American scholars, this compelling volume offers a panoramic perspective on the Chinese American experience and opens new vistas on American social, cultural, and political history.
The Day in Its Color : Charles Cushman's Photographic Journey Through a Vanishing America
Charles Cushman (1896-1972) photographed a disappearing world in living color. Cushman's midcentury America--a place normally seen only through a scrim of gray--reveals itself as a place as vivid and real as the view through our window.The Day in Its Color introduces readers to Cushman's extraordinary work, a recently unearthed archive of photographs that is the largest known body of early color photographs by a single photographer, 14,500 in all, most shot on vivid, color-saturated Kodachrome stock. From 1938-1969, Cushman--a sometime businessman and amateur photographer with an uncanny eye for everyday detail--travelled constantly, shooting everything he encountered as he ventured from New York to New Orleans, Chicago to San Francisco, and everywhere in between. His photos include portraits, ethnographic studies, agricultural and industrial landscapes, movie sets and media events, children playing, laborers working, and thousands of street scenes, all precisely documented in time and place. The result is a chronicle of an era almost never seen, or even envisioned, in color.This well-preserved collection is all the more remarkable for having gone undiscovered for decades. What makes the photos most valuable, however, is the wide range of subjects, landscapes, and moods it captures--snapshots of a lost America as yet untouched by a homogenizing overlay of interstate highways, urban renewal, chain stores, and suburban development--a world of hand-painted signs, state fairs, ramshackle shops, small town living and bustling urban scenes. The book also reveals the fascinating and startling life story of the man who stood, unseen, on the other side of the lens, surely one of America's most impressive amateur photographers and outsider artists.With over 150 gorgeous color prints, The Day in Its Color gives us one of the most evocative visual histories of mid-20th century America that we have.
Defining Documents in American History: Dissent & Protest (1637-2016)
Dissent & Protest studies crucial documents from various protests, dissents, revolts, riots, and revolutions throughout American history, from the American Revolution to the Black Lives Matter Movement of today. This text closely studies more than eighty primary source documents to deliver a thorough examination of issues so important to Americans that they took action, exercised their rights and stood up to protest.
Defining Documents in American History: Immigration & Immigrant Communities (1650-2016)
This text explores the full history of immigration issues in America, from those early immigrants making their way through Ellis Island, to immigration issues in modern society. With in-depth analysis of a broad range of documents, researchers come away with fresh understanding and insight to study this hot button topic.
Defining Documents in American History: Native Americans (1451-2017)
This title covers important historical documents from influential figures in Native American history. Readers will find in-depth analysis of a broad range of historical documents, including speeches, letters, legislation, court cases, and other sources about Native Americans. The set provides detailed, thought-provoking analysis of: Iroquois Thanksgiving Address Tecumseh: Speech to Governor Willian Henry Harrison Indians of All Tribes Occupation of Alcatraz: Proclamation Andrew Jackson on Indian Removal Zitkala-Sa: Old Indian Legends Each in-depth chapter guides readers with historical insight and comprehension. Written by historians and teachers, several elements explain the document's historical impact and provide thoughtful critical analysis, including a Summary Overview, Defining Moment, Author Biography, Document Analysis, and Essential Themes. Plus, an historical timeline and bibliography of important supplemental readings will support readers in understanding the broader historical events covered. From the first meetings between Native Americans and European settlers to twentieth-century events, this set provides thoughtful analysis of documents and speeches allowing readers to gain a better understanding of this crucial topic in American history. An important resource for the history collections of high schools, undergraduate libraries and public libraries.
Defining Documents in American History: The American Economy
From the American Revolution to the present day, our financial institutions and financial practices --from banks to the stock market to tariffs to bailouts --remain at the core of our behaviors, our politics, and even our beliefs. The documents in this set discuss the political and social currents that have affected the nation's economy and have had an impact on the fortunes of individuals, business and corporations, banks and lending institutions, the stock market, and the federal government. Some of the topics considered in this two-volume set include: the Panic of 1819, the Financial Panic of 1837, the Crash of 1929 and the Great Depression, Black Monday (1987), the Dot-Com Crash (2001), the Great Recession (2008) and the Coronavirus Pandemic (2020). Each in-depth chapter provides a thorough commentary and analysis of each primary source document, often reprinted in its entirety. Commentary includes a Summary, Overview, Defining Moment, Author Biography, Detailed Document Analysis, and discussion of Essential Themes.
Freedom's Journey : African American Voices of the Civil War
The men and women represented in this book had the extraordinary opportunity of witnessing the end of a 200-year struggle for freedom: the Civil War. Gathered here are the stirring testimonies of many African Americans including slaves who endured their last years of servitude before escaping from their masters, soldiers who fought for the freedom of their brethren and for equal rights, and reporters who covered the defeat of their oppressors. These African American voices include the great abolitionist Frederick Douglass on the meaning of the war; Martin R. Delany on his meeting with Lincoln to gain permission to raise an army of African Americans; Susie King Taylor on her life as laundress and nurse to a Union regiment in the deep South; Elizabeth Keckley, Mary Todd Lincoln’s seamstress, on Abraham Lincoln’s journey to Richmond after its fall; Elijah P. Marrs on rising from slave to Union sergeant while fighting for his freedom in Kentucky; and letters from black soldiers to black newspapers. Each testimony is presented unabridged, allowing the full flavor of these voices to be heard, and each is supplemented with introductions and notes that provide rich context.
Milestone Documents in American History : Exploring the Primary Sources That Shaped America
Contains thirty-two full-text primary source documents that helped to shape American society from 1763 to 1823 including the Proclamation of 1763, Treaty of Fort Pitt, the Bill of Rights, the Missouri Compromise, and the Monroe Doctrine.
Pen and Sword : American War Correspondents, 1898-1975
Addressing the ever-changing, overlapping trajectories of war and journalism, this introduction to the history and culture of modern American war correspondence considers a wealth of original archival material. In powerful analyses of letters, diaries, journals, television news archives, and secondary literature related to the U.S.'s major military conflicts of the twentieth century, Mary S. Mander highlights the intricate relationship of the postmodern nation state to the free press and to the public. Pen and Sword: American War Correspondents, 1898-1975 situates war correspondence within the larger framework of the history of the printing press to make perceptive new points about the nature of journalism and censorship, the institution of the press as a source of organized dissent, and the relationship between the press and the military. Fostering a deeper understanding of the occupational culture of war correspondents who have accompanied soldiers into battle, Mander offers interpretive analysis of the reporters' search for meaning while embedded with troops in war-torn territories. Broadly encompassing the history of Western civilization and modern warfare, Pen and Sword prompts new ways of thinking about contemporary military conflicts and the future of journalism.
The Schlager Anthology of the American Revolution by
The Schlager Anthology of the American Revolution offers a modern, original sourcebook covering the movement for American independence. From the creators and publishers of Milestone Documents in American History, this new title is built on the principles of inclusivity and accessibility. Along with essential primary sources from the era, including Patrick Henry's "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death," Thomas Paine's Common Sense, and Abigail Adams's "Remember the Ladies," this anthology also includes often-marginalized voices, from women to Native Americans to African Americans. These documents have been abridged and edited to make them more accessible to students of differing reading levels. Additionally, each source is followed by a series of questions that prompt readers to use their higher order thinking skills and engage with primary texts in a deep way. Edited by Jon Chandler (University College London lecturer and author of War, Patriotism and Identity in Revolutionary North America) and featuring contributions from numerous scholars, The Schlager Anthology of the American Revolution includes more than 80 textual and visual sources from this historical period. It marks the 2nd installment in the "Schlager Anthologies for Students" reference series.
The Schlager Anthology of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era by
The Schlager Anthology of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era offers a modern, original sourcebook covering a pivotal era in U.S. history. From the creators and publishers of Milestone Documents in American History, this new title is built on the principles of inclusivity and accessibility. While presenting the essential primary sources from the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, from the Reconstruction amendments to the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to Plessy v. Ferguson, this anthology also emphasizes often-marginalized voices, from women to immigrants to Native Americans, Asian Americans, and African Americans. In addition, document texts are abridged to remain brief and accessible, even to struggling readers (including ESL students), while activity questions range in difficulty from basic to more advanced. Edited by Jennifer Koshatka Seman (Borderlands Curanderos: The Worlds of Santa Teresa Urrea and Don Pedrito Jaramillo, Univ. of Texas Press) and featuring the contributions of numerous scholars, The Schlager Anthology of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era covers 80 milestone sources from this period of American history. An Inclusive Approach The Schlager Anthology of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era includes all of the classic documents from this era while also emphasizing a wide spectrum of voices and perspectives, including visual sources. Chapter 1 ("Reconstruction, Post-Reconstruction, and the Jim Crow South") focuses on the triumph and ultimate tragedy of Reconstruction and the white southern reaction to it. The volume opens with Jourdan Anderson''s letter to his former slave owner, before covering the Sharecropper Contract and Mississippi Black Codes in 1865. The three Reconstruction Amendments are included, as are indelible images such as Thomas Nast''s "Worse Than Slavery" and the Lynching of C.J. Miller. The unit then covers two iconic figures from African American history: Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois. In Chapter 2 ("Industrialization, Immigration, and Labor in the City," students and researchers will find coverage of the increasing urbanization of America and its many ills; the reactions to that development via Progressive legislation; the battle over alcohol use and abuse; immigration battles; and the growing importance of organized labor. Here the anthology covers well-known acts such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, little-known voices such as Bettie Gay ("The Influence of Women in the Alliance") and Anzia Yezierska (Bread Givers), and famous images from the muckraking journalist Jacob Riis. Chapter 3 covers imperialism and Westward expansion, through an in-depth look at the destruction of Native American communities. From Chief Joseph to Zitkala-Sa and Black Elk, the unit presents essential voices of the loss of Native American sovereignty. Also included in this chapter are images documenting the Wounded Knee Massacre and the advent of Indian boarding schools, plus sources covering the U.S. imperialism via the war in the Philippines. The volume concludes with a focus on the Progressive Era in Chapter 4. Students and researchers are presented with major legislation via the Pure Food and Drug Act as well as important articles from Progressive figures such as Florence Kelley, Ida B. Wells, and Jane Addams. A Focus on Accessibility The Schlager Anthology of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era features carefully curated primary sources along with highly targeted activities to help students engage with and analyze primary documents from this important era. Document texts are carefully abridged to remain brief and accessible, even to struggling readers (including ESL students), both at the high school as well as early college levels. The commentary that accompanies each source is simple and straightforward. First, a fact box contains the key information about the source: document title, author name, date, document type, and a brief statement of the document''s significance. Next, each document includes a concise overview section that places the source in its proper historical context. Following the document text is a list of activity questions that prompt students to think more deeply about the source and its meaning and impact, as well as a glossary that defines any unfamiliar words or references in the document text. Other Features In addition to the nearly 70 sources and accompanying commentary, The Schlager Anthology of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era includes chapter introductions and Further Readings sections for each of the four chapters in the set. The set also features a comprehensive subject index and an appendix of document categories. The Schlager Anthology of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era represents a modern approach to historical reference. It is an essential resource for students, researchers, and teachers of this important era in U.S. history and is appropriate for high school, academic, and public libraries.
To the City : Urban Photographs of the New Deal
In the 1930s and 1940s, as the United States moved from a rural to an urban nation, the pull of the city was irrepressible. It was so strong that even a photographic mission designed to record the essence of rural America could not help but capture the energy of urbanization too. To the City showcases over 100 photographs from the Farm Security Administration (FSA) project along with extracts from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) guidebooks and oral histories, to convey the detail and dimensions of that transformation. This artfully grouped collection of photographs includes magnificent images by notable photographers Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans and Gordon Parks, among many others. Foulkes organizes this history of Americana into five themes: Intersection; Traffic; High Life and Low Life; The City in the Country; and Citizens to illuminate the changes in habits, landscapes, and aspirations that the march to cities encompassed. As the rural past holds symbolic sway and the suburb presents demographic force, the urban portion of our history--why and how cities have been a destination for hope--recedes from view. To the City is a thoughtful, engaging reminder.
Witness for Freedom : African American Voices on Race, Slavery, and Emancipation
Encompassing a broad range of African American voices, from Frederick Douglass to anonymous fugitive slaves, this collection collects eighty-nine exceptional documents that represent the best of the five-volume Black Abolitionist Papers. In these compelling texts African Americans tell their own stories of the struggle to end slavery and claim their rights as American citizens, of the battle against colonization and the "back to Africa" movement, and of their troubled relationship with the federal government.
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