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Contributor: Elephango Editors. Lesson ID: 10481
Ever wonder how we know what really happened in history? Become a history detective and uncover the difference between firsthand clues and secondhand stories with primary and secondary sources!
Digging for Clues: How Do You Learn About the Past?
Imagine you find an old letter written by Abraham Lincoln. It’s signed in his handwriting and talks about the Civil War. That letter would be a primary source—a real piece of history from someone who was there!
Now imagine you read a book that explains why Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address and what it meant for the country. That book would be a secondary source—it wasn’t written at the time, but it helps you understand what happened.
Historians use clues like these to piece together the past. They don’t have time machines, so they rely on different types of evidence—just like a detective solving a mystery!
Explore how primary and secondary sources help you learn about history.
Primary vs. Secondary Sources: What's the Difference?
Think about a big moment in history—like when the Wright Brothers flew the first airplane in 1903.
The people who saw it happen might have written letters about it, taken photographs, or even sketched what they saw. These are primary sources—firsthand evidence from someone who was there.
These are secondary sources—they use primary sources to tell the story after the event.
Primary Source Examples
text – letters, diaries, old newspapers, maps, recipes
audio – speeches, interviews, oral histories, music
images – photographs, paintings, videos
objects – clothes, tools, inventions, medals
Secondary Source Examples
books – biographies, history textbooks, encyclopedias
articles – reports in magazines or online explaining past events
videos – documentaries or news stories made long after an event
Watch the following video.
What was one primary source shown in the video?
What was one secondary source?
Now that you know the difference between primary and secondary sources, put your detective skills to the test!
Head to the Got It? section to analyze real examples and decide which type of source they are. Get ready to investigate!
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