Skip to Main Content

History 333: British Empire in the Americas, 1497-1775

History 333 Final Research Project

For this final project, you'll be curating an exhibit of primary sources from between the years 1400-1778. This guide provides suggestions on conducting research and tools to find both your primary and secondary sources.

Below is a list of primary sources that may be available on your topic.

Types of Primary Sources

These are some possible categories/formats of materials you might find. Of course, technologies available at the time of the event will determine some categories: Film newsreels are not going to be found if you are searching the Dark Ages! 

Print 

  • Newspapers
  • Memoir, autobiography
  • Diary or diaries
  • Letters, Correspondence
  • Maps
  • Personal narrative
  • Journal (not the scholarly publication, but more like a diary) 
  • Government reports and publications
  • Oral history transcriptions

Image or sound file

  • Photographs/slides/prints
  • Paintings and drawings (a high quality photograph will be acceptable) 
  • Newsreels 
  • Television shows
  • Newscasts
  • Music recordings and videos
  • Oral history recordings

Realia (objects) 

  • Artwork
  • Buildings
  • Toys and games 
  • Clothing
  • Furniture
  • Souvenirs
  • Scrapbooks
  • Ephemera (items created for short-term or one-time use such as flyers, brochures, ticket stubs)

Contact the History Librarian