Navigating the Internet for Sources in American History

Abstract

THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT that primary sources can be of real value in the classroom. Primary sources give students a connection with the past, bridging the gap between often seemingly distant historical phenomena and the present. They train students to recognize historiographic bias, interpret evidence, and read and digest intellectually and syntactically difficult material. Moreover, primary sources present students with the materials from which to shape informed opinions of their own, relatively free of the pedagogical interference of textbook authors and editors. Textbook publishers have not been unmindful of the demand for primary source materials. New textbooks teem with maps, paintings, illustrations, and excerpts from primary source texts. Sadly, the primary source materials found in textbooks tend to be more decorative than informative. The primary sources found in textbooks also tend to be rather limited in scope. The limited subject matter of primary source material reproduced in textbooks also does not help the situation. Because primary sources reproduced in textbooks are a relatively new addition to textbooks, the primary sources chosen for inclusion in textbooks have, by-and-large, been used to complement new subjects that have been tacked on to textbooks. Thus, new subjects such as the history of minority groups, the working poor, and women have been accompanied by an abundance of primary source materials, while more traditional