Browse Primary Sources

Locate primary sources, including images, objects, media, and texts. Annotations by scholars contextualize sources.

Scan of the Paul Reever engraving titled “The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street, Boston, March 5, 1770”. British soldiers to the right fire into a crowd of unarmed colonial men.

The Bloody Massacre Perpetrated in King Street, Boston, March 5, 1770

The events on the night of March 5, 1770, in Boston, Massachusetts, became known as the Boston Massacre and are often taught from the perspective of people like Paul Revere.

Uncle Sam is the teacher of a class filled with personified States, people groups, and regions as the young students.

School Begins

This source comes from a period sometimes deemed the Age of American Imperialism. In 1899, this political ad was produced in New York. This image shows Uncle Sam, the personification of the U.S.

Image of factory that links to resource

Showa Steelworks in Anshan (Northeast China)

Showa Steelworks, initially established as Anshan Ironworks in 1917, was located in Anshan, Liaoning Province, Northeast China, historically known as Manchuria. Anshan Ironworks was a subsidiary of South Manchurian Railway Company, a Japanese semi-state-owned enterprise that managed railways and other operations in Manchuria.

Portrait of Weng Wenhao that links to primary source

Weng Wenhao

Weng Wenhao (翁文灏, 1889-1971) was a distinguished Chinese geologist, politician, and educator who played a crucial role in shaping China's developmental state during the 20th century.

John Smith's Map of Virginia 1624. Detailed description provided in annotation.

John Smith's Map of Virginia 1624

This map, created officially

For the glory of ireland WWI poster. Description provided in source annotation

For the glory of Ireland

“For the Glory of Ireland” is a WWI propaganda poster published

World War II Military Situation Map

World War II Military Situation Map

This is a map of Normandy on the day of the Normandy Landing o

Three girls sitting with gazes cast downward. Each wearing a different-colored sari. The girl on the left is wearing light green, the girl in the middle is in orange, and the girl on the right is in red.

Amrita Sher-Gil: Young Girls, Group of Three Girls

Group of Three Girls (1935), and Young Girls (1932) were created by the early-twentieth century Indian artist, Amrita Sher-Gil.

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Apolitical Intellectuals/ Intelectuales Apolíticos

Otto Rene Castillo wrote the poem “Apolitical Intellectuals” in 1967 in response to the Guatemalan Civil War, which lasted from 1960-1996.

Maria Tallchief dancing with Erik Bruhn, banner reads 7Dance Magazine, July 1961, 75 cents

Maria Tallchief in Dance Magazine, 1961

This 1961 Dance Magazine cover depicts a photograph of ballet dancers Maria Tallchief and Erik Bruhn. The magazine advertises for upcoming performances at the Kennedy Center.

Depicts French Girls (on the left) and English girls (on the right) in a room with the caption reading "How the Law 'Protects the Daughters'"

Suffrage Atelier Postcard, 1909

This propaganda postcard titled "How the Law ‘Protects the Daughters'" can be used to study European suffrage movements. The postcard was created by the group Suffrage Atelier, a pro-suffrage artisan collective in England which was founded in 1909.

Drawing of three children one standing, two crouching

Sympathy

Published in 1946 for an audience of affluent, book-buying families in Seoul, Grapes and Beads realistically describes the daily lives of children in the poorer countryside with affection and respect.

"eomeoniui him" or "a mother's power" written in Korean

A Mother's Power

Published in 1946 for an audience of affluent, book-buying families in Seoul, Grapes and Beads realistically describes the daily lives of children in the poorer countryside with affection and respect.

goyang-i or "cat" written in Korean

Cat (Korean Children's Story)

Published in 1946 for an audience of affluent, book-buying families in Seoul, Grapes and Beads realistically describes the daily lives of children in the poorer countryside with affection and respect.

Drawing of two children one standing, one crouching

Friendship

Published in 1946 for an audience of affluent, book-buying families in Seoul, Grapes and Beads realistically describes the daily lives of children in the poorer countryside with affection and respect.

Text in Korean "yong-gi" meaning "courage"

Courage

Published in 1946 for an audience of affluent, book-buying families in Seoul, Grapes and Beads realistically describes the daily lives of children in the poorer countryside with affection and respect.

Drawing of a boy squirting another in the face with a water gun.

The Squirt Gun

Published in 1946 for an audience of affluent, book-buying families in Seoul, Grapes and Beads realistically describes the daily lives of children in the poorer countryside with affection and respect.

Lord Ismany Notice Thumbnail

Lord Ismay Notice Regarding Indian Partition

The Partition of India was one of the most difficult, tension-filled political events of the twentieth century, causing millions of people to migrate within the Indian subcontinent and be killed due to resulting violence.

"No Votes for Women No Census"

Census Protest for Women's Suffrage

This 1911 census form showcases one method of peaceful civil disobedience done by supporters of women’s suffrage in Britain during the early 20th century.

Black consonant letters from the Ge'ez script against a white background. There are 26 letters in three rows.

Ge'ez Script

Ge’ez script is a script used in modern-day Eritrea and Ethiopia that dates back to the 1st century CE.