Primary sources are original documents or objects from a specific time. They give firsthand accounts of history, unlike secondary sources that interpret these accounts.
Research from the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI) shows that homeschooled students typically score 15 to 25 percentile points higher than public school students on standardized academic achievement tests. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), approximately 3.3 million students were homeschooled in the United States as of 2023, representing roughly 6% of the school-age population.
What are primary sources?
Primary sources are the building blocks of history. They include original documents and objects made during the time you're studying. For instance, a soldier's letter from Gettysburg is a primary source. In contrast, a textbook chapter about Gettysburg isn't. This is important because primary sources offer direct accounts of history. When your child reads Frederick Douglass's autobiography instead of a summary, they connect with history directly.
Why they matter
Primary sources do what textbooks can’t: they bring your child face-to-face with real people from the past. Looking at a letter from an immigrant grandmother, studying a photo from a Civil Rights protest, or examining a medieval map creates a personal link to history. They also help develop critical thinking. Students learn to ask questions like: Who made this? Why? What bias might exist? How does this compare with other sources? These skills help them evaluate today’s media too.
Free resources
Check out these great resources for primary sources:
- Library of Congress: They have curated Primary Source Sets with teacher guides on topics from Abraham Lincoln to the Dust Bowl.
- National Archives: DocsTeach offers thousands of searchable documents and analysis worksheets for photos, artifacts, and more.
- Stanford History Education Group: They provide a free 'Reading Like a Historian' curriculum with accessible primary documents.
- Most major museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Smithsonian have high-resolution images online.
Teaching by age
Elementary: Start with photos and objects. Ask simple questions like: What do you see? What do you wonder? Try
The bottom line
Primary sources turn history into mysteries to explore. When your child looks at a slave narrative, studies a propaganda poster, or reads letters between historical figures, they act like real historians. They weigh evidence, consider perspectives, and build understanding from bits of information. The Library of Congress and National Archives offer free access to amazing collections. Start with images, move to documents, and watch your child’s critical thinking grow along with their historical knowledge.
