Artifacts from the past take many forms. Many of the sources traditionally used to create historical knowledge – news articles, letters of public figures, governmental records – reveal little about women’s lives. To understand women’s experiences, we must either search out different primary sources, such as personal mementos or diaries, or re-read old sources with a new eye. Expanding the content and focus of historical research gives us a more complete and complex view of the past.

Select a TYPE of primary source from those listed on the right hand side of this page for:

• Teacher Notes (including skill focus)
• a Student Activity Sheet
• a list of “Document Study Sheets” based on relevant documents from the JWA site

Students will also look at primary sources in their own lives to help them understand the historical material they encounter more fully.

Cartoons

Films

Letters

News Articles

Organizational Records

Personal Artifacts

Photographs

Speeches