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See our Primary Source Timeline to browse a selection of primary source databases organized by coverage dates and locations.
Primary sources are generally defined as material produced at the time of an event, or by a person being studied. Examples of primary sources are:
Whenever possible, primary sources should be consulted. The thoughts of those who lived through an era or an event provide you with first-hand perspective and allow you to question and challenge the assumptions made in secondary sources. Examining primary sources can also help you develop a thesis.
Primary sources can be difficult to find. Most databases do not have an option that allows for direct searching on primary sources. They are often interspersed in books or disorganized in large collections of materials.
Detailed information about how to locate primary sources can be found on our Finding Primary Sources page.
The databases below are also collections of primary source material useful for East Asian Studies.
Access primary source documents that review U.S.-China relations in the post-Cold War Era, and analyze the significance of the 1989 Tiananmen Square demonstrations, China's human rights issues, and resumption of World Bank loans to China in July 1990. This collection is cross-searchable with other collections via Archives Unbound. Coverage: 1989-1993, contains primary sources. Full text.
Access declassified records of the U.S. State Department's Office of Chinese Affairs that provide insight into United States policy toward China from 1945-1955, especially domestic issues in Communist and Nationalist China, U.S. containment policy as it was extended to Asia, and Sino-American relations during the post-war period. This collection is cross-searchable with other collections via Archives Unbound. Coverage: 1945-1955, contains primary sources. Full text.
Access primary sources relating to General George C. Marshall's mission to prevent the renewal of the Chinese civil war and the growth of Soviet influence. This collection includes War Department records, records of the Marshall Mission relating to Political Affairs, records of the Marshall Mission relating to Military Affairs, records of the Division of Chinese Affairs, records of John Carter Vincent, and Marshall's report. This collection is cross-searchable with other collections via Archives Unbound. Coverage: 1945-1947, contains primary sources. Full text.
Access documents on topics relating to Japanese internal affairs in the 1930s and during World War II, including: politics, the rise of Bolshevism and radicalism, militarism, the Sino-Japanese war, trade and tariffs, social control, labor development and unrest, emigration, war, military, armament, economics, industry, trade, and the affects of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima. This collection is cross-searchable with other collections via Archives Unbound. Coverage: 1930-1949, contains primary sources. Full text.