Primary Sources

Teachers, need a primary source to create a lesson in the classroom? Students, need a source for a research project?

Here, we've listed the primary sources featured in our Unit Plans. Click on a primary source to go to its page, where you may find additional images, transcriptions of the text, a citation guide for including the source in a bibliography, or ways to purchase copies of the source for the classroom.

HSP's collections are not limited to the primary sources listed here. To see all that HSP has to offer, come visit us or explore our collection online through the Digitial Library and the Discover online catalog.

Some sources have handwriting that is difficult to read. If you need help decoding handwriting, check out this guide from Ancestry.

By Topic

Samuel Gibbon letter to John H. Gibbon 5/5/1917 Letter from Sam Gibbon to his father serving as an army doctor in World War I. Postmarked May 5th 1917	War Garden Photographs This source has multiple images. Click on the image to view others. Photographs of various War Gardens-related activities from the Philadelphia War Photograph Committee. (1) is photograph of students at West Philadelphia High School tending to war gardens.(2) is photograph of young members of the "land army" posed for review at an unidentified location. 20th century, World War I, Philadelphia
National League for Womans Service poster World War I-era poster for the "National League for Womans Service." 20th century, World War I, Pennsylvania	U.S. Navy Recruitment Poster World War I-era poster recruiting men for the U.S. Navy. 20th century, World War I, Pennsylvania
Do As Our Forefathers Did in 1776: Enlist Poster A World War I era poster encouraging men to take up arms and enlist. The poster callson Revolutionary War imagery and sentiments. 20th century, World War I, Pennsylvania	"Pennsylvania's British Day" Poster World War I-era poster urging Americans to "help the orphans of British soldiers sailors & mine-sweepers." 20th century, World War I, Pennsylvania
Victory Stamp Poster This source has multiple images. Click on the image to view others. World War II-era poster encouraging boys and girls to buy "victory stamps." Includes fold-out booklet for collecting stamps. 20th century, World War I, Pennsylvania	Libtery Loan Statue at City Hall This Source has multiple images. Click on the image to view the others. Various photographs of the Liberty Statue displayed at City Hall(1) is photograph of the crowd gathered in the City Hall plaza for the unveiling of the Liberty Statue, which was installed to promote the purchase of Liberty Loans.(2) is photograph of night scene showing the crowd gathered around the Liberty Statue in City Hall plaza. Visible on the facade of City Hall is a light display reading "Food Will Win the War. Don't Waste It." 20th century, World War I, Pennsylvania
The Speech of Dr. Henry Anonymous Draft of speech by John Fryer to the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting concerning homosexuality and the psychiatric profession. Fryer was the protagonist of one of the most important moments in the history of the American gay rights movement. In 1964, Dr. Franklin E. Kameny publicly criticized the listing of homosexuality as a disease in medical literature. 20th century, Arts and Culture, Community and Public Service, Education, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Politics, Science and Medicine	A High School and Its Immigrant Community: A Challenge and an Opportunity Excerpt from Leonard Covello's article. The author examines different aspects about the immigrant communities in East Harlem and discusses the model of community-centered schools. 20th century, Ethnic history, Immigration
Elizabeth Drinker Diary 1782-1784 The diaries of Elizabeth Sandwith Drinker highlight the life of a Quaker woman living in Philadelphia in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Between 1758 and 1807, Drinker wrote often in her journals, usually about her family and their health. Occassionaly, she also detailed medical practices and her own moral standards. She discussed major events insofar as they affected her family, such as the Revolutionary War and the 1793 Yellow Fever outbreak. 18th century, Education, American Revolution, Philadelphia, Women	Elizabeth Fergusson Portrait This primary source is a portrait of Elizabeth Fergusson. She wrote poems about women during the Revolutionary War era that provide insight into a womans daily life. 18th century, Education, American Revolution, Women