THREATENING TO LYNCH A FIEND 1896

 Since I was in a conversation with someone who asked me where I get my information, I thought I'd take the time to let my new readers know that I still depend on "Primary Sources" instead of "Secondary Sources" for my articles. To understand the difference, we have to understand what is meant by a "Primary Source."

A primary source is defined as "a first-hand or contemporary account of an event or topic. They are the most direct evidence of a time or event because they were created by people or things that were there at the time or event. These sources have not been modified by interpretation and offer original thought or new information. Primary sources are original materials, regardless of format.

Oral histories, newspaper or journal articles, and memoirs or autobiographies are examples of primary sources created after the event or time in question but offering first-hand accounts. News articles, letters, diaries, meeting minutes, photographs, artifacts, interviews, and sound or video recordings are examples of primary sources created as a time or event is occurring. 

Primary sources may be transformed from their original format into a newer one, such as when materials are published or digitized, but the contents are still primary. There are many primary sources available online today, but many more are still available in their original format, in archives, museums, libraries, historical sites, and elsewhere."

The key to the validity of a primary source is that it remains unchanged and uninterpreted by those who may offer their opinions, conjectures, and suppositions of what took place. Some writers presume things and lead their readers to think something is true when there isn't any proof that it is true. They assume that something must exist, or is factual, or truthful when their statement is just assumed true without proof at all -- or is flimsy and sketchy. 

I like dealing with proven facts that I can prove by using a primary source. And really, as an old evidence teacher used to say, "What isn't a primary source is merely a secondary source -- and that's just second-hand information."

Secondary sources are defined as "sources which offer interpretation, analysis, or commentary. These resources are often information with the addition of hindsight or historical perspective. Common examples include criticisms, histories, and magazine, journal, or newspaper articles written after the fact. Some secondary sources may also be considered primary or tertiary sources - the definition of this term is not set in stone.

Below is a great example of a primary source about an event that took place in 1896. 

San Francisco Call, Volume 80, Number 1, 1 June 1896 — THREATENING TO LYNCH A FIEND, [ARTICLE]

This story is right out of the San Francisco Call newspaper just as if you were reading it on June 1st, 1896. This is as good a primary source as one can get.

Tom Correa