LibGuides: Anti-Asian/Asian American Racism: A Resource Guide: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

Why use primary sources?

Primary sources give you a front-row seat to past events and unedited access to the people who shaped our history. You gain new perspectives by examining the past through the eyes and ears of someone who was there.

Primary sources may include, but are not limited to:

letters, manuscripts, diaries, journals, newspapers, maps, speeches, interviews, documents produced by government agencies, photographs, audio or video recordings, born-digital items (e.g. emails), research data, and objects or artifacts (such as works of art or ancient roads, buildings, tools, and weapons).

-- Primary Sources on the Web: Finding, Evaluating, Using. ALA Reference and User Services Association, 2015.

Primary sources can also be challenging to use.

The formats of primary sources may be unique and unfamiliar. They require critical analysis due to their creators’ intents and biases; the variety of contexts in which they have been created, preserved, and made accessible; and the gaps, absences, and silences that may exist in the materials.

Consider reaching out to a Skyline College librarian for help as you get started.

You're welcome to Ask a Librarian for guidance.

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Not sure where to start?

Library of Congress Collection

Asian American and Pacific Islander Materials: A Resource Guide
"This guide serves as a point of entry for researchers seeking materials in multiple formats on Asian American/Pacific Islander studies and related resources at the Library of Congress. The types of resources covered in this guide range from special collections containing photographs, diary entries, and recorded interviews to monographs, reference works, and serials."
Asian American Historical Resources Collections link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content, including finding aids for manuscript collections, are included when available.
Japanese-American Internment Camp Newspapers, 1942 to 1946
"Produced by the Japanese-Americans interned at assembly centers and relocation centers around the country during World War II, these newspapers provide a unique look into the daily lives of the people who were held in these camps. They include articles written in English and Japanese, typed, handwritten and drawn. They advertise community events, provide logistical information about the camps and relocation, report on news from the community, and include editorials."
Primary Resources on Chinese Americans From the Library of Congress
See also Chinese Exclusion Act (1882) and Sampling of articles from historic newspapers.

National Archives

Washington State University Libraries Digital Collections

Chinese Americans in the Columbia River Basin
Primary documents of Chinese Americans along the Columbia River Basin (encompassing areas of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah and and British Columbia).
Japanese Americans in the Columbia River Basin
Primary documents of Japanese Americans along the Columbia River Basin (encompassing areas of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah and and British Columbia).

Digital History

The Digital Library is designed specifically for history teachers and their students with works of authorship, government records, works for which copyright permission has expired, works reprinted with permission, or works that it believes are within the fair use protection of the copyright laws.

To cite the following pages please use the citation format below:

APA format:

Mintz, S., & McNeil, S. (2018). Title of the page. Digital History. https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/voices/voices_content.cfm?vid=1. Accessed date.

MLA format:

Mintz, Steven, and Sara McNell . “Title of the page.” Digital History, 2018, https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/voices/voices_content.cfm?vid=1. Accessed date.

Asian Voices
Content:
Asia Discovers America
Asians and the Making of America
World War II and Asian Americans
The Newest Immigrants
Chinese Immigrants and the Building of the Transcontinental Railroad

The Massacre of Chinese Americans

The Masacre of the Chinese (1885) One of the worst outbreaks of anti-Chinese violence occurred at Rock Springs, Wyoming, in 1885.
'To This We Dissented’: The Rock Springs Riot Detailed firsthand account sent by the Chinese miners to the Chinese Consul at New York It reports precise physical descriptions of the corpses and of the damage to Chinatown.
“’Rock Springs is Killed:’ White Reaction to the Rock Springs Riot,” Published in the Rock Springs newspaper, the Independent.>/i>

Other Primary Sources

Poems Written by the People in Japanese Internment Camps in the United States

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