Primary and Secondary Sources
Examples of the Sources
Primary Source
Can be anything made during that time:
- Videos
- Pictures
- Letters
- Diary entires
- Newspaper articles
Primary Source Ex. 1 (Original)
This unsent letter was written by a Lithuanian deportee in the 1940’s
“Dear Lina,
I finally arrived in Serbia, after endless hours of being stuffed in a cattle car. Whenever I close my eyes, I see the NKVD officers shooting this poor woman that tried to escape. I can’t bare these conditions anymore. It’s been months since I last ate a full meal. All my clothes are torn and filled with dirt from the traveling. The cold in Serbia is seeping into my bones. I might not make it alive. I pray that you are doing okay and that you won’t have to endure what I have to endure.”
*Translated from Russia into English*
Primary Source Ex. 2
Secondary Source
Secondary Source Ex. 1 (Online)
Excerpt from the online website for Traditions and Encounters
"While other parts of the world were experiencing unprecedented prosperity during the postclassical era, Europe's economy underwent a sharp constriction with the fall of the Roman Empire. Long-distance trade did not entirely disappear, significant developments took place in agricultural production, and there were brief periods of government consolidation; nevertheless, early medieval Europe was a world dominated by rural self-sufficiency and political decentralization. In spite of its seeming "backwardness" compared to the other great empires of the postclassical world, Europe was laying the foundation for the development of the powerful society that would emerge during the high middle ages." (Online Learning Center)