Views from the Colony: A Look at Life in Upper Canada

We always want to find an eyewitness when there is an accident, someone who can help clarify what took place. The same is true in the study of history. Historians always try to find eyewitnesses to help them understand events.

Although there is no person still alive who can tell us about the Rebellion of 1837, we do have "eyewitness" testimony of different kinds. Diaries, drawings, maps, newspapers, and business and government records are some examples of the different kinds of eyewitness reports that historians can examine to learn about this period of time. These types of accounts are called primary sources.

However, people often rely on others to interpret or analyze historical events and evidence. These interpretations are called secondary sources. Textbooks and encyclopedias are examples of secondary sources.

In this introduction, we are going to study the differences between primary and secondary sources, and then examine how to use several types of primary sources in historical research.

Go to Understanding Primary and Secondary Resources.