/* */ Skip to Main Content

Life During the American Revolution: Resources for Students and Educators: Early Newspapers and Periodicals

This guide offers research tips and resource suggestions for educators and students interested in the American Revolution.

Introduction

Printed works increased dramatically in the middle of the 18th century, and materials like newspapers, pamphlets, and broadsides were used as tools to shape public opinion, both for and against the war. During the Revolution, newspapers kept the increasingly literate populace of the colonies informed, helped to develop the concept of a free press, and helped to create a national identity.

Reading these primary source documents can tell us a lot about community sentiment and give us a window into how the colonists saw the world. 

Online Resources

Newspapers: Primary or Secondary Sources?

When is a newspaper or a periodical a primary source and when is it a secondary source? Sometimes the answer is not so simple. Here are some questions to consider as you evaluate newspapers:

1. Was the reporter a witness to the event? If the article is an eyewitness account, then it is a primary source. 

2. When was the article written? If the account was written during the historical event, it's more likely to be a primary source. If the article was written much later, it's probably a secondary source.

3. What source or sources does the author use in the article? 

Further Reading:

Analyzing Primary Sources: Newspapers, Primary Source Nexus

Newspaper Article Analysis Guiding Questions, BARAT Education Foundation

Primary and Secondary Sources, University of Illinois 

Primary vs. Secondary Sources, American University

Suggested Search Terms and Recommended Titles

To learn more about the history of newspapers during the American Revolution, try the following subject searches in the NYPL Research Catalog:

Want to find these books at a library near you? Try searching WorldCat!