Nine Primary Sources for High School History
A while back, I wrote an article titled “Homeschooling, Primary Sources, and History: A Classical Approach.” I argued that we should provide our children with a healthy exposure to primary sources when studying history. A primary source is an original document produced during the period under study. It was written by someone who was actually present at the time of the events it describes. Primary sources are the raw materials of history. These are contrasted with secondary sources, which are commentaries or expositions on history written later by authors who were not there. Textbooks are classic examples of secondary sources, as well as anything else written after the fact.
After I wrote that article, people predictably asked for recommendations on primary sources. This is challenging; while there are many primary source texts, many historical documents are difficult to read and could prove challenging for students. I started thinking, “If I had to pick three primary source texts from each era that were interesting and accessible to high school students, what three would I choose?” The result is this follow-up article, in which I have selected nine primary sources (three from ancient history, three from the Middle Ages, and three from the modern period) that are a good place to start if you’d like to introduce your child to primary source reading.
Because historical texts can always be a bit challenging, I recommend these for the high school level. I have read each one of these and find them interesting and accessible to your average high school reader.
Ancient (5th Century B.C. to 4th Century A.D.)
While historical knowledge can be gleaned from texts going back to the dawn of history, it was only with the Greeks that history as a distinct discipline emerged. From the 5th century B.C. onward, there is an abundance of primary sources available telling us about the lives of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Here are three of my favorites.
Herodotus, Histories
The Greek historian Herodotus of the 5th century B.C. wrote the world’s earliest surviving work of nonfiction, the Histories, a series of historical vignettes about the ancient Greek world. This text has earned him the title of “Father of History.” When I began my undergraduate studies in history as a freshman at Ave Maria, Herodotus’s Histories was literally the first text we were assigned—and with good reason! The Histories are an engaging and entertaining journey through Greek antiquity. Even if historians today question the historicity of Herodotus’s writings, they remain an important and accessible text in the history of…history. The Penguin edition translated by Tom Holland is a solid choice.
Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars
Suetonius was a Roman historian who wrote during the reign of Hadrian (117-137 AD). He is best known for his The Twelve Caesars, a colorful history of Rome’s Caesars from the time of Julius up to Domitian. Suetonius was the first Roman historian I dug into as a young man. In retrospect, it was a good choice because his Twelve Caesars is a hilarious read. Suetonius eschews politics and war to focus on the personal lives of Rome’s illustrious rulers, detailing the bizarre eccentricities and personal foibles of figures such as Augustus, Caligula, and Nero. Essentially, it’s a collection of 1st-century court gossip, but it makes for entertaining reading! I had my 17-year-old son read it this year, and he loved it. When it comes to these sorts of historical works, you can’t go wrong with the Penguin edition.
The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity
Sts. Perpetua and Felicity (or Felictas) were two Roman women of North Africa who were martyred in Carthage around the year 203 AD. Perpetua was a noblewoman, and Felicity her slave. Both were denounced to the Roman authorities and suffered death in the arena for professing the faith of Christ. The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity is unique among early martyrdom texts in its length, detail, and narrative structure. It provides an excellent and compelling introduction to the dangers of being a Christian in pagan Rome as experienced through the eyes of two of North Africa’s most eminent martyrs. There are many print editions available, but you can also read it online at New Advent.
The Middle Ages (5th Century-15th Century)
The Middle Ages saw the emergence of Christendom from the wake of Rome’s collapse and the full flowering of Catholic civilization. There are numerous excellent primary texts from the Middle Ages, making it difficult to choose only three. The three I have highlighted below are texts I’ve had long personal experience with and which stand out as exemplars of medieval primary documents.
St. Bede the Venerable, Ecclesiastical History of the English People
I first picked up a copy of St. Bede’s famous history of Anglo-Saxon England while on vacation with my family in Virginia. I bought it at a used book store in Fredericksburg and couldn’t put it down for the rest of the trip—much to the consternation of my family!
Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People begins with the remote history of Britain under the Celts and Romans, but spends the bulk of its time with the Anglo-Saxon period, from the mission of St. Augustine of Canterbury in 597 up to Bede’s own day in the 8th century and is our primary reference for the history fo the early Anglo-Saxon period. I really enjoyed reading Bede’s history, as Bede was a gifted writer and the book is engaging as literature as well as interesting as history. I personally have the Penguin edition, but there are numerous options available.
Jean de Joinville, The Life of St. Louis
St. Louis IX was King of France during the mid-13th century, a period often regarded as the apogee of medieval Christendom. St. Louis exemplified Christian chivalry and was regarded as a saint within his own lifetime. His biography was written by Jean de Joinville, one of the king’s nobles who was on intimate terms with the saintly monarch. I first read Joinville’s biography in college and have come back to it many times. His anecdotes about Louis’s life are instructive, edifying, and even humorous. The book paints a vivid picture of one of the most important rulers of medieval Christendom. There is a good edition of Joinville’s life in the text Chronicles of the Crusades, by Penguin.
Little Flowers of St. Francis
Francis of Assisi is one of my favorite saints! When I was a new Catholic, I picked up a copy of the Little Flowers of St. Francis, sometimes known by its Italian title Fioretti. Written by an anonymous Italian author at the end of the 14th century, the Little Flowers is a charming collection of stories from the life of Francis and his early followers. With 53 chapters, it is easily digestible and accessible to a wide range of readers. In fact, I read it to my own children when they were little, to their great enjoyment. It is considered an essential historical document in Franciscan history and is believed to preserve many of the earliest sayings and deeds of Francis and his companions. There are many editions available, some more scholarly, others written for pious edification.
Modern (16th Century to Present)
Primary source documents proliferate from the 16th century onward, largely due to the invention of the printing press. The 18th and 19th centuries saw the development of history along more academic lines in an attempt to bring scientific rigor to the field. This improved historical accuracy, but with the added consequence that history texts got a bit more… well, boring. For modern times, I have chosen three texts that I think buck this trend.
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography
What American doesn’t know about Ben Franklin? The famous 18th-century polymath of Philadelphia was a scientist, inventor, philanthropist, and one of our nation’s Founding Fathers. His autobiography, published posthumously in 1791, offers a fascinating insight into the life and mind of one of America’s most important figures. From his youth teaching Britons to swim in the Thames to his old age as a member of the Continental Congress, Franklin’s Autobiography is a charming introduction to the wit and wisdom for which Franklin is so widely known. The Signet Classic edition is an excellent and inexpensive option.
John B. Tisdale, Three Years Behind the Guns: The True Chronicles of a Diddy-Box
John Tisdale was a U.S. naval crewman who served in the Pacific during the Spanish-American War. His autobiographical work, Three Years Behind the Guns, is a thrilling first-hand account of the American seizure of the Philippines in 1898. I read this book a few years ago. I was impressed with the quality of Tisdale’s writing (which is surprisingly fluid and descriptive for a 19th-century sailor) and his lively account of life on a turn-of-the-century naval vessel. Arx Publishing has a fantastic edition, which I highly recommend.
Robert F. Kennedy, Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 is generally considered the closest the United States ever got to a nuclear war with Russia. Robert F. Kennedy’s 1969 book Thirteen Days is a succinct memoir of the event written from Kennedy’s perspective as Attorney General during his brother’s administration. As a former war correspondent, Kennedy has a straightforward, lucid writing style that breaks down the complexities of the Missile Crisis with great clarity. It’s not too long, either, making it a nice introduction to Cold War-era texts for young readers. Norton has a pretty solid edition.
Conclusion
Firsthand accounts anchor students in the reality of the past. Primary sources cultivate objectivity, sharpen judgment, and reveal history as lived experience. Blending textbooks with original documents gives teens a fuller, more accurate understanding of history.
These nine texts will give your teen a rich entry into real history. They invite students to meet the past through vivid firsthand voices. Start with one, read together, and watch your homeschool grow in curiosity, context, and confidence.
What are your thoughts on this topic? Join other homeschooling parents and me in the Homeschool Connections Facebook Group or in the HSC Community to continue the conversation.
Editor’s Note: Many of Mr. Campbell’s online history classes use primary sources as the course spine. I especially recommend his Introduction to Christian Historiography, a four-class recorded course that provides an outstanding foundation for high school and college-level history. As a study of how history itself is studied, it equips students with the essential tools and mindset they need for all future history courses.
This article includes affiliate links.
