When it gets down to basics, history is made up primarily of stories – stories about people and the times in which they lived.  The lives of people and the major events of history are complex and often in the gray areas between simple judgments of right or wrong or good or bad. Official documents such as state papers, treaties, law codes, and similar works tell part of these stories, but so do personal letters and diaries, newspapers, and political pamphlets. 

Wandering through original sources provides the context in which these stories took place, reveal contradictions and conflicts among historical actors, learn from the past to improve our future, and help us enhance our own critical thinking skills.  Searching through original sources – documents created at the time period you are studying – can be addictive, but an addiction well worth it.