Primary Source Sets
The Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop critical thinking skills by exploring a variety of topics related to Minnesota’s history and culture. Using both primary and secondary sources, these sets bring together resources in new ways to help students better understand historic events in their context.
Drawing materials from libraries, archives, and museums across Minnesota, these sets use letters, photographs, advertisements, oral histories, postcards, newsletters, speeches, and more. Each set includes a topic overview, ten to twenty primary sources from the MDL collection, links to related resources, and a section called “Think Like a Historian” which offers discussion questions and classroom activities. We invite educators and researchers to use these primary source sets in their teaching and learning.
Basilica of Saint Mary
Learn about the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, the first basilica in America and a prominent cultural and architectural presence.
Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge
Learn about Duluth's Aerial Lift Bridge and its economic impact.
New
Main Streets
Learn about Minnesota's main streets, their role in a community, and how they have changed over time.
Morgan Park: U. S. Steel's Company Town in Duluth, Minnesota
Learn about Morgan Park, a neighborhood in Duluth, constructed by U.S. Steel as a planned community and company town.
Motion picture theaters in Minnesota
Motion picture theaters have played a role in the architectural, cultural, social, and entertainment history of Minnesota.