Hello there, I am a 2nd bachelor's degree student in Modern and Contemporary History and I need just a little bit of help from you guys.
I know this is not like other questions that are in this subreddit, but I believe they're not against the rules.
So here's my problem:
As a student I have many 15-page paperwork to deliver in different classes and I love to do them, the investigation is by far the most fun thing I can do in classes and is what I want to do in the future. but I have a huge amount of trouble finding primary sources, aka sources written in the period of time about the subject I am studying.
I don't want to ask my teachers all the time where to look or what book to read. I have come many times to this subreddit and /r/History to check FAQ and Book List in here - amazing work guys by the way - but aside from that... how or where can I get some sort of list (or knowledge) saying where those books/documents are?
To be a little more specific - just to show examples - I am doing right now two papers, each 15 pages:
Crime during the French Revolution - Where I want to compare the moral code and laws regarding crime before the French Revolution and what happened during the Revolution (IF people didn't abide the moral code etc).
The Industrial Revolution and the beginning of the Capitalism Model - Straigh foward title
So where or how do I find primary sources? Is there any databases where I could check etc?
Thank you so much for your time/help!
I always start with Modern History Sourcebook. It is a great jumping off point to primary sources and usually gets me started. For French Revolution specific documents, start here at the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media. Going to the websites of national museums can be fruitful (Smithsonian, British Museum, Lourve) Sometimes a simple Google search can provide either a database or the file you want (i.e. searching in Google "French Revolution" "primary source") After those steps, I usually consult my universities research librarian. In most cases I am floored with the information they find, they usually get nerdy excited to do so. Also looking at the bibliography of a secondary source can tell you where they go their information from.
For the French Revolution; assuming you speak French, check out Gallica Online- the French National Archives have digitized plenty of interesting things.