Many educators appreciate the value of using primary source materials in the classroom. The documents selected for this section provide many possibilities for classroom discussion or student activities. For additional primary source materials related to the Holocaust, see the Web link to the Nizkor archives at the bottom of this page.
A rationale for teaching with primary sources.
- Nazi Statements on "The Jewish Question." Excerpts from Hitler, Himmler, and others on the destruction of European Jewry.
- Hitler on Propaganda. Excerpts from Mein Kampf.
- Nazi Party Program. The 25 points of the National Socialist German Worker's Party.
- Munich Pact. The agreement concluded at Munich, September 29, 1938, between Germany, Great Britain, France, and Italy.
- Nonagression Treaty. The Nonagression Treaty concluded in Moscow, August 23, 1939, between Germany and the USSR.
- Hitler Address. Address by Adolf Hitler before the Reichstag, September 1, 1939.
- Hitler Proclamation. Proclamation by Adolf Hitler to the German People, September 3, 1939.
- Communication from the German Government to the British Government. Communication from the German government to the British government, handed by Joachim von Rippentrop, Minister for Foreign Affairs, to the British Ambassador (Sir Neville Henderson) at 11:20 A.M., September 3, 1939.
- The Wannsee Protocol. Minutes of the 1942 Wannsee Conference planning the annihilation of over eleven million European Jews.
- Discriminatory Decrees Against the Jews. This list of decrees was presented as evidence at the Nuremberg Trials.
- Kristallnacht. The Nazi order for the "spontaneous" violence of that evening.
- Night and Fog Decree. Directives for the prosecution of offences committed within the occupied territories against the German State or the occupying power, of December 7th, 1941.
- German Declaration of War with the United States, December 11, 1941.
- Euthanasia. Documents related to the murder and cremation of mentally handicapped patients.
- Medical Experiments. Reports on freezing, low pressure and other experiments performed on camp inmates.
- Sterilization of the Jewish workers. Nazi correspondence related to the purpose and means of sterilizing Jewish and other workers.
- Auschwitz. Documents related to Auschwitz' function as a death camp.
- Auschwitz. Nazi testimony regarding gassing at the camp.
- Belzec. Nazi testimony regarding gassing at the camp.
- Treblinka. Nazi testimony regarding gassing at the camp.
- Camps. Nazi testimony regarding gassing at various camps.
- Gassing Vans. Nazi correspondence detailing the operation of gassing vans.
- Gassing Vans. Nazi testimony about gassing vans.
- The Jager Report. A chilling report by the commander of one of the Einsatzgruppen,detailing the murder of 137,346 persons in a five month period.
- Documents about Mass Murder. Nazi correspondence, orders, and reports documenting mass murder.
- Crematorium Construction. Court testimony made by crematorium engineers.
- Life in the Warsaw Ghetto. Excerpts from Emanuel Ringelblum's description of life in the Warsaw Ghetto.
- Stroop Report. Excerpts from General Stroop's report on the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto.
- Stroop Report. Complete text of General Stroop's report on the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto.
- Hans Frank. Quotes from the Governor General of Occupied Poland.
- Heinrich Himmler. Quotes from the head of the SS.
- Julius Streicher. Quotes from the editor of Der Stürmer.
- Robert Jackson's Opening Address at the Nuremberg Trials. This lengthy address gives an overview of Nazi activity and states the United States' case against the accused at Nuremberg. Sections include:
- Opening remarks
- The lawless road to power
- The consolidation of Nazi power
- Battle against the working class
- Battle against the churches
- Crimes against the Jews
- Crimes against the Jews, Continued
- Terrorism and preparation for war
- Experiments in aggression
- War of aggression
- Conspiracy with Japan
- Crimes in the conduct of war
- The law of the case
- The crime against peace
- The law of individual responsibility
- The political, police and military organizations
- The responsibility of the Tribunal.
- The Eizenstat Report. U.S. and Allied Efforts to Recover and Restore Gold and Other Assets Stolen or Hidden by Germany During World War II.
- Proceedings of the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets
Visit the Nizkor archives for an invaluable collection of Holocaust-related documents. This is the largest archive of Holocaust documents available on the Internet. Although Nizkor is working to place these materials on the Web for easier access, the bulk of the documents at this site are available only by FTP.
Visit Yad Vashem for a carefully arranged collection of 213 Holocaust documents in English.
Visit the Avalon Project at the Yale Law School for an outstanding collection of documents in law, history and diplomacy.
If you find any materials at either of these sites that are particularly useful in the classroom, please send us the address of the document and a note about how you were able to use it in the classroom. We will consider including that document and/or activity in an update to the Teacher's Guide. Also, if you develop an activity using any of the documents already included in this resource section, please let us know.
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A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology,
College of Education, University of South Florida © 2000.