Research Guides: HIST 1302/3378/3379/5375: United States History Since 1876: Find Primary Sources

Librarian

Kristina Claunch

Contact:

936-294-1520
kclaunch@shsu.edu
Library (NGL) Room 223G

Finding Primary Sources

Bedford Series in History and Culture More than 70 volumes give a brief history and related primary documents on diverse topics in U.S. and World History, such as Jefferson vs. Hamilton, the Dred Scott Decision, the Emancipation Proclamation, the First World War, the influenza pandemic of 1918, U.S. environmentalism since 1945, the end of the Cold War, and MUCH more.
Milestone Documents Series
Volumes cover topics such as African American history, world history, American history, and more.
Historic Documents Series (1972-2013)
Documents Decoded Series
Volumes cover topics such as the Great Depression and New Deal and women's rights.
Defining Documents Series Volumes cover topics such as Manifest Destiny (1803-1859); Reconstruction (1865-1877); the emergence of modern America (1874-1917); World War I (1914-1919); the 1920s; the 1930s; the 1950s; Civil Rights; the Vietnam War; and more.
American Eras Primary Sources Series Volumes cover topics such as colonial and revolutionary eras, early nationhood, Civil War and Reconstruction, and the industrial revolution.
Encyclopedia of American Historical Documents Selected documents, from exploration of the Americas through Bush administration--strongest in more recent documents. Arranged in sections by era, with section and document introductions for historical context.

America's Historical Newspapers 1690-1998 This link opens in a new window American and U.S. local newspapers from all 50 states, ranging from 1690 to 1998.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994 This link opens in a new window Reports, documents, journals of U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 1817-1994. Every publication, over 415,000 documents, from 15th - 103rd Congresses.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports, 1941-1974 This link opens in a new window This historical archive provides 30 years of U.S. intelligence on international affairs, covering regions around the world from Asia, Africa, and Europe to Latin America, the Middle East, and the former Soviet Union. These reports include transcribed and translated radio broadcasts from foreign governments, official news services, and clandestine broadcasts from occupied territories--often these are first-hand reports of events as they occurred.
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window More than 100 million pages of legal history in an online, fully-searchable, image-based format. Comprehensive coverage, from inception, of more than 2,000 law and law-related periodicals, as well as many current and historical government documents.
New York Times Historical, 1851 to 3 years ago This link opens in a new window Every page of every issue of the New York Times, from 1851 until approximately 3 years ago.
Presidential Recordings Digital Edition: The Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon White House Tapes This link opens in a new window Hundreds of hours of presidential audio recordings (and full text transcripts) from the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations. Covers many major issues, from the Kennedy Assassination and the Civil Rights Movement to the Vietnam War, the War on Poverty, and much more. Also includes photo and video galleries and a linked timeline.
Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window Source for quantitative facts in American history; statistical tables are also accompanied by source documentation and expert essays to provide historical context. Diverse topics include slavery, migration, health, poverty, crime, and more. Users can customize and download data tables.

View All History Databases at the SHSU Library

AP (Associated Press) Archive Exclusive video footage from the Associated Press (AP), spanning many events across many decades. (Associated Press)
AmDocs: Documents for the Study of American History
(WWW Virtual Library)
American Centuries: View From New England
(Memorial Hall Museum Online)
American Folklife Center (Library of Congress)
American History and Culture (Smithsonian Institute)
Library of Congress Digital Collections American history, 1400-present, documented by the Library of Congress. Millions of items: written & spoken words, audio, video, images, maps, sheet music, etc.
Americas Archive Brings together key political and cultural documents representing a multilingual “America” that includes Canada, the Caribbean, and Latin America from the beginning of colonization to the present. (Rice Univ.)
Chronicling America
Digitized newspapers from a number of states, with most coverage 1860-1922. Library of Congress project. More newspapers are being added regularly. Texas component: Texas Digital Newspaper Program.
Digital History
(Univ. of Houston)
Documenting the American South
(Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill)
FBI Records: The Vault FBI documents on diverse topics ranging from gangsters and organized crime, World War II, and Vietnam to Civil Rights, counterterrorism, popular culture, and much more. Note: the dates listed beside each file generally represent when it was put online, not when it was created.
Gilder Lehrman Collection
(Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)
Many Pasts: Primary Documents
(George Mason Univ.)
National Archives Research Catalog (National Archives and Records Administration)
New York Public Library Digital Collections (New York Public Library)
National Park Service Historic Photographs (National Park Service)
National Park Service History and Culture Homepage (National Park Service)
Pageant of America Photo Archive, 1860s - 1920s
(New York Public Library)
Picturing America, 1497-1899
(New York Public Library)
Smithsonian Institute Collections

U.S. History: Primary Source Collections Online
by Kristina Claunch Last Updated Apr 15, 2024 35242 views this year

Video: Finding Primary Source Collections with Google Advanced Search

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Video: How to Search America's Historical Newspapers

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Video: Using Dates to Search History Databases

Many primary source databases cover a long period of history, so you can really improve your searching by knowing how to search only the dates you need.

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