LibGuides: American History: Find Primary Sources

Locating Primary Sources in the Catalog

To locate primary resources in library databases, perform a Subject or Keyword search on the person, place, event, etc., in combination with one of the following terms:

diaries
personal narratives
correspondence
sources
pictorial works
maps
speeches
addresses

Databases with Primary Sources

JSTOR Images (formerly Artstor) This link opens in a new window
Search thousands of digital images of artworks and other objects. JSTOR's image catalog includes almost everything previously held in Artstor, which will be retired in August of 2024.
Women and Social Movements in the U.S., 1600-2000 This link opens in a new window
Many resources, including books, primary documents, images, scholarly essays, commentaries, bibliographies, and more, documenting the multiplicity of women's activism in public life.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection This link opens in a new window
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals includes digitized images of the pages of American magazines and journals from 1684 through 1904. These specialized collections cover advertising, health, women's issues, science, the history of slavery, industry and professions, religious issues, culture and the arts, and more.

Digital Archives

ALIC Bibliography of Resources on American women
Includes bibliographies, links to resources on African American women's history, suffrage, politics, women and the military.
American Indian Records in the National Archives
Among the billions of historical records housed at the National Archives throughout the country, researchers can find information relating to American Indians from as early as 1774 through the mid 1990s.
Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC)
a cooperative digital library for resources from and about the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean. dLOC provides access to digitized versions of Caribbean cultural, historical and research materials currently held in archives, libraries, and private collections.
First World War.com:The War to end all Wars
The purpose of this website is to provide an overview of the First World War
US Holocaust Memorial Museum
The Museum’s Collections document the fate of Holocaust victims, survivors, rescuers, liberators, and others through artifacts, documents, photos, films, books, personal stories, and more.
Modern History Sourcebook
This site includes primary history sources, classified by historical period.
Museums with Native American Collections, AMNH
Explore this sample list of museums with Native American collections. Some of the institutions have searchable databases of their collections as well as educational resources.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture
The National Museum of American History
The National Museum of the American Indian
National Security Archive: The Nuclear Vault
Resources from the National Security Archive's Nuclear Documentation Project
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database has
information on more than 35,000 slave voyages that forcibly embarked over 12 million Africans for transport to the Americas between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. It offers researchers, students and the general public a chance to rediscover the reality of one of the largest forced movements of peoples in world history.
Smithsonian Research Online
Welcome to the Smithsonian Research Online where you can learn about and explore the active, ongoing research in the Smithsonian world.

Library Guides & Databases
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American History

What's a Primary Source?

Locating Primary Sources in the Catalog

Databases with Primary Sources

Digital Archives