LibGuides: 21H.102: America Since 1865: Find Primary Sources

Books

To find book primary sources, use library catalogs like Barton and WorldCat.

Subheadings such as "correspondence," "sources," "biography," and "speeches" can point to primary sources.
Pair these subheadings with keywords or topical subject headings in Barton to identify relevant sources in the MIT Libraries.
See this table for other possible subheadings.

Historical Newspapers

NewspaperArchive.com
Thousands of newspapers, available in full-page facsimile, with searchable full text. Most are U.S. titles, with some international coverage, and most are fairly small-circulation newspapers. 1759-present.
Atlanta Constitution Historical Archive
1868-1929
Boston Globe Historical Archive
1872-1922
Chicago Tribune Historical Archive
1849-1985
Los Angeles Times Historical Archive
1881-1985
New York Times Historical Archive
1851-2002
Wall Street Journal Historical Archive
1889-1987
Washington Post Historical Archive
1877-1988
Boston Central Public Library - Copley Square
An excellent resource for US and foreign newspapers, many of which are archived from their inception. This page lists BPL historical newspaper holdings on microfilm.

Historical Periodicals

Reader's Guide Retrospective (1890-1982)
Indexing and abstracting for many general interest magazines. Great source for historical material on the 20th-century.
Poole's Index to Periodical Literature (1802-1902)
A print index that covers general periodical literature.
Humanities Reference AI3.P822 1893.
JSTOR
A full-text scholarly journal archive, back to vol. 1, issue 1, in many fields.
PAIS Archive (1915-1976)
This database consists of indexing and abstracting of articles, books, conference proceedings, government documents, book chapters, and statistical directories about public affairs.

Contemporary Newspapers and Periodicals

LexisNexis Academic
Full text of many newspapers and periodicals.
Proquest Research Library
Indexes thousands of journals, newspapers and magazines in a broad range of subjects. Many articles are available in full text.
Ethnic NewsWatch (1990-present)
A full-text collection of newspapers, journals and magazines published by ethnic and minority presses.

Government Information

Declassified Documents Reference System
Online access to over 500,000 pages of previously classified government documents, covering major international events from the Cold War to the Vietnam War and beyond.
Digital National Security Archive (1945-present)
A collection of primary documents central to US foreign and military policy since 1945. More than 35,000 declassified documents have been gathered through use of the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
LexisNexis Congressional
Indexing and abstracts for U.S. congressional publications. Full text of reports, bills, public laws, & legislative histories and links to selected full-text documents, committee prints, & hearings testimony. Indexing: from 1789. Full text: from mid-1980s
U.S. Government Information Research Guide
This guide describes how to find U.S. government information in the MIT Libraries.
Political Science Subject Guide: Congressional Publications
This guide describes how to find U.S. Congressional publications at the MIT Libraries and beyond.

Statistics

Historical Statistics of the United States
Compendium of US historical statistics from over 1000 sources, plus scholarly essays. Tables can be viewed in PDF/HTML & downloaded in Excel or CSV.
Roper Center for Public Opinion Research
Archive of data from public opinion surveys. Download data from their catalog or search IPoll, their question-level database of survey results.

Maps

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Geographic Information Systems enable users to visualize and analyze spatial information in a dynamic, digital environment. GIS Lab staff are available to help students use GIS data and mapping.
Social Explorer
Visually displays the demographic change that has occurred in the US since 1790 through the present, from country through county level.
Sanborn Maps of Massachusetts
Digitized maps of cities & towns in Massachusetts that show building footprints, building use, addresses, parks, cemeteries, industrial uses & more. 1867-1970.

Collected Primary Sources

Publishers put together collections of different kinds of primary sources (everything from letters to speeches to legal documents) around a topic. The MIT Libraries has these kinds of collections in print and online.

Major Problems in American History Series
In Barton, do a "Series Title begins with" search for "Major problems in American history series." This will turn up 20 titles about various topics, time periods, and events in U.S. history.
Oxford African American Studies Center
Over 300 annotated primary sources in black history, from letters to speeches to legal documents, from the 17th century to contemporary documents. Click on "browse" to see the documents by time period or topic.

Images

ARTstor
A digital library of nearly one million images in the areas of art, architecture, the humanities, and social sciences.

Diaries, Letters, and Oral Histories

In the First Person
Index to thousands of oral histories and other personal narratives, with links to full-text, audio & video. Covers both free and subscription sites.

Primary Sources Outside of the MIT Libraries

See also free web sites with primary sources
Members of the Boston Library Consortium (esp. Boston Public Library, Tufts University, and Boston College) have many important digitized collections--pay them a visit!
Guide to digitized primary sources at Boston Public Library
For more strategies and information on finding primary sources in history, see this draft guide.

Subject Guide

Ece Turnator

Contact:

Ece (pronounced AJ)
turnator@mit.edu
Hayden Library Consultation Suite 14S - 2nd floor
617.253.4979
Make an appointment with me