Primary Sources

Making of America
Use this database for primary source material from 1840-1900 United States.
Making of America
Use this database for primary source materials documenting American social history 1850 - 1877.
DPLA - Digital Public Library of America
Use this database to find primary source material on all periods of American history.

American Yawp Primary Source Reader
National Archives
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration's online collection of primary documents.
Office of the Historian
U.S. Department of State primary documents (Foreign Relations of the United States or "FRUS") sorted by presidential administration.

Find articles

Use these library databases to find articles on topics in American history.

Credo Reference
Learn more about your topic. Use Credo to find background information, and identify key words to use as you continue your research. Credo is authoritative alternative to Wikipedia.
JSTOR
Start your research here. Find scholarly articles from history journals, generally from the first volume ever published, through three years ago.
World History Collection
After you've tried JSTOR, use World History Collection. It includes magazines and scholarly journals pertaining to history.
Humanities Source
Use Humanities Source next. This database contains peer-reviewed articles in all fields of the humanities, including history.

Journal of the American Revolution
This resource is a leading source of knowledge about the American Revolution and Founding Era.

Find books

Search the library catalog or an eBook collection:

Begley Library Catalog
Use this to find books and DVDs in Begley Library, as well as ebooks to access online.
eBook Central
Use this to find ebooks in many academic subject areas. To search this and other ebook collections all at once, use the Begley Library catalog advanced search, limited to collection: electronic resources / ebook.
eBook Collection
Use this to find ebooks in academic subject areas. To search this and other ebook collections all at once, use the Begley Library catalog advanced search, limited to collection: electronic resources / ebook.

Ask Us 24/7

The librarian says...

What is a primary source?

Primary sources are materials that provide first-hand information that is factual, without analysis or interpretation. The accounts may be from the time they occurred or created at a later date by someone with first-hand knowledge; for example, a memoir.

Types of primary source materials may be words, images, or objects.

Some examples are:

Artifacts like fossils, furnuture, clothing, pottery or jewelry
Original works of art, literature, or music; e.g., a novel or a painting
Autobiographies (not biographies)
Correspondence
Government documents; e.g., laws, presidential papers
Vital records like birth certificates
Diaries, letters, interviews, manuscripts
Personal narratives
Photographs, postcards, maps
Published results of clinical trials or experiments
Newspaper and magazine articles that contain first-hand factual accounts

American History - HIS 227 & HIS 229: Find Sources