Library Guides: History: Primary Sources

History Databases - Primary Sources

These links work uniformly both on and off-campus. Off-campus students can use their SU username and password to log into these tools (with the exception of Accessible Archives database, which can only be used on campus).

African American Communities This link opens in a new window This database focuses predominantly on Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, New York, and towns and cities in North Carolina and presents multiple aspects of the African American community through pamphlets, newspapers and periodicals, correspondence, official records, reports and in-depth oral histories, revealing the prevalent challenges of racism, discrimination and integration, and a unique African American culture and identity.
America in Protest: Records of Anti-Vietnam War organizations -- Vietnam Veterans Against the War This link opens in a new window The Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) started in 1967 with six Vietnam veterans marching for peace in New York City. This publication consists of FBI reports dealing with every aspect of antiwar work carried out by the VVAW. The collection also includes surveillance on a variety of other antiwar groups and individuals, with an emphasis on student groups and Communist organizations.
American Indian Correspondence: Presbyterian Historical Society Collection of Missionaries Letters This link opens in a new window American Indian Correspondence is a collection of almost 14,000 letters written by those who served as Presbyterian missionaries to the American Indians during the years from 1833 to 1893.
Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America This link opens in a new window This database contains manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books dating from the earliest contact with European settlers right up to photographs and newspapers from the mid-twentieth century. Browse through a wide range of rare and original documents from treaties, speeches and diaries, to historic maps and travel journals.
American Indian Movement and Native American Radicalism This link opens in a new window Formed in 1968, the American Indian Movement (AIM) expanded from its roots in Minnesota and broadened its political agenda to include a searching analysis of the nature of social injustice in America. These FBI files provide detailed information on the evolution of AIM as an organization of social protest and the development of Native American radicalism.
ArchiveGrid This link opens in a new window Provides online access to nearly a million descriptions of archival collections held by thousands of libraries, museums, historical societies and archives worldwide.
Archives Unbound This link opens in a new window
Archives Unbound presents topically-focused digital collections of historical documents that support the research and study needs of college & university scholars & students.
Black Economic Empowerment: The National Negro Business League This link opens in a new window Booker T. Washington, founder of the National Negro Business League, believed that solutions to the problem of racial discrimination were primarily economic, and that bringing African Americans into the middle class was the key. In 1900, he established the League "to promote the commercial and financial development of the Negro," and headed it until his death.
Black Liberation Army and the Program of Armed Struggle This link opens in a new window The Black Liberation Army (BLA) was an underground, black nationalist-Marxist militant organization that operated from 1970 to 1981. Composed largely of former Black Panthers (BPP), the organization’s program was one of "armed struggle" and its stated goal was to "take up arms for the liberation and self-determination of black people in the United States." The BLA carried out a series of bombings, robberies (what participants termed "expropriations"), and prison breaks.
Black Nationalism and the Revolutionary Action Movement: The Papers of Muhammad Ahmad This link opens in a new window This collection of RAM records reproduces the writings and statements of the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM) and its leaders. It also covers organizations that evolved from or were influenced by RAM and persons that had close ties to RAM.
Christian Science Monitor This link opens in a new window Indexes, abstracts, and provides online full text for the Christian Science Monitor newspaper 1980-present.
Civil War in Words and Deeds This link opens in a new window There is an ongoing interest in the Civil War as evidenced by the multitude of publications, exhibits, reenactments, research organizations, internet and multimedia resources, historic parks, and preservation associations focused on the Civil War. Individually and collectively, the publication of these regimental histories and personal narratives constitute a source of great historical value. These first-person accounts, compiled in the postwar period and early 20th Century period, chronicle the highs and lows of army life from 1861 through 1865.
Confederate Newspapers: A Collection from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Alabama This link opens in a new window This collection is a mixture of issues and papers from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and Alabama ranging from 1861-1865. These newspapers "recorded the real and true history of public opinion during the war."
America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window Search and browse American newspapers published across three centuries.
Federal Response to Radicalism in the 1960s This link opens in a new window Organized alphabetically by organization, this collection covers a wide range of viewpoints on political, social, cultural, and economic issues. It sheds light on internal organization, personnel, and activities of some of the most prominent American radical groups and their movements to change American government and society.
Federal Surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984 This link opens in a new window Between the early 1920s and early 1980s, the Justice Department and its Federal Bureau of Investigation engaged in widespread investigation of those deemed politically suspect. Prominent among the targets of this sometimes coordinated, sometimes independent surveillance were aliens, members of various protest groups, Socialists, Communists, pacifists, militant labor unionists, ethnic or racial nationalists, and outspoken opponents of the policies of the incumbent presidents.
Historical Periodicals Collection (American Antiquarian Society) This link opens in a new window Now called: American Historical Periodicals (AAS), hosted by Gale. A collection of periodical archives spanning from 1691 -1902 that presents primary source materials for historical research on advertising, agriculture, business, history, journalism, literature and women’s studies.
Japanese-American Relocation Camp Newspapers: Perspectives on Day-to-Day Life This link opens in a new window One of the darker chapters in American history and one of the lesser discussed events of World War II was the forced internment, during the war, of an important segment of the American population-persons of Japanese descent. This collection, consisting of 25 individual titles, documents life in the internment camps.
Liberation Movement in Africa and African America This link opens in a new window Composed of FBI surveillance files on the activities of the African Liberation Support Committee and All African People’s Revolutionary Party; this collection provides two unique views on African American support for liberation struggles in Africa, the issue of Pan-Africanism, and the role of African independence movements as political leverage for domestic Black struggles.
Literature, Culture and Society in Depression Era America: Archives of the Federal Writers Project This link opens in a new window The Federal Writers’ Project (FWP) was the most controversial and contentious program of the Work Projects Administration (WPA), an integral part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s "New Deal." This bold, imaginative and wide-ranging enterprise is the key to understanding literature, culture and society in America during the Depression era.
Maryland State Archives This link opens in a new window
Mountain People: Life and Culture in Appalachia This link opens in a new window This collection consists of the diaries, journals, and narratives of explorers, emigrants, military men, Native Americans, and travelers. In addition, there are accounts on the development of farming and mining communities, family histories, and folklore. These accounts provide a view of the of the vast region between Lexington, Kentucky and Winchester, Virginia, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Birmingham, Alabama, which spans three and a half centuries.
Readers' Guide Retrospective This link opens in a new window Readers' Guide Retrospective is a database containing comprehensive indexing of the most popular general-interest periodicals published in the United States and reflects the history of 20th century America. Coverage for this database includes the years 1890 through 1982.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law This link opens in a new window Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law is a complete legal collection on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. It also includes hundreds of pamphlets and books written about slavery— defending it, attacking it or simply analyzing it, including an expansive slavery collection of mostly pre-Civil War materials.
Through the Camera Lens: The Moving Picture World and the Silent Cinema Era, 1907-1927 This link opens in a new window For those within the film industry, information and opinion were shaped by a number of aggressive trade publications, each competing for the same limited number of subscribers. Chief among these was the Moving Picture World, which, setting a standard for the broadest possible coverage, reviewed current releases and published news, features, and interviews relating to all aspects of the industry.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000: Scholar's Edition This link opens in a new window A resource for students and scholars of U.S. history and U.S. women's history. Organized around the history of women in social movements in the U.S. between 1600 and 2000, this vast collection of documents also includes book, film, and website reviews, notes from the archives, and teaching tools. The scholar's edition provides access to the online version of Notable American Women, as well as a digital archive of materials from various Commissions on the Status of Women.

Historical Newspapers

Maryland Historical Newspapers: Maryland Edition 1923-Recent This link opens in a new window
This historical newspaper collection provides easily-searchable first-hand accounts and in-depth coverage of the politics, society, and events of the time. Coverage: The Daily Times (1964-Recent), The Evening Times (1923-1927), The Salisbury Times (1927-1964)
America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window Search and browse American newspapers published across three centuries.
ProQuest Newspapers This link opens in a new window Search the full text of these newspapers: The Baltimore Sun, Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.
Historical Baltimore Afro-American This link opens in a new window This historical newspaper provides easily-searchable first-hand accounts and in-depth coverage of the politics, society, and events of the time. Coverage: 1893-1988
Historical Baltimore Sun This link opens in a new window Includes complete issues of The Baltimore Sun,cover to cover from 1837 to 1996. Search by keyword, more than 20 article types, date ranges, specific dates, author, and more. View news articles, photos, advertisements, classified ads, obituaries, cartoons, and more for added context. Print and download articles and images in PDF format.
Historical New York Times This link opens in a new window This database provides full-text and full-image articles from the New York Times. The collection includes digital reproductions of every page from every issue--cover to cover--in downloadable PDF files from 1851-2018.
Historical Wall Street Journal This link opens in a new window This database provides full-text and full-image articles from the Wall Street Journal. The collection includes digital reproductions of every page from every issue--cover to cover--in downloadable PDF files from 1889-2010.
Historical Washington Post This link opens in a new window This database provides full-text and full-image articles from the Washington Post. The collection includes digital reproductions of every page from every issue--cover to cover--in downloadable PDF files from 1877-2006.

Japanese-American Relocation Camp Newspapers: Perspectives on Day-to-Day Life This link opens in a new window One of the darker chapters in American history and one of the lesser discussed events of World War II was the forced internment, during the war, of an important segment of the American population-persons of Japanese descent. This collection, consisting of 25 individual titles, documents life in the internment camps.
Confederate Newspapers: A Collection from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia and Alabama This link opens in a new window This collection is a mixture of issues and papers from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, and Alabama ranging from 1861-1865. These newspapers "recorded the real and true history of public opinion during the war."

Primary Source Sets

Internet Sources

Below are a sample of websites with primary sources that are available to the public online.

History: Primary Sources

Nabb Research Center

History Databases - Primary Sources

Historical Newspapers

Primary Source Sets

Internet Sources