LibGuides: American Studies: Primary Sources

What are Primary Sources ?

Primary sources are documents created during the period that is being studied; the information in a primary document is in its original form when it first appeared; it has not been published anywhere else or put into context, interpreted, filtered, condensed or evaluated by anyone else.

Guides to Archival Collections

Archive Finder
Primary source material across the United States
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Includes the Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States, the National Union Catalogue of Manuscript Collections and the National Inventory of Primary source materials indexed includes: family papers, personal papers, diaries, maps, photographs, letters, oral history records and more.

ArchiveGrid
ArchiveGrid connects you with primary source material held in archives, special collections, and manuscript collections around the world.

Books

Find resources in the Library Catalog under: United States -- History -- Sources

A short selection:

American history told by contemporaries ...
Call Number: J 973.91:H32a:v.5
Publication Date: New York : Macmillan, 1897-1929
Voices of a people's history of the United States
Call Number: J 973:Z784
Publication Date: New York : Seven Stories Press, c2004

Primary sources in the Library archives and special collections

Find primary resources in the Libary Archives and Special Collections. Search the Library Catalog , use Advanced Search and limit your search by Location Jafet Archives and Special Collections. Try also to search under United States -- Sources and limit your search by Location Jafet Archives and Special .

Primary Sources @ the Library of Congress

American Memory
American State Papers
The Library of Congress | American Memory
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legislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838.
Primary Documents in American History
Prints & Photographs
The Library of Congress Web Archives (LCWA)
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Archived web sites selected by subject specialists to represent web-based information on a designated topic.

Digital Collections

AMDOCS Documents for the Study of American History
Primary documents freely available on the Internet.
American Presidency Project
American Social History Project
American Women Through Time
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Timelines, Notable Women, States, and Topics (such as art, ethnic groups, religion).
Digital History
Digital Librarian: a librarian's choice of the best of the Web
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Digital Librarian is maintained by Margaret Vail Anderson, a librarian in Cortland, New York
Fraser: Federal Reserve Collection
Economic Historty
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Digital library dedicated to preserving the nation’s economic history, recently added the Marriner S. Eccles Document Collection.
Making of America (MoA)
Civil War period.
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Making of America (MoA) is a digital library containing primary documents related to the Civil War period. It includes 8,500 books and 50, 000 journal article. Issues of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology are particularly well documented
Papers of the War Department 1784-1800
September 11 Digital Archive
Collection for stories, images, emails, documents, sounds, and videos of September 11
Spanish Land Grants Claims
Claims filed by settlers in Florida after the transfer of the territory from Spain to the United States in 1821
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The Spanish Land Grants were land claims filed by settlers in Florida after the transfer of the territory from Spain to the United States in 1821 in order to prove land ownership.
Louisiana Digital Library
Photographs, maps, manuscript materials, books, oral histories, and more that document history and culture.
Women Working, 1800-1930
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Manuscripts, pamphlets and photographs from Harvard University's library and museum, relating to women's role in the United States economy.

American Studies: Primary Sources

What are Primary Sources ?