LibGuides: US History Research: Primary Sources

Databases

Other Ideas

If you are still having difficulty finding a primary source document, ask yourself these questions to find more places to look.

Is there a specific library website that may have primary sources related to your topic? (ex. presidential library, library in a location where an event happened, a university library where a person attended, etc.)
Is there a museum that may have primary source documents online related to your topic? (ex. Holocaust Museum, Smithsonian Museums, Metropolitan Museum of Art, etc.)
Is there a government office that might have docuemnts online connected to your topic? (ex. Whitehouse, House of Representatives, Supreme Court, etc.)

Still stumped? Contact your librarian, teacher, or the education specialist at the National Archives (annie.davis@nara.gov).

Find Primary Sources

Primary Source Websites

Docs Teach from the National Archives
Choose from 2000+ primary sources from the National Archives selected to bring the past to life. Use the search field to find written documents, images, maps, charts, graphs, audio and video in our ever-expanding collection that spans the course of American history.
American Memory
American Memory is a gateway to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections. Search or browse by topic, time period, geography, or format. From the wonderful folks at the Library of Congress.
Making of America
A digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction.
Digital Public Library
The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.
American Journeys
American Journeys contains more than 18,000 pages of eyewitness accounts of North American exploration, from the sagas of Vikings in Canada in AD1000 to the diaries of mountain men in the Rockies 800 years later. Search or browse by expedition, settlement, geographic region, state or province. From the Wisconsin Historical Society.
Smithsonian Magazine
Provides in-depth coverage of history, science, nature, the arts, travel, world culture and technology.
National Museum of American History
The Museum collects and preserves more than 3 million artifacts—all true national treasures.
American Rhetoric
A growing database of full text, audio and video (streaming) versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, and other recorded media events. Contains ads, but also some great resources from Dr. M. Eidenmuller @ University of Texas.
Library of Congress - Topics
These pages link to selected collection content available online at the Library of Congress, arranged by broad categories.
American Presidency Project
Nearly 95,000 documents related to the study of the American Presidency including the Public Papers of the President, State of the Union and inaugural addresses, presidential debates, national party platforms, and more. From UC Santa Barbara.
Avalon Project
Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
Repositories of Primary Sources
A listing of over 5000 websites describing holdings of manuscripts, archives, rare books, historical photographs, and other primary sources for the research scholar.

Boston Public Library Databases

BPL History Databases
See Ms. Pollock for an e-card number to access these resources.

Types of Primary Sources

Diaries and literary memoirs

Letters/ Correspondence

Artistic works (musical and visual arts)

News segments/transcripts

Speeches

Interviews

Editorials

Legal documents and Statistics

Pamphlets

Posters

Broadside