U.S. History
Reference Guides & Bibliographies
- The American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature. 1995. [Ref. D 20 A4 1995]
- An excellent guide to publications of world history, it is arranged by 48 broad subjects, each selected and described by specialists, with
a summary of the literature. All sections contain separate lists of reference materials, printed source materials, journals, and book-length
studies on individual topics. The detailed 300-page subject index guides the researcher through the 27,000 entries listed.
- Guide to the National Archives of the United States. 1974. [Doc. GS4. 6/2: N21]
- Describes all official records of the U.S. Government accessioned as of June 30, 1970, regardless of geographical location. Excludes
historical manuscripts, Presidential, and other personal papers in Presidential libraries. See also Guide to Records in the National
Archives [Docs. Ref. Desk AE 1.108: R 24/3].
- Handbook for Research in American History. 1987. [Ref. E 178 P8]
- Selective, annotated list of resources, emphasizing more recent publications. Includes essays on individual works and bibliographical
aids.
- Harvard Guide to American History. 1974. [Ref. Z 1236 F77]
- This source is a standard and well-respected guide. Excellent source for research on virtually any phase of American history.
Volume 1 contains journal articles and book-length studies in broad, topical categories; Volume 2 lists articles and monographs on
specific periods.
- National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections. 1959- [Ref. Z 6620 U5 N3]
- Access to this monumental catalog is greatly facilitated by using the Index to Personal Names in the National Union Catalog of
Manuscript Collections, 1959-1984 [Ref. Z 6620 U5 I53 1988] and American Newspapers on Microfilm
- Reference Sources in History: An Introductory Guide. 1990. [REF D 20 F7 1990]
- Current to 1990, this guide describes major reference sources for all periods of history and for all geographical areas. The 685 numbered
entries are distributed among fourteen chapters arranged by type of source. Chapters include short introductions and definitions, and they are
often subdivided geographically. The index covers authors, editors, titles, and provides limited subject access.
- United States History: A Selective Guide to Information Sources. 1994. [Ref. E 178 B57]
- This guide represents a selective but thorough coverage of both bibliographic and informational materials in American History.
- Writings on American History. 1902-1990. [Ref. E 178 W9]
- An excellent annual bibliography with a classified arrangement and an author, title, and subject index. Includes many content and
descriptive notes. See also the companion Publication Writings on American History 1962-1973; Subject Bibliography of Books and
Monographs [Ref. E 178 W92 - 10 Vols.].
Books
Library materials may be identified in the Libraries' Online Catalog by using author, title,
keyword, and subject searches. Books on U. S. History are primarily located in the E and F call number areas on the 4th floor:
| E11 - E145 |
America |
| E151 - E904 |
United States |
| F1 - F975 |
Unites States local history |
Online books are accessible via netLibrary and
ebrary. Search these databases by keyword, author, or title.
Journal Articles & Databases
Databases index journal articles, books, conference proceedings,
reports, and other materials. Databases may be searched
individually or in
categorized groups via Metalib.
- America: History and Life. 1964-
- Bibliographic database covering the scholarly historical literature in the United States and Canada from prehistoric times to the present.
Articles are abstracted from more than 2,100 journals, including journals of state and local historical societies, the social sciences, and
humanities, and leading journals in related fields of knowledge. The companion database for world history is Historical Abstracts.
- Combined Retrospective Index Set to Journals in History, 1830-1974. [Ref. D 1 C73]
- Selective indexing of about 1,000 journals in history, political science, and sociology under keyword or subject categories. See also
Recently Published Articles, 1976-1990 [Ref. D 1 R4].
- Expanded Academic Index ASAP. 1980-
- Interdisciplinary database of scholarly journals and popular magazines with many articles in full text
- History Resource Center: U.S.
- Includes materials from several Gale products: American Decades, American Eras, U.S. History, DISCovering World History, Worldmark
Encyclopedia of Canadian Provinces, and Worldmark Encyclopedia of States, as well as selected periodicals, newspapers, primary source
documents, and radio/television transcripts.
- Humanities Full Text. 1984-
- Long regarded as the ideal single reference for periodical information in the diverse subject area of the humanities. For earlier
coverage, see the print Humanities Index [Ref. AI 3 H85].
- JSTOR
- This full text database offers archival holdings of scholarly journals in many disciplines, including History, Anthropology, Multicultural
and Gender Studies, and Political Science.
- Project MUSE
- Over 300 full text scholarly journals in the humanitites, arts, and social sciences are available in this database.
Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
- The American Revolution, 1775-1783: An Encyclopedia. 1993. [Ref. E 208 A433 1993]
- The Annals of America: 1493-1972. 23 vols. 1968-77. [Ref. E 173 A793]
- Dictionary of American History. 1981. [Ref. E 174 M3 1981]
- Encyclopedia of American History. 2003. [Ref. E 174 E53 2003]
- The Encyclopedia of Southern History. 1979. [Ref. F 207.7 E52]
- Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History. 2002. [Ref. E 468 E53 2002]
- The Oxford Companion to United States History. 2001. [Ref. E 174 O92 2001]
- The Uniting States: The Story of Statehood for the Fifty United States. 3 vols. 2004. [Ref. JK 2408 U65 2004]
Primary Sources
-
100 Milestone Documents
http://www.ourdocuments.gov/content.php?page=milestone
- Images and transcripts of 100 milestone documents compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration that chronicle United
States history from 1776 to 1965, including "public laws, Supreme Court decisions, inaugural speeches, treaties, constitutional amendments,
and other documents that have influenced the course of U.S. history."
- The 9/11 Commission Report: Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/911/index.html
- American Diaries. 2 vols. 1983. [Ref. CT 214 A75]
- Annotated bibliography of published American diaries written from 1492 to 1980. Provides author, subject, and geographic indexes.
- American Memory
http://memory.loc.gov/
- The American Memory Historical Collections, a major component of the Library of Congress' National Digital Library Program, are multimedia
collections of digitized documents, photographs, recorded sound, moving pictures, and text from the Library's Americana collections. There are
currently over 100 thematic collections in the American Memory project.
- American State Papers
- Legislative and executive documents from 1789-1838.
- American Women's Diaries - Southern Women [MF 1104]
- 34 microfilm reels inlcuding 32 manuscript diaries.
- Archiving Early America
http://earlyamerica.com
- Offers primary source material from 18th century America. A unique and rich array of original newspapers, maps, battles, portraits,
places, and events, and writings will come to life on your screen.
- Avalon Project
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm
- The Avalon Project at Yale Law School provides access to documents relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy,
and Government from the seventeenth through the twenty-first centuries.
- Chronology of US Historical Documents
http://www.law.ou.edu/ushist.html
- Full text access to primary documents relating to U.S. History from pre-history through the present.
- Civil Rights Documentation Project
http://www.congresslink.org/civilrights/index.htm
- Chronological web-based presentation with links to digitized historical materials and other internet-based resources about civil rights
legislation created by museums, historical societies, and government agencies.
- Cold War International History Project
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=topics.home&topic_id=1409
- This project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars "disseminates new information and perspectives on the history of the
Cold War, in particular new findings from previously inaccessible sources on "the other side" - the former Communist world."
- Core Docuemnts of U.S. Democracy
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/coredocs.html
- Texts of historical and current government documents, including: Declaration of Independence, Constitution of the U.S., Articles of
Confederation, Gettysburg Address, Supreme Court Decisions, Economic Indicators, Government Manual, Statistical Abstract of the United States,
and the federal budget.
- Documenting the American South
http://docsouth.unc.edu
- These electronic collections at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provide access to digitized primary materials that offer
Southern perspectives on American history and culture, such as "First-Person Narratives of the American South," "Library of
Southern Literature," "North American Slave Narratives," "The Southern Homefront, 1861-1865," and "The Church in
the Southern Black Community."
- Dictionary of Historic Documents. 1991. [Ref. D 9 K63 1991]
- General guide to over 2000 significant documents of the world from ancient times to the present. Contains a bibliography and
index.
- Documents of American History. 2 vols. 1988. [Ref. E 173 D59 1988]
- This set includes the texts of significant documents in American history. Volume 1 covers 1492 to 1898. Volume 2 covers 1898 to 1988. Both volumes are indexed.
- Foreign Relations of the United States
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/FRUS/
- The Foreign Relations of the United States series is the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions
that have been declassified and edited for publication. This digital collection is an incomplete run from 1861 to 1960 with missing volumes
being added as they can be acquired and processed.
- From Revolution to Reconstruction
http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/index.htm
- A hypertext on American History from the colonial period until modern times, compiled by the Department of Humanities Computing,
University of Groningen, The Netherlands. The site contains documents from 1400 to 2001.
- Government Views of D-Day 1944
http://www.ccny.cuny.edu/library/Divisions/Government/DDay.html
- This site concentrates on government documents and information about the D-Day invasion from the United States, as well as Germany,
New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Canada. Links to a number of primary source materials are provided, including oral histories, eyewitness
accounts, speeches, maps, and photographs.
- Historic Documents. 1972-1990 [Ref. E 839.5 H57]
- Contains the full text of primary documents on all aspects of world affairs from 1972 to 1990, such as presidential statements, Supreme
Court decisions, news conferences, and speeches. Entires are arranged chronologically, and each document includes an introduction.
- Historic Government Publications From World War II
http://worldwar2.smu.edu/
- Digital collection of over 300 U.S. Government publications distributed during the course of the war.
-
Historical Publications of the United States Commission on Civil Rights, Thurgoood Marshall Law Library
http://www.law.umaryland.edu/marshall/usccr/index.asp
- A "complete electronic record of United States Commission on Civil Rights publications held in the Library's collection and available on
the USCCR Web site."
- History Channel: Speeches
http://www.history.com/media.do
- This site hosts hundreds of speeches available in audio and video files.
- Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/immigration/
- "A web-based collection of selected historical materials from Harvard's libraries, archives, and museums that documents voluntary
immigration to the US from the signing of the Constitution to the onset of the Great Depression."
- Making of America
http://www.umdl.umich.edu/moa
- The University of Michigan provides access on this website to primary sources from American History from the antebellum period
through reconstruction. Over 1600 books and 50,000 journal articles are contained in this digital library.
- National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/
- Online exhibits of selected primary documents from the National Archives.
- National Security Archive
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/
- National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Books provide online access to critical declassified records on issues including U.S.
national security, foreign policy, diplomatic and military history, intelligence policy, and more.
- New York Times. 1851-
- Index and full text of the New York Times from 1851 to present.
- North American Slave Narratives
http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh
- Part of UNC's Documenting the American South project, North American Slave Narratives documents "the individual and collective story of
African Americans struggling for freedom and human rights in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries."
- Treaties and Other International Agreements of the United States of America, 1776-1949. [Doc. S 9.12:2]
- Contains the full text of all U.S. treaties and agreements from 1776 though 1949. United States Treaties and Other International
Agreements [Doc. S 9.12] contains treaties from 1950 through 1984.
- U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1859
- The pre-Civil war segment of the Serial Set includes reports, documents, and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives
between 1817 and 1859.
- Virtual Vietnam Archive
http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu
- This online resource currently includes over 2.7 million pages of scanned materials, including documents, photographs, slides, negatives,
oral histories, artifacts, moving images, sound recordings, maps, and collection finding aids.
- War Department Papers, 1784-1800
http://wardepartmentpapers.org
- Digital collection of 55,000 documents of the War Department, including Indian affairs, veteran affairs, naval affairs, and militia
and army matters.
Women's Diaries, Journals, and Letters: An Annotated Bibliography. 1989. [Ref. CT 3230 C5 1989]
- Women Working, 1800-1930
http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ww/
- The collection features approximately 500,000 digitized pages and images selected from Harvard University's library and museum collections,
focusing on women's role in the United States economy.
Biographical Sources
- Biography Index.
- This database provides citations to biographical resources. Updated monthly, the file includes books, journals, correspondence,
interviews and pictorial works.
- Biography Resource Center
- Comprehensive database of biographical information on over 325,000 people from throughout history, around the world, and across all
disciplines and subject areas.
- Dictionary of American Biography. 28 vols. + supplements. 1928- [Ref. E 176 D56]
- The DAB is considered the most famous and authoritative of all American dictionaries. Extensive articles for over 18,000 prominent
deceased Americans include ancestry, education, achievements, and useful bibliographies.
- Who's Who in America [Ref. E 663 W56]
- This multivolume set is a great source for current biographical information on notable Americans. The focus is on individual achievements.
Each entry contains brief factual information. See also Who Was Who in America [Ref. E 176 W64].
Statistical Sources
- Historical Statistics of the United States
- Compilation of federal statistics from colonial times to 2000. Print version [Ref. HA 202 B87 1975] covers colonial times to 1970.
- International Historical Statistics: The Americas, 1750-1993. 1998. [Ref. HA 175 M55 1998]
- U.S. Historical Census Data, 1790-1970.
http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/census
- Provides demographic and economic data from early census. Can search by state and/or county and data
can be displayed either in tabular or graph format.
Atlases
- Atlas of American History. 1993. [Ref. Atlases G 1201 S1 F4 1993]
- Atlas of the Civil War. 2004. [Ref. Atlases G 1201 S5 W6 2004]
- Historical Atlas of the American Revolution. 2000. [Ref. Atlases E 208 B36 2000]
- Historical Atlas of the United States. 2003. [Ref. Atlases G 1201 S1 H5 2003]
Melissa Finley Gonzalez, History Librarian
University of West Florida Libraries
Updated June 2007
