LibGuides: Primary Sources: American History

Finding Primary Sources for Research in US History

On this page you can find primary source material - both websites and books in the WSA Library - on American History.

Look for primary sources in WSA database s.

For WSA library books and websites covering a multiple time periods and geographical locations, see:

Primary Source Books and Websites for US History Research
US Government Websites
Presidents of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States

Primary sources on specific time periods:

US History - 18th Century and Earlier
US History - 19th Century
US Civil War and Reconstruction
Gilded Age - 1878 - 1899
US Imperialism (Spanish-American War, 1898)
US History - 20th and 21st Centuries
Progressive Era (1900-1920)
World War I
Roaring Twenties
Great Depression
New Deal
World War II
Harry S. Truman and the Cold War
Dwight Eisenhower and the Fifties
Suburbia
Beat Generation
Korean War
Cold War
McCarthyism and Anti-communism
John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Civil Rights
Vietnam
1960s
Watergate
Richard Nixon
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan

Primary sources on specific topics

African Americans
Ephemera
Labor History
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Persons' History
Native Americans
Political Cartoons
Women's Rights / Women's History

Primary Source Books and Websites for Research in US History - Multiple Time Periods and Geographical Locations

Websites with primary sources

Calisphere (University of California)
Calisphere provides access to over 400,000 photographs, documents, letters, artwork, diaries, oral histories, films, advertisements, musical recordings, and more. The collections on Calisphere have been digitized and contributed by all ten campuses of the University of California and other important libraries, archives, and museums throughout the state. Not just for California history!
Census Data from NHGIS (National Historical Geographic Information System)
Aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2012. You can search for data based upon criteria you choose. You will need to create an account (It's free) to download the tables. Service provided by IPUMS, a part of the Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation at the University of Minnesota. See https://ipums.org.
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See the 'Using NHGIS' Data Finder guide for instructions.

Guide to Using the NHGIS Data Finder
Instructions for the steps required to download data from NHGIS (National Historical Geographic Information System): (1) Apply filters and select data, (2) Select data options, and (3) Review, choose an output layout and/or file layout, and submit.

Documenting the American South
A collection of sources on Southern history, literature and culture from the colonial period through the first decades of the 20th century. Sponsored by the University Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
Documents in American history - from Revolution to Reconstruction
Collection of documents that have been important in US history, spanning from before 1600 (Magna Carta) to 1964 (George Wallace's speech debunking the Civil Righta Movement. A project of the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands.
Foreign Relations of the United States
A digital facsimile of the Foreign Relations of the United States series from 1861-1960. The series is the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions that have been declassified and edited for publication. The website is a joint project of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Hanover Historical Texts Collection
Digital versions of historical texts; browse by keyword or subject heading: Ancient Greece and Rome (the Presocratics); Medieval Europe (Letters of Crusaders, Britain); Early Modern Europe (The Italian Renaissance, The Reformation in Germany and Switzerland, The Catholic Reformation, The Religious Wars, The Witch Hunts, The Scientific Revolution, The Enlightenment, France, Britain); Modern Europe (The French Revolution, 19th Century Conservatism, Nationalism, The Revolutions of 1848, National Unification, Labor and Socialist Movements, The Russian Revolution); Africa; Asia; United States (17th Century Colonial History, 18th Century Colonial and US History, 19th Century U.S. History, 20th Century US History).
Historically Significant Court Cases in American History
Primary documents and trial transcripts from historically significant cases from the Digital History website, hosted by the University of Houston.
Many Pasts - History Matters
Primary documents in text, image, and audio about the experiences of ordinary Americans throughout U.S. history. Use the 'full search' feature to quickly locate documents by topic, time period, or keyword.
Old Maps Online
Gateway for historical maps in libraries around the world, currently indexes more than half a million of ancient, antique, vintage and old historic maps from prominent archives and libraries, including the British Library, the National Library of Scotland, and the David Rumsey Historical Map Collection.
Online Library of Liberty
A collection of full-text books and essays related to individual liberty and free markets, with contents organized by titles, people, and ideas. Historical periods include: ancient Asia, Greece, and Rome; the Medieval Period; the Renaissance; the Reformation; and the Early Modern Period through the 21st century. Authors represent 42 nationalities, American and from countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.
USAFacts
USAFacts is a data-driven portrait of the American population, our government’s finances, and government’s impact on society. The website makes it easy to see where government gets money, where it spends that money and what those efforts accomplish, along with demographic information about the country that helps put the financial part into perspective. Partner institutions include the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), the Penn Wharton Budget Model, and Lynchburg College.
WWW.History - History Matters
Directory of the most useful websites for studying history. Information is provided on the type of website (Archive, Electronic Essay, Gateway, Journal, Organization, Syllabi/Assignments) and the type of resource (text, images, audio, and video). Use the 'full search' feature to quickly locate WWW.History resources by topic, time period, keyword, or type.

WSA Library books with primary sources

The Bill of Rights: A History in Documents by John J. Patrick
Call Number: 342.73 Pat
ISBN: 0195103548
Publication Date: 2003-01-23
Uses contemporary documents to explore the history of the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the British traditions on which they were based, and their impact on American society.
In a Sacred Manner I Live : Native American Wisdom by Neil Philip (Editor)
Call Number: 970 In
ISBN: 0618604839
Publication Date: 2005-10-17
A collection of speeches made by Native Americans, accompanied by historical photographs, covering almost four centuries of philosophical musings, from Chief Powhatan in 1609, to the contemporary Sioux medicine man Leonard Crow Dog in 1995.
Sourcebook and Index: Documents That Shaped the American Nation by Steven Mintz (Introduction by); Joy Hakim
Call Number: 973 Hak
ISBN: 9780195189032
Publication Date: 2006-01-11
Presents the sourcebook and index to the ten-volume "A History of US" series, and contains a collection of documents, letters, court decisions, speeches, laws, and other writings including the "Mayflower Compact," presidential addresses, "Gettysburg Address," and much more.
A Documentary History of the United States by Richard D. Heffner; Alexander Heffner
Call Number: 973 Hef
ISBN: 9780451228505
Publication Date: 2009-10-06
Traces the history of the United States through a chronologically arranged collection of documents, speeches, and letters, from Thomas Paine's 1776 "Common Sense," through Barack Obama's inaugural address in 2008.
Voices of a People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (Editor); Anthony Arnove
Call Number: 973 Zin
ISBN: 9781583229163
Publication Date: 2009-01-03
A collection of speeches, letters, poems, and songs that reflect key political events in United States history, including documents on slave revolts, presidential speeches, writings both for and against various military conflicts, and speeches supporting equal rights for gay and lesbian families.

US Government Websites

Websites with primary sources

100 Milestone Documents in American History
Compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration, and drawn primarily from its nationwide holdings. The documents chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965.
Central Intelligence Agency Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room.
View documents released through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and other Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) release programs. Find information on UFOs, the Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, the A-12 Oxcart, spies and more.
A Century of Lawmaking
Congressional documents from the first 100 years of the US Congress (1874-1865). Search all titles or browse titles by category (Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention, Journals of Congress, Debates of Congress, Statutes and Documents.) Special presentations include: The Making of the U.S. Constitution, American History as Seen in Congressional Documents, 1774-1873, The Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States, Indian Land Cessions in the United States, 1784 to 1894 (includes maps), The Louisiana Purchase: Legislative Timeline - 1802 to 1807, Journal of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865, The Impeachment Trial of President Andrew Johnson, 1868, and Presidential Elections and the Electoral College, 1877.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1836-1922 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
Congress.gov
The official website for U.S. federal legislative information, providing access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. It is presented by the Library of Congress (LOC) using data from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, the Government Publishing Office, Congressional Budget Office, and the LOC's Congressional Research Service.
Core Documents of U.S. Democracy
Online access to the basic Federal Government documents that define our democratic society: Cornerstone Documents (Articles of Confederation, the Federalist Papers, and more); Congressional (Bills, Congressional Record, Public and Private Laws, US Code); Presidential papers (the Budget of the US Government, speeches, proclamations); Judicial (Supreme Court Decisions); Regulatory (Federal Register); Demographic (American FactFinder); Economic, and Miscellaneous (Catalog of US Government Publications.) Hosted by Cornette Library at Texas A&M University.
Foreign Relations of the United States - Office of the Historian, US Department of State
The Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series presents the official documentary historical record of major US foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. This site provides access to selected FRUS documents from Abraham Lincoln's presidency and World War I, and from administrations from Truman through Reagan.
Library of Congress - Browse the Digital Collections
Access to the over 250 online digital collections of the Library of Congress: view maps & photographs; read letters, diaries & newspapers; hear personal accounts of events; listen to sound recordings & watch historic films.
Library of Congress - Primary Documents in American History
Links to documents from three eras of American history: 1775-1815 (The American Revolution and the New Nation); 1815-1860 (National Expansion and Reform); 1860-1872 (Civil War and Reconstruction.) Each section includes background information about the document, and a list of links to digital materials concerning that document.
Library of Congress - Search Portal
Nearly 10% of the over 18 million items held by the Library of Congress can be accessed online. Search for books, documents, recordings, photographs, maps, manuscripts, and more.
National Archives - America's Historical Documents
The National Archives preserves and provides access to the records of the Federal Government. This page has links to a sampling of the documents held by this organization, along with guidance on getting started researching records at the National Archives.
National Archives - Online Research Tools and Aids
Information on finding copies of Federal records and finding information about those records and their historical context will be in several places on the National Archives website. This page has answers to many preliminary research-related questions. Some sources listed are databases while others are online guides, publications, and exhibits.
National Archives - Popular Research Topics
Finding aids for researching documents held by the National Archives, organized by topic: America's Founding Documents; Foreign Policy, Military Records, and Investigations; People (presidents, famous people, women); Places (cities, states, westward expansion, the environment); Federal Government; Maritime, Aviation, Science and Technology; Events, Centennials, and Holidays; Arts and Culture.
National Archives - Search their records
Search the online National Archives for records held by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
National Jukebox
Historical sound recordings from the collections of the Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation and other contributing libraries and archives. Search by artist, title, genre, date of recording, category (instrumental, instrumental with vocal, spoken word), language, and target audience.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
A searchable database of the nearly 37,000-item collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Eras and topics covered include: the American South, the American West, civil rights, clothing and dress, communities, education, families, literature, the military, music, photography, politics, religious groups, segregation, and slavery,
Smithsonian Collections Search Center
An online catalog containing most of the Smithsonian Institution's major collections from their museums, archives, libraries, and research units. There are 9.3 million catalog records relating to areas for Art & Design, History & Culture, and Science & Technology with over 1.3 million images, videos, audio files, podcasts, blog posts and electronic journals.
Smithsonian Learning Lab
Photographs, images of artifacts, and documents from the Smithsonian Institution museums, organized by historical theme (Colonial America, Native American History, Westward Expansion, Invention, Transportation, and Civil Rights). The site also has teacher-created lesson plans, instructional videos, and study questions, organized by grade range (5-7, 7-9, and 9-12).
United States Statutes at Large
The Statues at Large are the permanent collection of all laws and resolutions enacted during each session of Congress. They are prepared and published by the Office of the Federal Register (OFR), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Covers the 82nd through 112th Congress, 1951 - 2011. Adminsitered by the U.S. Government Printing Office.
US History and Historical Documents
Links to information and documents related to US history - organized by time period - and additional sections on the Declaration of Independence, famous speeches, the National Anthem, and the US Constitution. Presented by USA.gov, the US government's official web portal.

Presidents of the United States

Websites with primary sources

The American Presidency Project
A searchable database with: the messages and papers of the Presidents: Washington - Taft (1789-1913); the Public Papers of the Presidents, Hoover to G.W. Bush (1929-2007) and Obama (2011-Book I), the weekly compilation of presidential documents, Carter - G.W. Bush (1977-2009), and the daily compilation of presidential documents for Obama (2009-2015) .The site also contains thousands of other documents such as party platforms, candidates' remarks, Statements of Administration Policy, documents released by the Office of the Press Secretary, and election debates.
American President: A Reference Resource
Primary and secondary source material on all of the US Presidents. Links to essays, online exhibits, 'Historical Presidency' articles on selected presidents regarding their transitions from the campaign trail to taking the Oval Office, an image gallery, oral histories, presidential recordings, and a speech archive. Presented by the Miller Center at the University of Virginia.
POTUS: Presidents of the United States
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for all of the presidents of the United States. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video where available), other Internet resources, and points of interest are also included.
Political Science: Resource Guides
Links to political science and presidential resource guides that are compilations of digital materials that are available through the Library of Congress: including manuscripts, letters, broadsides, government documents, prints, photographs, sheet music, sound recordings, and films. Each resource guide provides links to related external websites and a bibliography containing selected works for both a general audience and younger readers.
Speeches by US Presidents
Inaugural and farewell addresses, State of the Unions and other remarkable speeches from every US president, from George Washington to Barack Obama. A project of the University of Groningen, in the Netherlands.

Websites with primary sources on specific presidents

Lincoln Digitization Project
The Lincoln Digitization Project is comprised of both primary source documents, as well as modern scholarly interpretive materials, including thematic essays and video interviews. Special topics covered on the site include: the Black Hawk War, the Mexican-American War, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858, and 'Getting the Message Out!' - a collection of national campaign materials from 1840-1860. Presented by Northern Illinois University Digital Library.
Mr. Lincoln's Virtual Library
Features several collections at the Library of Congress that illuminate the life of Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865): the Abraham Lincoln papers (correspondence and papers accumulated primarily during his presidency), the "We'll Sing to Abe Our Song!" online collection (200 sheet-music compositions that represent Lincoln and the war as reflected in popular music), and the Stern Collection containing books, pamphlets, broadsides, autograph letters, prints, cartoons, maps, drawings, and other memorabilia reflecting Lincoln's life and times.
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library - Published writings of Herbert Hoover
Access to the published writings of Herbert Hoover: his memoirs ('Years of Adventure 1874-1920', 'The Cabinet and the Presidency 1920-1933', and 'The Great Depression 1929-1941'), his public presidential papers, 1929-1933, and texts of his speeches, 1933-1960.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library
The Library provides information on both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. Search 'Franklin' (FDR Library's digitized collections, both documents and images), FDR's day-by-day White House schedule calendar, and collections of still photographs, audio recordings and motion pictures, with links to online access.
Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
Links to online collections held by the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum,covering Truman's entire life and career, including photographs, audio (speeches, interviews, and legislative hearings), political cartoons, and documents (organized by time period and topic).
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
The manuscript archives contain many full-text documents and photographs related to Eisenhower's military career (1919 through World War II), the pre-presidential years (Korean War, his years as President, declassified documents, and his Presidential Appointment Books. In addition, some of the library's oral histories have transcripts available online.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Links to the Library's materials on both John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, much of which is available online: documents, personal papers, photographs, audio recordings, films, oral histories, and museum artifacts.
LBJ Presidential Library
The 'Online Collections' link on the Research page of the website has descriptions and links to holdings on Lyndon B. Johnson available online, including: photographs, his Daily Diary, telephone conversations, oral histories, audio and video recordings, National Security Action Memoranda (NSAM), and the Pentagon Papers.
Nixon Presidential Library
Online access to a portion of the holding of the Nixon Presidential Library: document collections (including Presidential Daily Diaries, the Pentagon Papers, and Nixon's Grand Jury testimony), Nixon White House tapes, other sound recordings (including oral histories), a photo gallery, a presidential timeline, and online exhibits, including one on Nixon's trip to China.
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Online access to a portion of the holdings of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library: documents, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, and films. These are organized by broad topics: the Ford Presidency (general), Foreign Affairs and National Security, Domestic Affairs and Politics, Gerald and Betty Ford's Early Lives, Ford Congressional and Vice Presidential Years, and Ford Post-White House Years.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
The Digital Library collection of includes papers from the Office of the Chief of Staff and the Office of Staff Secretary during the Carter Administration.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
The Reagan Digital Library is a digital repository to the public papers of the President: Ronald Reagan, 1981-1989 , containing the statements, speeches and papers released by the Office of the Press Secretary during the Reagan Presidency, along with a link to a page with a limited number of speeches and announcements from Ronald Reagan’s administration as governor of California.
George H. W. Bush Presidential Library
Portal to the textual and audiovisual archives and museum collections of presidential records of George Bush (1989-1993), the vice presidential records of both George Bush (1981-1989) and Dan Quayle (1989-1993) as well as historical materials documenting George Bush's private and public career. In the Textual Archives, the entire public presidential papers are in a searchable format, and some documents are available as PDFs. A select number of holdings in Audiovisual Archives and Museum Collections are available as photographs.
William J. Clinton Presidential Library
Links to the collections in the Clinton Digital Library, including: audiovisual collections (audio and video recordings and photographs), declassified documents related to Bosnia, Freedom of Information Act Collections, and White House Staff and Office Collections.
George W. Bush Presidential Library
Links to photograph albums, video clips, and 360-degree views of artifacts held by the Library. The World Reacts Flip-Book contains a small sample of condolence materials from citizens of over 75 countries after the attacks on September 11, 2001, and the Dining and Diplomacy Flip-book illustrates the wide range of diplomatic and social events hosted by President George W. Bush and Mrs. Laura Bush.
Barack Obama Presidential Library
Links to some of the documents from the presidency of Barack Obama, including archived White House websites and social media, and the public papers and executive orders of the President. The Barack Obama Presidential Library website also has links to photos and videos from his administration

Supreme Court of the United States

Websites with primary sources

Oyez - IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
Oyez (pronounced oh-yay), is a multimedia archive that is a complete and authoritative source for all of the Court’s audio since the installation of a recording system in October 1955. The site features transcript-synchronized and searchable audio, plain-English case summaries, illustrated decision information, and opinions. Oyez also provides detailed information on every justice throughout history and offers a panoramic tour of the Supreme Court building, including the chambers of several justices.
The Supreme Court Database
Provides access to legal information, including opinions, court rules, and transcripts of oral arguments, about each case decided by the Supreme Court between the 1946 and 2014 terms. Examples include the identity of the court whose decision the Supreme Court reviewed, the parties to the suit, the legal provisions considered in the case, and the votes of the Justices. Hosted by the Washington University in St. Louis.
Supreme Court of the United States - Official Site
Search for court opinions, speeches, court orders, argument transcripts, argument audio, questions presented, and other information related to the proceedings of the Supreme Court.

WSA Library book with primary sources

The Supreme Court: A C-SPAN Book Featuring the Justices in Their Own Words by C-SPAN; Brian Lamb (Editor); Susan Swain (Editor); Mark Farkas (Editor)
Call Number: 347.73 Sup
ISBN: 9781586488352
Publication Date: 2010-05-04
This book grew out of an historic opportunity to interview all of the living Supreme Court justices for a C-SPAN feature documentary about the Court, the only time that the nine sitting members and their two retired colleagues have granted interviews to a single television network. Ten of those interviews are in this book.

US History - Eighteenth Century and Earlier

Websites with primary sources

American Journeys: Eyewitness Accounts of Early American Exploration and Settlement
A wide range of geographical, cultural, and chronological information about the exploration of North America by Europeans and, later, Americans. Roughly equal numbers of pages are devoted to each of six regions: the Northeast, Southeast, Great Lakes and Mississippi Valley, Great Plains and Rocky Mountains, Southwest and California, and Pacific Northwest and Hawaii. The entries go from Eric the Red in 1000 A.D. to Columbus to Lewis & Clark to Catlin's Indian Portfolio of 1844. A project of the Wisconsin Historical Society
George Washington: A Resource Guide
The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain the complete George Washington Papers from the Manuscript Division, which consists of approximately 65,000 documents, with correspondence, letterbooks, commonplace books, diaries, journals, financial account books, military records, reports, and notes accumulated by Washington from 1741 through 1799. This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Washington such as letters, broadsides, government documents, books, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Washington.
John Adams: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to John Adams such as manuscripts, letters, broadsides, government documents, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Adams.
Thomas Jefferson: A Resource Guide
The digital collections of the Library of Congress contain the complete Thomas Jefferson Papers from the Manuscript Division, which consists of approximately 27,000 documents. This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Jefferson such as letters, broadsides, government documents, books, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Jefferson

WSA Library books with primary sources

Colonial America: A History in Documents by Edward G. Gray
Call Number: 973.2 Gra
ISBN: 0195137477
Publication Date: 2003-01-16
An illustrated collection of documents that provide insights into the lives of American colonists, including letters, diaries, sermons, newspapers, and poems.
The Adams-Jefferson Letters: The Complete Correspondence Between Thomas Jefferson and Abigail and John Adams by Lester J. Cappon (Editor); John Adams
Call Number: 973.44 Ada
ISBN: 0807818070
Publication Date: 1988-09-30
The correspondence between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson spanned half a century and embraced government, philosophy, religion, quotidiana, and family griefs and joys. First meeting as delegates to the Continental Congress in 1775, they initiated correspondence in 1777, negotiated jointly as ministers in Europe in the 1780s, and served the early Republic--each, ultimately, in its highest office. At Jefferson's defeat of Adams for the presidency in 1800, they became estranged, and the correspondence lapses from 1801 to 1812, then is renewed until the death of both in 1826, fifty years to the day after the Declaration of Independence.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Louis P. Masur (Editor); Benjamin Franklin
Call Number: B Fra
ISBN: 9780312404154
Publication Date: 2003-04-02
Statesman Benjamin Franklin recalls his life, from his youth as a rebellious runaway apprentice, to successful leader, printer and journalist, social and political reformer, scientist, and philosopher.

US History - Nineteenth Century

Websites with primary sources

Perseus Digital Lbrary - 19th-Century American Collection
Sources on the history of the 19th-century United States; hosted by Tufts University.
Making of America - University of Michigan
A digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. The University of Michigan site has approximately 10,000 books and 50,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints.
POTUS: Presidents of the United States
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for all of the presidents of the United States. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video where available), other Internet resources, and points of interest are also included.

WSA Library books with primary sources

Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville; Harvey C. Mansfield (Translator); Delba Winthrop (Translator)
Call Number: 320.97 Toc
ISBN: 0226805328
Publication Date: 2000-11-01
Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-59) came to America in 1831 to see what a great republic was like. What struck him most was the country's equality of conditions, its democracy. The book he wrote on his return to France, Democracy in America, was based partly on his observations of the American political and social conditions during that visit.
The Gilded Age: A History in Documents by Janette Thomas Greenwood
Call Number: 973.8 Gre
ISBN: 0195105230
Publication Date: 2000-10-05
Uses a wide variety of documents to show how Americans dealt with an age of extremes from 1887 to 1900, including rapid industrialization, unemployment, unprecedented wealth, and immigration.
Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey by Lillian Schlissel
Call Number: 978.02 Wom
ISBN: 0805210040
Publication Date: 1992-09-08
Diaries relate the story of six women who go West in the late 1800s.

US Civil War and Reconstruction

Websites with primary sources

American Civil War Diaries
The collections on VT Special Collections Online contain letters and diaries from both Union and Confederate soldiers, home front letters, and memoirs; many of which have online guides to aid in research. Presented by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech).
Civil War Washington
A digital resource that chronicles the war's impact on the U.S. national capital from multiple perspectives, drawing on material ranging from census records to historical texts and manuscripts to photographs, lithographs, drawings, and other visual works. A project of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
The Papers of Jefferson Davis
Transcriptions of letters and speeches of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy during the American Civil War. The 'Archives' section of the site also provides information and images on Davis, his family, and places important in his life.
Richmond Daily Dispatch, 1860-1865
Issues of the Richmond Daily Dispatch newspaper are available online, ranging in date from November 1860 through December 1865. Every page of each issue can be seen as an image or transcribed text. Using the transcriptions of Richmond's non-partisan newspaper, discover how dramatically the city, and thus the people and fortunes of the South, changed during the course of the war.
Secession Era Newspaper Editorials
A collection of transcribed editorials from the partisan press of the late antebellum period. Searches can be limited by event (Dred Scott Decision, John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry, Nebraska Bill, Sumner Caning), political party (American, Democratic, Opposition, Republican, Whig), or whether the paper's region was free or slave. A project of Furman University.
Valley of the Shadow Project
Shows life in two towns, one Northern and one Southern, from 1859 to 1870. Includes letters, diaries, church records, maps, census records and more. Project of the University of Virginia and Virginia Center for Digital History
The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies
Text of the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies, published by the US Government Printing Office between 1880 and 1901. Organized in to four sections: Series 1 (reports, both Union and Confederate, of the first seizures of United States property in the Southern States, and of all military operations in the field), Series 2 (correspondence, orders, reports, and returns, Union and Confederate, relating to prisoners of war), Series 3 (additional documents from the Union authorities), and Series 4 (additional documents from the Confederate authorities). The Cornell University Library Making of America Collection is hosted by the Hathi Trust Digital Library.
The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies
Text of the official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, published by the US Government Printing Office between 1894 and 1922. The Cornell University Library Making of America Collection is hosted by the Hathi Trust Digital Library.

WSA Library books with primary sources

War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars by Andrew Carroll; Douglas Brinkley (Editor)
Call Number: 355 War
ISBN: 0743202945
Publication Date: 2001-05-15
A variety of letters written by American servicemen which include accounts of combat, complaints about conditions, philosophical musings, love letters, and final thoughts. Letters are from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf war, Somalia, and Bosnia.
The Official Military Atlas of the Civil War by G. B. Davis
Call Number: 911.73 Uni
ISBN: 0517415666
Publication Date: 1993-09-07
Reprint of: Atlas to accompany the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington, D.C. : G.P.O., 1891.
The Civil War: 1850-1895 by Auriana Ojeda
Call Number: 973.7 Civ
ISBN: 073771140X
Publication Date: 2002-10-07
Presents thirty-five source documents and modern essays on nineteenth-century American history, covering the Civil War and its causes, Reconstruction, land disputes with Native Americans, and issues in the Gilded Age. Includes a chronology and a further-reading list.
Great Speeches by Abraham Lincoln
Call Number: 973.7 Lin
ISBN: 0486268721
Publication Date: 1991-11-20
Representative collection of 16 masterly orations, correspondence, including "House Divided" speech at the Republican State Convention (1858), the First Inaugural Address (1861), the Gettysburg Address (1863), the Letter to Mrs. Bixby (1864), expressing regret over the wartime deaths of her five sons, and the Second Inaugural Address (1865), and 11 others.
The Complete Civil War, 1861-1865 by Harold Holzer (Editor); Craig Symonds (Editor); Bill Clinton (Foreword by)
Call Number: 973.7 New
ISBN: 9781579128456
Publication Date: 2010-10-13
Collects the complete New York Times coverage of the events in the Civil War, including accounts of battles, personal stories, and political actions, and provides cultural and historical perspective on the published issues.
Bayonet! Forward: My Civil War Reminiscences by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain; Stan Clark (Introduction by)
Call Number: B Cha
ISBN: 1879664216
Publication Date: 1994-08-01
A compilation of General Chamberlain's Civil War addresses and writings. This collection contains chapters on the campaigns of Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Petersburg, the White Oak Road, Five Forks and Appomattox, as well as Chamberlain's personal account of the surrender of the Confederate Army and the Grand Review of the Army of the Potomac Appendices include official battle reports of the Gettysburg and Appomattox campaigns, an account of the last salute to the Army of Northern Virginia, monument dedication exercises on the Gettysburg Battlefield, and a memorial address on the life of President Abraham Lincoln.

Websites with primary sources on Presidents of the United States from 1861-1877.

Lincoln Digitization Project
The Lincoln Digitization Project is comprised of both primary source documents, as well as modern scholarly interpretive materials, including thematic essays and video interviews. Special topics covered on the site include: the Black Hawk War, the Mexican-American War, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858, and 'Getting the Message Out!' - a collection of national campaign materials from 1840-1860. Presented by Northern Illinois University Digital Library.
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, 1861 - April 15, 1865
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Abraham Lincoln. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, other Internet resources, and points of interest are also included.
Abraham Lincoln: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Abraham Lincoln such as manuscripts, letters, broadsides, government documents, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to the complete Abraham Lincoln Papers from the Manuscript Division, and to external Web sites focusing on Lincoln.
Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States, April 15, 1865 - 1869
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Andrew Johnson. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, and other Internet resources are also included.
Andrew Johnson: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Andrew Johnson such as manuscripts, letters, broadsides, government documents, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Johnson.
Ulysses S. Grant, 18th President of the United States, 1869-1877
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Ulysses S. Grant. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, other Internet resources, and points of interest are also included.
Ulysses S. Grant: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Ulysses S. Grant such as manuscripts, letters, broadsides, government documents, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Grant.

Gilded Age (1878 - 1899)

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

Gilded Age and Progressive Era Reference Library, Volume 3, Primary Sources
Primary source material, including excerpts from laws (Chinese Exclusion Act, 1882; Dawes Severalty Act, 1887; American Antiquities Act of 1906), memoirs, interviews, and speeches (Sitting Bull, Emma Lazarus, Theodore Roosevelt, Andrew Carnegie, Jacob Riis, Frances Willard, Ida B. Wells, Charles Dana Gibson, Peter Roberts, Ida M. Tarbell, Upton Sinclair, and Ruth Dadge), Supreme Court rulings, and documents related to Sears Roebuck Co. and the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire.

Websites with primary sources on Presidents of the United States from 1878-1899.

Rutherford Birchard Hayes, 19th President of the United States, 1877-1881
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Rutherford B. Hayes. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, other Internet resources, and points of interest are also included.
Rutherford B. Hayes: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Rutherford B. Hayes such as manuscripts, broadsides, government documents, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Hayes.
James Abram Garfield, 20th President of the United States, March 4 - September 19, 1881
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for James Garfield. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, other Internet resources, and points of interest are also included.
James Garfield: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to James Garfield such as manuscripts, letters, broadsides, government documents, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Garfield.
Chester Alan Arthur, 21st President of the United States, 1881-1885
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Chester Arthur. Links to Internet biographies are also included.
Chester Arthur: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Chester Arthur such as manuscripts, broadsides, government documents, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Arthur.
Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President of the United States, 1885-1889 and 1893-1897
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Grover Cleveland. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio), and points of interest are also included.
Grover Cleveland: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Grover Cleveland such as manuscripts, broadsides, government documents, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Cleveland.
Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President of the United States, 1889-1893
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Benjamin Harrison. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, and points of interest are also included.
Benjamin Harrison: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Benjamin Harrison such as manuscripts, letters, broadsides, government documents, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Harrison.
William McKinley, 25th President of the United States, 1897 - September 14, 1901
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for William McKinley. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video), and other Internet resources are also included.
William McKinley: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to William McKinley such as manuscripts, broadsides, government documents, images, sheet music, and films that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on McKinley.

US Imperialism (Spanish-American War, 1898)

Websites with primary sources

A Guide to the Spanish-American War
A wide variety of material associated with the Spanish-American War held by the Library of This guide compiles links to digital materials related to the Spanish-American War that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site, including manuscripts, maps, broadsides, photographs, prints, sheet music, and films. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on the Spanish-American War.
Spanish American War Centennial Website
The site commemorates the centennial of the Spanish-American War. It contains a wide variety of information on the war, including an overview of the war, a chronology, action reports, diaries, unit profiles, rosters, photographs, and genealogy research tips.
War with Spain
The U.S. Army Center of Military History provides the full text of online books related to the Spanish-American War, along with related documents, correspondence, and images.

WSA Library book with primary sources

Imperialism: A History in Documents by Bonnie G. Smith
Call Number: 325.32 Smi
ISBN: 0195108019
Publication Date: 2000-11-09
Historical documents help trace the development of imperial growth throughout the world

US History - Twentieth and Twenty-first Centuries

Websites with primary sources

9/11 Commission Report
The report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9-11 Commission), giving a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response to the attacks.
American Archive of Public Broadcasting
Historic programs of publicly funded radio and television across Americ,a, an audio and video record of the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st. The search feature allows users to filter for media type, genre, topic, asset type, organization, year and access type. The database is also browsable by theme. The portal also features three curated exhibits: Voices from the Southern Civil Rights Movement; Climate Change Conversations: Causes, Impacts, Solutions; and Documenting and Celebrating Public Broadcasting Station Histories
Regional Oral History Office - ROHO
Since the early 1950s,ROHO has conducted over 4,000 interviews with leading citizens in California and the West, on almost every topic imaginable. The vast majority of these interviews have been transcribed and made available via our database. Presented by the Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley.

WSA Library books with primary sources

War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars by Andrew Carroll; Douglas Brinkley (Editor)
Call Number: 355 War
ISBN: 0743202945
Publication Date: 2001-05-15
A variety of letters written by American servicemen which include accounts of combat, complaints about conditions, philosophical musings, love letters, and final thoughts. Letters are from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, the Cold War, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf war, Somalia, and Bosnia.
The Big Beat: Conversations with Rock's Great Drummers by Max Weinberg
Call Number: 786.91 Wei
ISBN: 0823075710
Publication Date: 1991-08-01
Interviews of 14 of rock's great drummers: Ringo Starr of the Beatles, Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, Levon Helm of The Band and Dino Danelli of the Young Rascals. They comment on the musical traditions they inspired and offer their personal perspectives on the origins of rock music and its growth since the early 1950s.
American Dreams: Lost & Found by Studs Terkel
Call Number: 920.07 Ter
ISBN: 0394507932
Publication Date: 1980-08-12
Presents 100 interviews with a cross-section of Americans--from an embittered Miss America to Arnold Schwarzenegger, from Jesse Helms to a KKK member, from businessmen and Brahmins to activists and immigrants--speak of their hopes, expectations, and disappointments.
Letters of the Century: America, 1900-1999 by Lisa Grunwald (Editor); Stephen J. Adler (Editor)
Call Number: 973.9 Let
ISBN: 0385315902
Publication Date: 1999-10-19
Contains over four hundred letters written by famous people and ordinary citizens that provide insight into the people, places, events, and trends of the twentieth century. Here is Mark Twain's hilarious letter of complaint to the head of Western Union, an ecstatic letter from a young Charlie Chaplin upon receiving his first movie contract, Einstein's letter to Franklin Roosevelt warning about atomic warfare, Mark Rudd's "generation gap" letter to the president of Columbia University during the student riots of the 60s, and a letter from young Bill Gates imploring hobbyists not to share software so that innovators can make some money.
Bush at War by Bob Woodward
Call Number: 973.93 Woo
ISBN: 9780743244619
Publication Date: 2003-07-01
Journalist Bob Woodward presents a behind-the-scenes look at the response of President George W. Bush and his advisors to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, based on interviews with over a hundred sources, including four hours of talks with Bush.
Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward
Call Number: 973.93 Woo
ISBN: 9780743262873
Publication Date: 2004-04-21
Account of how and why President George W. Bush, his war council, and allies launched a preemptive attack to topple Saddam Hussein and occupy Iraq on March 19, 2003. Based on interviews with 75 key participants and more than three and a half hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush.

Progressive Era (1900 - 1920)

Gale Virtual Reference Library books with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 1: 1900-1909
Primary source material on US History, 1900-1909, including: documents, memoirs, advertisements, political cartoon, autobiographies, pamphlets, letters, lectures, and more.
American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 2: 1910-1919
Primary source material on US History from 1910-1919, including memoirs, nonfiction works, speeches, pamphlets, court testimonies, posters, sermons, proclamations, and more.

Websites with primary sources on Presidents of the United States from 1901-1921.

Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States, September 14, 1901-1909
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Theodore Roosevelt. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio), other Internet resources, and points of interest are also included.
Theodore Roosevelt: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Theodore Roosevelt such as photographs, manuscripts, and sound recordings that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Roosevelt.
William Howard Taft, 27th President of the United States, 1909-1913
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Howard Taft. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio), and other Internet resources are also included.
William Howard Taft: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to William Howard Taft such as manuscripts, broadsides, government documents, images, sheet music, and films that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Taft.
Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States, 1913-1921
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Woodrow Wilson. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio), and other Internet resources are also included.
Woodrow Wilson: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Woodrow Wilson such as manuscripts, broadsides, government documents, images, sheet music, and films that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Wilson .

World War I

Websites with primary sources

1914-1918 Online: International Encyclopedia of the First World War
An English-language virtual reference work on the First World War - a multi-perspective, open-access knowledge base that is the result of an international collaborative project involving more than 1,000 authors, editors, and partners from over fifty countries.
Campaign, Battle and Location Map of the Great War
A collection of 52 maps from World War I, provided by the Department of History, US Military Academy, West Point. The page has a link to a table of symbols used on the maps.
FirstWorldWar.com
The site gives a summary overview of World War I with maps, propaganda posters, vintage audio and video, vintage photographs, and memoirs and diaries.
The Great War Primary Documents Archive
Offers primary and relevant secondary documents, from between 1890-1930, relating to almost all aspects of the Great War. The site has documents organized by year, primary sources listed alphabetically by author, an image archive, and sections related to memoirs and personal reminiscences, the maritime war, and the medical front.
World War I: A Resource Guide
Provides links to all of the Library of Congress resources related to World War I: a list of digital collections on this topic, 'America's Library' (Jump Back in Time) pages, Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, Today in History pages on important dates in World War I, and stories from the Veterans History Project - written accounts in letters, diaries, and memoirs and photographs from veterans who were 'in the trenches' along with others who were 'above and beyond the battlefield (airmen and a nurse.)
Medals and Awards of the Great War
Images and descriptions of the orders and medals given by the countries involved in World War I. Medals are divided into different types: bravery/merit awards, campaign medals, service medals, and faithful service awards.
Military Resources: World War I
A compilation of resources on World War I from the National Archives and Records Administration, along with links to external sites, may of which have primary source material.
World War I - Research Resources
The U.S. Army Center of Military History provides published material, archival material, and images related to American involvement in World War I, covering military history, published statistics on awards and medals, and World I-era posters.
Peace Treaty of Versailles: June 28, 1919
Full text of the Treaty of Versailles, organized into sections of articles dealing with specific subjects (the Covenant of the League of Nations; political clauses for Europe; German rights and interests outside Germany; Military, Naval and Air Clauses; prisoners of war and graves; penalties; reparations; and others.
Trenches on the Web
This 'Internet history of the Great War' website includes posters, weaponry, maps, songs, artwork, and photographs, and is one of the largest collections of information pertaining to World War I on the web.
A University Goes to War: Illinois State Normal University Women of World War I
Digital images of letters, completed surveys, news clippings, photographs, and postcards from 31 women association with Illinois State Normal University who served in some capacity during World War I - as nurses, reconstruction aides or Red Cross workers, even as Navy typists in Washington, D. C. , with about half seeing service in Europe. Presented by Illinois State University and the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State.
Veterans History Project
A collection of personal accounts of American war veterans. The site has personal narratives (audio and video-taped interviews and written memoirs), correspondence (letters, postcards, v-mail, and personal diaries), and visual materials (photographs, drawings, and scrapbooks). Search by conflict (World Wars I and II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and the wars in the Iraq Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq. A project of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
World War I: 1914-1918
A directory of World War I educational websites, with sections devoted to links to World War I museums, literature and art of the era, war memorials, and sites from Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

World War I Reference Library, Vol. 3: Primary Sources
Presents full or excerpted primary source materials, including diaries, speeches, letters, journals and memoirs, related to major topics of the period, including the roots of the war; causes of U.S. involvement; the Espionage Act and Sedition Act; weapons of mass destruction; and more.

WSA Library book with primary sources

World War I: A History in Documents by Frans Coetzee; Marilyn Shevin-Coetzee
Call Number: 940.3 Coe
ISBN: 0195137469
Publication Date: 2002-04-25
Examines various aspects of World War I both in Europe and on the home front through a collection of contemporary documents, including memoirs, newspaper articles and editorials, poems, letters, and photographs.

Roaring Twenties

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 3: 1920-1929
Primary documents on the social, political, and economic environments in the US from 1920 to 1929, using a wide variety of document types, including: photographs, memoirs, personal accounts, sermons, speeches, and more.
Roaring Twenties Reference Library, Vol. 1: Almanac and Primary Sources
A wide range of primary sources from a time of great social change in everything from fashion to music to politics.

Websites with primary sources on Presidents of the United States from 1921-1929.

Warren Gamaliel Harding, 29th President of the United States, 1921-1923
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Warren Harding. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio), other Internet resources, and points of interest are also included.
Warren Harding: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Warren Harding such as manuscripts, broadsides, government documents, images, films, and sound recordings that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Harding.
Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States, 1923-1929
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Calvin Coolidge. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio), and other Internet resources are also included.
Calvin Coolidge: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Calvin Coolidge such as manuscripts, government documents, images, and films that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Coolidge.

Great Depression

Gale Virtual Reference Library books with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 4: 1930-1939
A wide range of primary sources related to US history in the 1930s - a decade rich in new cultural and social programs, as well as political debate and legal challenge. -
Great Depression and the New Deal Reference Library, Vol. 3: Primary Sources
Examines the causes of the collapse; the impact of unemployment and under-employment; the sinking confidence of people throughout the world; the disorder in Germany after World War I that led to the rise of Adolf Hitler; and many other dimensions of this global calamity. Volume 3, Primary Sources features 30 annotated excerpts from speeches, newspaper and magazine articles, literature, and other documents from the period.

WSA Library books with primary sources

The Depression and New Deal: A History in Documents by Robert S. McElvaine
Call Number: 973.91 McE
ISBN: 0195104935
Publication Date: 2000-02-17
A collection of documents that provide insight into the realities of American life during the Great Depression, including song lyrics, magazine articles, murals and posters, excerpts from literary works, political cartoons, news stories, photographs, interviews, and letters.
Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression by Studs Terkel
Call Number: 973.91 Ter
ISBN: 1565846567
Publication Date: 2005-07-07
A variety of people who lived through the Great Depression describe their memories of that time. The book features a mosaic of memories from politicians, businessmen, artists, and writers, from those who were just kids to those who remember losing a fortune, making for an interplay of memory and fact, and revealing how the Depression affected the lives of those who experienced it firsthand.

Websites with primary sources on Presidents of the United States during the Great Depression.

Herbert Clark Hoover, 31st President of the United States, 1929-1932
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Herbert Hoover. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video) and other Internet resources also are included.
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library - Published writings of Herbert Hoover
Access to the published writings of Herbert Hoover: his memoirs ('Years of Adventure 1874-1920', 'The Cabinet and the Presidency 1920-1933', and 'The Great Depression 1929-1941'), his public presidential papers, 1929-1933, and texts of his speeches, 1933-1960.
Herbert Hoover: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Herbert Hoover such as manuscripts, government documents, and images that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Hoover.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, 1933- April 12, 1945
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Franklin D. Roosevelt. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video) and other Internet resources also are included.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library
The Library provides information on both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. Search 'Franklin' (FDR Library's digitized collections, both documents and images), FDR's day-by-day White House schedule calendar, and collections of still photographs, audio recordings and motion pictures, with links to online access.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Franklin Delano Roosevelt such as photographs, manuscripts, and sound recordings that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Roosevelt.

New Deal

Gale Virtual Reference Library books with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 4: 1930-1939
A wide range of primary sources related to US history in the 1930s - a decade rich in new cultural and social programs, as well as political debate and legal challenge. -
Great Depression and the New Deal Reference Library, Vol. 3: Primary Sources
Examines the causes of the collapse; the impact of unemployment and under-employment; the sinking confidence of people throughout the world; the disorder in Germany after World War I that led to the rise of Adolf Hitler; and many other dimensions of this global calamity. Volume 3, Primary Sources features 30 annotated excerpts from speeches, newspaper and magazine articles, literature, and other documents from the period.

Websites with primary sources

Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library
The Library provides information on both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt. Search 'Franklin' (FDR Library's digitized collections, both documents and images), FDR's day-by-day White House schedule calendar, and collections of still photographs, audio recordings and motion pictures, with links to online access.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States, 1933- April 12, 1945
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Franklin D. Roosevelt. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video) and other Internet resources also are included.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Franklin Delano Roosevelt such as photographs, manuscripts, and sound recordings that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Roosevelt.
New Deal Programs: Farm Security Administration / Office of War Information Materials
Links to resources held by the Library of Congress, including photographs from the Farm Security Administration (FSA) and the Office of War Information (OWI) that formed an extensive pictorial record of American life between 1935 and 1943.
New Deal Programs: Federal Writers' Project
The Federal Writers' Project was created in 1935 as part of the United States Work Progress Administration to provide employment for historians, teachers, writers, librarians, and other white-collar workers. This guide has links to the sectional guide books (American Guides) focusing on the scenic, historical, cultural, and economic resources of the United States, along with other manuscripts and plays created for the program, that are available on the Library of Congress website.

World War II

Websites with primary sources

The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II: A Collection of Primary Sources
Documents related to the dropping of the atomic bomb and the end of World War II, organized by topic: Background on the Atomic Project; Defining Targets; Debates on Alternatives to First Use and Unconditional Surrender; The Japanese Search for Soviet Mediation; The Trinity Test, the Potsdam Conference, and the Execution Order; The First Nuclear Strikes; Toward Surrender; and Confronting the Problem of Radiation Poisoning.
The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Documents related to the planning, execution, and aftermath of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945, and an eyewitness account from Father John A. Siemes, professor of modern philosophy at Tokyo's Catholic University; from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School.
BIJAC - Bainbridge Island Japanese American Community
A collection of photographs, artifacts, and recorded firsthand accounts that illustrate the human stories behind the exclusion and internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Bainbridge Island was the first community forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated in the Manzanar Assembly Center in the California desert. The personal stories behind these events teach us important lessons in humanity, civil rights, and citizenship.
Densho
The Densho Digital Repository has thousands of historical photographs, documents, newspapers, letters, and other primary source materials that tell the story of the Japanese American community, from immigration to WWII incarceration and its aftermath.
World War II: A Resource Guide
Provides links to all of the Library of Congress resources related to World War II: American Memory Historical Collections (including 'man-on-the-street' interviews following the attack on Pearl Harbor, maps of the Battle of the Bulge, and photographs of the Japanese-American internment camp at Manzanar and American women works during World War II); Today in History pages on important dates in World War I, and stories from the Veterans History Project.
HyperWar: Diplomatic and Political Documents of WWII
Hundreds of diplomatic and political documents produced by various agencies of the United States, United Kingdom and British Commonwealth governments.
JARDA - Japanese American Relocation Digital Archives
Thousands of Japanese American internment primary source materials, including: personal diaries, letters, photographs, and drawings; US War Relocation Authority materials, including camp newsletters, final reports, photographs, and other documents relating to the day-to-day administration of the camps; personal histories documenting the lives of the people who lived in the camps as well as the administrators who created and worked in the camps.
Powers of Persuasion: Poster Art from World War II
Collection of 33 posters the U.S. government used to mobilize public opinion during World War II. Provided by the National Archives and Records Administration.
Rutgers Oral History Archive
Hundreds of interviews of men and women who served the country during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The interviews are organized by conflict, military branch and unit, and medals awarded. Also included are interviews on special topics: World War II Home Front, Battle of Guadalcanal, US Eighth Air Force, US Army Air Forces, Tuskegee Airmen, Pearl Harbor Veterans. and Prisoners of War & Internees
Hungarian Revolution (1956).
Veterans History Project
A collection of personal accounts of American war veterans. The site has personal narratives (audio and video-taped interviews and written memoirs), correspondence (letters, postcards, v-mail, and personal diaries), and visual materials (photographs, drawings, and scrapbooks). Search by conflict (World Wars I and II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and the wars in the Iraq Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq. A project of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.
World War II: Documents
Documents in law, history, and diplomacy from the countries involved in World War II, from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School.
World War II Poster Collection
Issued by various U.S. government agencies, the 357 posters in the collection represent the U.S. government's effort, through art, illustration, and photographs, to pull the American people together in a time of adversity for the country and its population.
World War II Resources
Original documents, photographs, images, and more regarding all aspects of World War II, from the United States, European countries, and Japan. Site maintained by the Pearl Harbor Working Group.

Gale Virtual Reference Library books with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 5: 1940-1949
A wide range of primary source documents covering US history in the 1940s, including World War II political cartoons, Linus Pauling's research notebooks, photographs of the first supermarkets, Testimony of J. Edgar Hoover before the House Un-American Activities Committee, and more.
World War II Reference Library, Vol. 4: Primary Sources
Twenty speeches, diary entries, newspaper accounts and other original source documents related to World War II. Also included are sidebars, glossary, timeline, sources for further study and indexes.

WSA Library books with primary source material

Our Mothers' War: American Women at Home and at the Front During World War II by Emily Yellin
Call Number: 940.53 Yel
ISBN: 9780743245166
Publication Date: 2005-03-07
Examines the lives of American women during World War II at home and on the fighting front, drawing from personal interviews, wartime letters and diaries, and other sources to discuss their experiences as factory workers, wives and mothers, nurses, spies, pilots, movie stars, prostitutes, and in other occupations.
See Naples and Die: a World War II Memoir of a United States Army Ski Trooper in the Mountains of Italy by Robert B. Ellis
Call Number: 940.54 Ell
ISBN: 0786401990
Publication Date: 1996-08-01
A personal narrative of the experiences Robert Ellis had while serving in the 10th Mountain Division ski troop in Germany during World War II.

Harry S. Truman and the Cold War

Gale Virtual Reference Library books with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 6: 1950-1959
Primary source material on issues of the 1950s in the United States (Joseph McCarthy, anti-communism, and others), including transcripts of news conferences, speeches, hearings, magazine and journal articles, letters, and political cartoons.
Cold War Reference Library, Vol. 5: Primary Sources
Stretching from the end of World War II to 1989, the Cold War between the Western powers and the Communist bloc shaped national alliances around the world. Primary Sources provides key complete and excerpted documents of the war, such as Winston Churchill’s "Iron Curtain" speech and correspondence between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Websites with primary sources

Harry S. Truman Library and Museum
Links to online collections held by the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum,covering Truman's entire life and career, including photographs, audio (speeches, interviews, and legislative hearings), political cartoons, and documents (organized by time period and topic).
Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States, April 12, 1945-1953
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Harry S. Truman. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video), other Internet resources, and points of interest also are included.
Harry S. Truman: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Harry S. Truman such as photographs, manuscripts, political cartoons, and documents that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Truman.

Also see the Cold War box below.

Dwight Eisenhower and the Fifties

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 6: 1950-1959
Primary source material on issues of the 1950s in the United States (Joseph McCarthy, anti-communism, and others), including transcripts of news conferences, speeches, hearings, magazine and journal articles, letters, and political cartoons.

Websites with primary sources

Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library
The manuscript archives contain many full-text documents and photographs related to Eisenhower's military career (1919 through World War II), the pre-presidential years (Korean War, his years as President, declassified documents, and his Presidential Appointment Books. In addition, some of the library's oral histories have transcripts available online.
Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States, 1953-1961
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Dwight D. Eisenhower. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video) and other Internet resources also are included.
Dwight D. Eisenhower: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Dwight D. Eisenhower such as photographs, manuscripts, political cartoons, and documents that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Eisenhower.

Suburbia

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 6: 1950-1959 (Suburbia)
Primary source material on the issue of suburbia in the 1950s in the United States.

Where Are Those Primary Sources?

On this page you can find primary source material - both websites and books in the WSA Library - on American History.

Look for primary sources in WSA database s.

For WSA library books and websites covering a multiple time periods and geographical locations, see:

Primary Source Books and Websites for US History Research
US Government Websites
Presidents of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States

Primary sources on specific time periods:

Primary sources on specific topics

WSA Databases with Primary Sources

You can use this list of WSA databases with primary sources as a starting point for your research. See the box below for suggestions on what keywords to use when searching WSA databases for primary sources.

WSA Databases with Primary Sources
Click this link to open up a list of WSA databases with primary source material. The databases here cover a wide range of subject matter and include different types of primary sources;

What Keywords Should I Use?

Using the General Keyword search box - type in your topic plus one of the following words or phrases:

Archive Source*
Correspondence
Diar* (this retrieves both
         Diary and Diaries)
History Archive*
     History Document*
History Source*
Interview*
     Letter*
Personal Narrative*
     Primary source*
  Speech*

Note: Use of the * at the end of a word will search for both singular and plural forms.

Gale History eBook Collection

Gale History eBooks
A subcollection of WSA's Gale eBooks for use in historical research, with primary sources and History in Dispute articles.
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Remote access requires Library ID password.

Beat Generation

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 6: 1950-1959 - Beat Generation
Primary source material on the Beat Generation in the United States in the 1950s, with topic overviews and excerpts from Alan Ginsberg's 'Howl', Sloan Wilson's novel 'The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit', and a 1958 Chicago Review article: "Beat Zen, Square Zen, and Zen".

Korean War

Websites with primary sources

Rutgers Oral History Archive
Hundreds of interviews of men and women who served the country during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The interviews are organized by conflict, military branch and unit, and medals awarded. Also included are interviews on special topics: World War II Home Front, Battle of Guadalcanal, US Eighth Air Force, US Army Air Forces, Tuskegee Airmen, Pearl Harbor Veterans. and Prisoners of War & Internees
Hungarian Revolution (1956).
Veterans History Project
A collection of personal accounts of American war veterans. The site has personal narratives (audio and video-taped interviews and written memoirs), correspondence (letters, postcards, v-mail, and personal diaries), and visual materials (photographs, drawings, and scrapbooks). Search by conflict (World Wars I and II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and the wars in the Iraq Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq. A project of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

Cold War

Websites with primary sources

The Cuban Missile Crisis
Documents related to the Cuban Missile Crisis and its aftermath, 1961 - 1963, from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School.
Wilson Center Digital Archive - International History Declassified
Access once-secret documents from governments and organizations all over the world. The Digital Archive contains newly declassified historical materials from archives around the world—much of it in translation and including diplomatic cables, high level correspondence, meeting minutes and more. The archive supports the three major documentation projects of the Wilson Center related to the Cold War, North Korean history, and nuclear proliferation.

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

Cold War Reference Library, Volume Number (5)
Primary sources from the Cold War period between the Western powers and the Communist bloc from the end of World War II through 1989, including those related to the lives and actions of major figures, such as Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin.

WSA Library books with primary sources

The Origins of the Cold War, 1941-1949 by Martin McCauley
Call Number: 327.47 McC
ISBN: 9780582772847
Publication Date: 2003-07-31
Presents a history of the formative years of the struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States, identifying the origins and development of the Cold War, and includes an assessment in light of the collapse of communism, and a selection of source documents.
The Cold War: A History in Documents by Allan M. Winkler
Call Number: 909.8 Win
ISBN: 0195123565
Publication Date: 2001-02-15
Uses contemporary documents to explore the development of the Cold War struggle, the consequences in the 1950s and 1960s, and the lasting effects on American social and cultural patterns.
The Cold War: A History through Documents by Edward H. Judge; John W. Langdon
Call Number: 909.82 Col
ISBN: 0137612893
Publication Date: 1998-06-02
A collection of more than 130 speeches, agreements, messages, and declarations, edited, excerpted, and arranged in chronological order.
The Cold War Period, 1945-1992 by Leora Maltz (Editor)
Call Number: 973.92 Col
ISBN: 0737711469
Publication Date: 2002-10-07
Presents nearly thirty essays and primary documents on the political, cultural, and social struggles and changes that shaped America in the years of the Cold War, from 1945 to 1992; and includes a detailed chronology.

McCarthyism and Anti-communism

Gale Virtual Reference Library books with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 6: 1950-1959
Primary source material on issues of the 1950s in the United States (Joseph McCarthy, anti-communism, and others), including transcripts of news conferences, speeches, hearings, magazine and journal articles, letters, and political cartoons.
Government, Politics, and Protest: Essential Primary Sources - Senator Joseph McCarthy
Primary source material on Senator Joseph McCarthy: Telegram from Joseph McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman and "A Declaration of Conscience, June 1, 1950" by Margaret Chase Smith in protest of the McCarthy hearings.

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Websites with primary sources

The Cuban Missile Crisis
Documents related to the Cuban Missile Crisis and its aftermath, 1961 - 1963, from the Avalon Project at Yale Law School.
The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
Online collection that presents the social and political landscape of the early 1960s, chronicles President Kennedy’s assassination and its aftermath, and reflects upon his lasting impact on our country and world. The museum is located in the former Texas School Book Depository where significant evidence of a sniper was found following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy,
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library
Links to the Library's materials on both John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, much of which is available online: documents, personal papers, photographs, audio recordings, films, oral histories, and museum artifacts.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 35th President of the United States, 1961-November 22, 1963
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for John Kennedy. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video), other Internet resources, and points of interest also are included.
John F. Kennedy: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to John F. Kennedy such as photographs, manuscripts, political cartoons, and documents that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Kennedy.

Gale Virtual Reference Library books with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 7: 1960-1969
A wide range of primary source material on the social, political, and economic environments in the US in the 1960s - including codes of conduct for use by troops in Vietnam, "Prayer of the Farm Workers’ Struggle," by César Chávez, first Surgeon General’s report on Smoking and Health, 1964, Chicago Trial Testimony, by Allen Ginsberg, and more.
Cold War Reference Library, Vol. 5: Primary Sources
Stretching from the end of World War II to 1989, the Cold War between the Western powers and the Communist bloc shaped national alliances around the world. Primary Sources provides key complete and excerpted documents of the war, such as Winston Churchill’s "Iron Curtain" speech and correspondence between John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Civil Rights

Websites with primary sources

Brown v. Board of Education Digital Archive
The archive contains documents and images which chronicle events surrounding the landmark court decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954) up to the present day. The four main areas of interest are: Supreme Court cases; busing and school integration efforts in northern urban areas; school integration in the Ann Arbor Public School District; and recent resegregation trends in American schools.
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States
A selection of open primary source documents, including historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence and more from specific time periods in U.S. history marked by the opposition African Americans have faced on the road to freedom. The content is curated around six time periods: (1) Resistance to Slavery and the Abolitionist Movement (1790-1860); (2) The Civil War and the Reconstruction Era (1861-1877); (3) Jim Crow Era from 1878 to the Great Depression (1878-1932); (4) The New Deal and World War II (1933-1945); (5) The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements (1946-1975)' and (6) The Contemporary Era (1976-2000).
Civil Rights Digital Library
Access to documentation of the struggle for racial equality in the 1950s and 1960s, including: a digital video archive of historical news film of key events of the Civil Rights Movement and a portal to related digital collections. Search by events, places, people, topics, or media types. A project of the Digital Library of Georgia.
Civil Rights History Project
Video recordings of interviews of civil rights activists. Their recollections cover a wide variety of topics, such as the influence of the labor movement, nonviolence and self-defense, religious faith, music, and the experiences of young activists. Actions and events discussed include the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (1963), the Albany Movement (1961), the Freedom Rides (1961), the Selma to Montgomery Rights March (1965), the Orangeburg Massacre (1968), sit-ins, voter registration drives in the South, and the murder of fourteen year old Emmett Till in 1955. A joint project of the American Folklife Center and the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture. Hosted by the Library of Congress.
Civil Rights in America: A Resource Guide
Links to material related to civil rights, including photographs, documents, and sound recordings, at the Library of Congress, including digital collections, 'Today in History' pages on important dates in the history of the civil rights movements, and other related resources at the Library. There is also an extensive list of links to external Web sites focusing on civil rights.
Rosa Parks Papers
The papers of Rosa Parks (1913-2005) at the Library of Congress span the years 1866-2006, and document many aspects of Parks's private life and public activism on behalf of civil rights for African Americans. Events surrounding Parks's arrest in 1955 for disorderly conduct after she refused to give her seat to a white passenger, as well as the subsequent Montgomery Bus Boycott, are described in many of her writings, notes, and correspondence from 1955 to 1956. Links are provided to a primary sources gallery, a collection video, and a 'finding aid' for use with the papers.
Television News of the Civil Rights Era, 1950-1970
Television news footage films with summaries) from the nightly news from two local television stations in Virginia broadcast from 1950-1970. Included are full speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Richard M. Nixon, and Virginia governors, along with primary documents and oral histories. A project of University of Virginia.

Gale Virtual Reference Library books with primary source material

Government, Politics, and Protest: Essential Primary Sources - Chapter 2, Civil and Human Rights
A collection of primary source documents, focusing on issues of civil rights in the United States
Human and Civil Rights: Essential Primary Sources - 'Civil and Political Rights' chapter
This chapter from Human and Civil Rights: Essential Primary Sources, Civil and Political Rights, has a range of primary sources on the topic in both US and world history.

WSA Library books with primary source material

Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel About the American Obsession by Studs Terkel
Call Number: 305.8 Ter
ISBN: 1565840003
Publication Date: 1992-04-01
First published in 1992 at the height of the furor over the Rodney King incident, Terkel's candid interviews depict a complexity of thoughts and emotions and uncover a fascinating narrative of changing opinions. Preachers and street punks, college students and Klansmen, pioneering interracial couples, the nephew of the founder of apartheid, and Emmett Till's mother are among those whose voices appear in Race. In all, nearly one hundred Americans talk openly about what few are willing to admit in public: feelings about affirmative action, gentrification, secret prejudices, and dashed hopes.
Lillian Walker, Washington State Civil Rights Pioneer : A Biography & Oral History by Office of the Secretary of State
Call Number: B Wal
ISBN: 9781889320229
Publication Date: 2010-09-01
Interviews conducted June 8 and 9, 2009 for The Legacy Project of the Washington State Library.

Vietnam

Websites with primary sources

LBJ Presidential Library
The 'Online Collections' link on the Research page of the website has descriptions and links to holdings on Lyndon B. Johnson available online, including: photographs, his Daily Diary, telephone conversations, oral histories, audio and video recordings, National Security Action Memoranda (NSAM), and the Pentagon Papers.
Lyndon Baines Johnson, 36th President of the United States, November 22, 1963-1969
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Lyndon Johnson. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video) and other Internet resources also are included.
Lyndon Baines Johnson: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Lyndon Johnson such as photographs, manuscripts, political cartoons, and documents that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Johnson.
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 40 Years Later: Flawed Intelligence and the Decision for War in Vietnam
Links to declassified signal intercepts, White House tapes, official history and other documents that show that the Tonkin Gulf intelligence that led to the decision to go to war in Vietnam was flawed - "skewed" so that a Congressional vote for war would be justified.
Intelligence and Vietnam: The Top Secret 1969 State Department Study
Full text of the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) study in 1968 - an in-house classified review and evaluation of INR's performance on the subject of Vietnam during the eight years of the Kennedy and Johnson presidencies. The INR director, in a retrospective preface, states that "INR's analysis on Vietnam stood out as tenaciously pessimistic from 1963 on" meaning that "while we [in INR] were heeded, we were unable to persuade, sway, or prevail when it came to the ultimate decisions" [to go to war].
Rutgers Oral History Archive
Hundreds of interviews of men and women who served the country during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The interviews are organized by conflict, military branch and unit, and medals awarded. Also included are interviews on special topics: World War II Home Front, Battle of Guadalcanal, US Eighth Air Force, US Army Air Forces, Tuskegee Airmen, Pearl Harbor Veterans. and Prisoners of War & Internees
Hungarian Revolution (1956).
Veterans History Project
A collection of personal accounts of American war veterans. The site has personal narratives (audio and video-taped interviews and written memoirs), correspondence (letters, postcards, v-mail, and personal diaries), and visual materials (photographs, drawings, and scrapbooks). Search by conflict (World Wars I and II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War, and the wars in the Iraq Gulf, Afghanistan, and Iraq. A project of the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

Vietnam War Reference Library, Vol. 4: Primary Sources
A variety of perspectives on the country's involvement in the war with excerpts from screenplays, literature, speeches and hearing testimonies.

WSA Library book with primary source material

The Vietnam War: A History in Documents by A. Tom Grunfeld; John J. Fitzgerald; Marilyn B. Young
Call Number: 959.7 You
ISBN: 019512278X
Publication Date: 2002-05-02
Examines various aspects of the Vietnam War both in Asia and on the home front through a collection of period documents, including speeches, transcripts, media commentary, songs and cheers, memoirs, interviews, poems, and photographs.

1960s

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 7: 1960-1969
A wide range of primary source material on the social, political, and economic environments in the US in the 1960s - including codes of conduct for use by troops in Vietnam, "Prayer of the Farm Workers’ Struggle," by César Chávez, first Surgeon General’s report on Smoking and Health, 1964, Chicago Trial Testimony, by Allen Ginsberg, and more.
The Sixties in America Reference Library
A Gale Virtual Reference Library ebook, with primary source material on: Students for a Democratic Society and Young Americans for Freedom, the Antiwar Movement, the triumph and collapse of the Johnson Administration, 'Another Dream for America: The Conservative Vision', and the Antiwar Movement.

WSA Library books with primary source material

The Portable Sixties Reader by Ann Charters (Editor)
Call Number: 810.8 Por
ISBN: 0142001945
Publication Date: 2002-12-31
An anthology anthology of more than one hundred selections of essays, poetry, and fiction from the 1960s, organized into thematic chapters, from the Civil Rights movement to the Anti-Vietnam movement, the Free Speech movement, the Counterculture movement, drugs and the movement into Inner Space, the Beats and other fringe literary movements, the Black Arts movement, the Women's movement, and the Environmental movement.
Sixties Radicalism and Social Movement Activism by Mike O'Donnell (Editor); Bryn Jones (Editor)
Call Number: 973.92 Six
ISBN: 9781843318958
Publication Date: 2010-08-01
Explores and re-analyses major events, debates and themes from the radical developments of the nineteen sixties and relates them to contemporary social movements and issues.

Watergate

Website with primary sources

Richard Nixon’s Political Scandal: Researching Watergate in the Manuscript Collections at the Library of Congress
This guide provides an overview of selected manuscript materials to help researchers navigate collections in the Manuscript Division relating to the Watergate Affair and related topics such as impeachment, executive privilege, wiretapping, and the presidency of Richard M. Nixon.
The Watergate Files
An online exhibit about the Watergate trial presented by the Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum, giving an historical overview, profiles of the people involved, documents, a timeline, and film reels.

Richard Nixon

Websites with primary sources

Nixon Presidential Library
Online access to a portion of the holding of the Nixon Presidential Library: document collections (including Presidential Daily Diaries, the Pentagon Papers, and Nixon's Grand Jury testimony), Nixon White House tapes, other sound recordings (including oral histories), a photo gallery, a presidential timeline, and online exhibits, including one on Nixon's trip to China.
Richard Milhous Nixon, 37th President of the United States, 1969 -August 9, 1974
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Richard Nixon. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video) and other Internet resources also are included.
Richard Nixon: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Richard Nixon such as photographs, political cartoons, and documents that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Nixon.
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
Online access to a portion of the holdings of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library: documents, photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, and films. These are organized by broad topics: the Ford Presidency (general), Foreign Affairs and National Security, Domestic Affairs and Politics, Gerald and Betty Ford's Early Lives, Ford Congressional and Vice Presidential Years, and Ford Post-White House Years.
Gerald Rudolph Ford, 38th President of the United States, August 9, 1974 - 1977
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Gerald Ford. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video), other Internet resources, and points of interest are also included.
Gerald Ford: A Resource Guide
This resource guide compiles links to digital materials related to Gerald Ford such as photographs and political cartoons that are available throughout the Library of Congress Web site. In addition, it provides links to external Web sites focusing on Ford.

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 7: 1960-1969
A wide range of primary source material on the social, political, and economic environments in the US in the 1960s - including codes of conduct for use by troops in Vietnam, "Prayer of the Farm Workers’ Struggle," by César Chávez, first Surgeon General’s report on Smoking and Health, 1964, Chicago Trial Testimony, by Allen Ginsberg, and more.
American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 8: 1970-1979.
A wide range of primary source material on the social, political, and economic environments in the US in the 1970s - including A wide range of primary source material on the social, political, and economic environments in the US in the 1970s - including 'U.S. v. Nixon, the case against Richard M. Nixon', Kent State SDS Flyer, and statements from witnesses to events that led to the deaths of four students, excerpts from self-help books from the era, and more.

Jimmy Carter

Websites with primary sources

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library
The Digital Library collection of includes papers from the Office of the Chief of Staff and the Office of Staff Secretary during the Carter Administration.
James Earl Carter, Jr., 39th President of the United States, 1977-1981
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Jimmy Carter. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video), and other Internet resources are also included.

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 8: 1970-1979.
A wide range of primary source material on the social, political, and economic environments in the US in the 1970s - including A wide range of primary source material on the social, political, and economic environments in the US in the 1970s - including 'U.S. v. Nixon, the case against Richard M. Nixon', Kent State SDS Flyer, and statements from witnesses to events that led to the deaths of four students, excerpts from self-help books from the era, and more.

Ronald Reagan

Websites with primary sources

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
The Reagan Digital Library is a digital repository to the public papers of the President: Ronald Reagan, 1981-1989 , containing the statements, speeches and papers released by the Office of the Press Secretary during the Reagan Presidency, along with a link to a page with a limited number of speeches and announcements from Ronald Reagan’s administration as governor of California.
Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th President of the United States, 1981-1989
Background information, election results, a list of cabinet members, and notable events for Ronald Reagan. Links to Internet biographies, historical documents, media resources (audio and video), other Internet resources, and points of interest are also included.

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

American Decades Primary Sources, Vol. 9: 1980-1989
A wide range of primary source material on the social, political, and economic environments in the US in the 1980s - including a memorandum on air traffic controllers strike, a transcript from Challenger’s operational recorder, an oral history of AIDS doctors, and more.

African Americans

National Museum of African American History and Culture
A searchable database of the nearly 37,000-item collection of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Eras and topics covered include: the American South, the American West, civil rights, clothing and dress, communities, education, families, literature, the military, music, photography, politics, religious groups, segregation, and slavery,

WSA Databases with Primary Sources

Black Freedom Struggle in the United States
A selection of open primary source documents, including historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence and more from specific time periods in U.S. history marked by the opposition African Americans have faced on the road to freedom. The content is curated around six time periods: (1) Resistance to Slavery and the Abolitionist Movement (1790-1860); (2) The Civil War and the Reconstruction Era (1861-1877); (3) Jim Crow Era from 1878 to the Great Depression (1878-1932); (4) The New Deal and World War II (1933-1945); (5) The Civil Rights and Black Power Movements (1946-1975)' and (6) The Contemporary Era (1976-2000).
Exploring Race in Society
Exploring Race in Society has government agency reports, speeches, and other primary source documents related to the topics of topics associated with race, ethnicity, diversity and inclusiveness. Presented by EBSCO.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture and Law
In addition to having comprehensive coverage of statutes and court cases related to slavery, this database has a variety of primary source material, including autobiographies, letters, slave narratives, and more. Presented by HeinOnline. Login always required.

Ephemera

Button Museum
An online collection of 9,000 pinback buttons, with each button's photograph accompanied by background historical information. The museum's collection of political buttons commemorates everything from Washington’s 1789 inauguration through Obama’s 2008 election night rally.

Labor History

Labor History Resource Guide
Links to primary and secondary sources on various events and issues in the American labor movement. Topics covered include: General Labor Resources, The Evolution of Labor, Important Figures in Labor, Important Women in Labor, Development and Explanation of Unions, Legislative Acts in Labor, Major Events in Labor History. Presented by JobHero.com.

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, & Queer Primary Sources

Website with primary sources

Online Archive and Exhibit of American LGBT magazines
An archive of U.S. gay and lesbian magazines from the 1950s and 1960s, featuring annotated bibliographies, digitized materials and more than 1,000 items — including photos, letters to the editor, op-eds, feature stories, news stories and advertisements — from Africa; Asia and the Pacific; Canada; Latin America and the Caribbean; the Middle East; and Russia, the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.
Digital Transgender Archive
An online hub for digitized historical materials, born-digital materials, and information on archival holdings related to transgender history. The term transgender is used to refer to a broad and inclusive range of non-normative gender practices. The archive brings together a trans-historical and trans-cultural collection of materials related to trans-ing gender. The collection is built by more than 20 different archives and organizations from around the world.
GLBT Historical Society Archives
Collections of the GLBT Historical Society that are accessible online, including personal papers, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and organizational records. These collections include unpublished material such as letters, diaries and scrapbooks documenting the lives of both average people and community leaders.

WSA Database with Primary Sources

LGBTQ+ Rights
The LGBTQ+ Rights database brings together over 850 titles relating to the gay rights movement in America, including an interactive timeline, as well as subject-coded court cases, scholarly articles, books, pamphlets, reports, and more. Provided by HeinOnline. Login always required.

Gale Virtual Reference Library book with primary source material

Gender Issues and Sexuality: Essential Primary Sources
Primary source material on topics related to the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) community, including legal decisions, journal and magazine articles, excerpts from personal accounts.

Native Americans

Websites

Native Knowledge 360°
Native Knowledge 360° provides educators and students with new perspectives on Native American history, cultures, and contemporary lives. Presented by the National Museum of the American Indian.
Smithsonian Collections Search Center
The National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) has one of the most extensive collections of Native American arts and artifacts in the world—approximately 266,000 catalog records (825,000 items) representing over 12,000 years of history and more than 1,200 indigenous cultures throughout the Americas. Use the main search portal for the Smithsonian to look for museum objects, archives and library materials( including online images, audio & videos and blog posts) held by NMAI.

Artstor

Political Cartoons

America in Caricature: 1765 to 1865
A selection of the political cartoons at the Lilly Library at the University of Indiana, Bloomington, divided by time period: the Colonial years and the early Republic, 1765-1798; the War of 1812; and the presidential elections of 1860 and 1864, which brought Abraham Lincoln to the White House.
Baldy Editorial Cartoons, 1946-1982, 1997
2,500 cartoons by Clifford H. Baldowski, known by the pen-name "Baldy," depicting the local, national and international news of his day, including the Civil Rights Movement, the Cold War, the Vietnam conflict, Middle East tensions, and Watergate. Hosted by the Digital Library of Georgia.
Cartoon America
This selection of 102 drawings from the Art Wood Collection of Cartoon and Caricature at the Library of Congress includes political illustrations, gag cartoons, comic strips, illustrations, animation, and caricature.
Dr. Seuss Went to War
A collection of the 400 editorial cartoons drawn by Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel, 1904-1991) from 1941-1943 for the New York newspaper PM and a set of war bonds "cartoons" which appeared in many newspapers during World War II. Presented by the library at the University of California, San Diego.
Herblock!
A collection of 82 drawings from the Herbert L. Block Collection at the Library of Congress. The Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Herb Block (1909–2001) using his cartoons to condemn corruption and expose injustice, inequality, and immorality on topics including the Great Depression, the rise of fascism and World War II, communism and the Cold War, Senator Joseph McCarthy, race relations, Richard Nixon, the Reagan era, the 2000 election, and more.
The Opper Project
A collection of historic editorial cartoons. covering more than one hundred years of American history - Andrew Jackson through the late twentieth century - organized in chronological order by topic. Presented by The Ohio State University Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum.
Running for Office: Candidates, Campaigns, and the Cartoons of Clifford Berryman
A collection of political cartoons by renowned cartoonist Clifford K. Berryman (1869-1949), illustrating the campaign process from the candidate’s decision to run for office to the ultimate outcome of the election, from 1898 through 1948. Presented by the National Archives.

Women's Rights / Women's History

Websites with primary sources

Women's History Month
Links to exhibits and collections of material related to women’s history available from the Library of the Congress and other partner agencies (NEH, Smithsonian, and others) including online publications from the National Archives and Library of Congress Resource Guides. The 'Audio/Video' page has links to Webcasts, musical recordings and unique sound artifacts related to women's history.
Women's History Sourcebook
Texts from Fordham University's Internet Ancient History Sourcebook, Internet Medieval Sourcebook and the Internet Modern History Sourcebook, covering women's history. The sourcebook presents online documents and secondary discussions which reflect the various ways of looking at the history of women within broadly defined historical periods and areas.
Women in World History
More than 200 primary sources, organized by region of the world (Africa, the Americas, East Asia, Europe, Mid-East/North Africa, Russia, South Asia, Southeast Asia); a project of the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.
Women Working: 1800-1930
a digital exploration of women's impact on the economic life of the United States between 1800 and the Great Depression. Working conditions, workplace regulations, home life, costs of living, commerce, recreation, health and hygiene, and social issues are among the issues documented. This online research collection from Harvard University includes manuscripts,personal papers, institutional records, books, magazines, trade catalogs; and photographs. All materials are in the public domain.