Primary Sources - HSS 300 - Fall Term - OWHL Guides at Phillips Academy

Primary Source Databases

Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window
This is a primary source-centric database that covers American history from the 19th century through the early 20th century. Search for newspapers, eyewitness accounts, and more for events such as the Civil War, women's suffrage, and the abolitionist movement. It also contains a collection of African American newspapers from 1827-1909.
Infobase American History This link opens in a new window
This source features thousands of reference articles on American political, military, social, and cultural history over the past 500 years. Some primary sources may also be found here.
Infobase American Indian History This link opens in a new window
This source provides reference articles on over 15,000 years of Native American culture and history, and includes biographies, legends, treaties, and more. Some primary sources are included.
ProQuest American Periodicals This link opens in a new window
This database contains over 1,100 periodicals that first began publishing between 1740 and 1940, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children’s and women’s magazines, and many other historically-significant periodicals.
America’s Historical Newspapers Series: 1690-1922 This link opens in a new window
This database contains American newspaper articles from the late 17th century through 1922.
Britannica Original Sources This link opens in a new window
This database provides access to more than 2,000 primary sources plus 700 multimedia elements from all aspects of American history from 1493-2009.
It includes speeches, memoirs, poems, historical accounts, and more.
ARTSTOR This link opens in a new window
A digital library of over two million images from some of the world's leading museums, archives, scholars, and artists.
Ethnic American Newspapers 1799-1971 This link opens in a new window
Explores the American immigrant experience. Offers extensive coverage of the most influential ethnic groups in U.S. history
ProQuest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Search and read full text articles from 28 historical newspapers listed below [click "more..." to view list"]:

• The Atlanta Constitution (1868-1984)
• Atlanta Daily World (1931-2003)
• The Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988)
• The Baltimore Sun (1837-1987)
• The Boston Globe (1872-1984)
• Chicago Defender (1909-1975)
• Chicago Tribune (1849-1992)
• The Christian Science Monitor (1908-2003)
• Cleveland Call and Post (1934-1991)
• Detroit Free Press (1831-1922)
• The Guardian and The Observer (1791-2003)
• Hartford Courant (1764-1990)
• Indianapolis Star (1903-1922)
• The Irish Times and The Weekly Irish Times (1859-2015)
• Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2005)
• Los Angeles Times (1881-1989)
• New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993)
• New York Times (1851-2014)
• New York Tribune (1841-1922)
• Norfolk Journal and Guide (1916-2003)
• Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2001)
• Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002)
• San Francisco Chronicle (1865-1922)
• The Scotsman (1817-1950)
• The St. Louis Post Dispatch (1874-1922)
• The Times of India (1838-2007)
• The Wall Street Journal (1889-1999)
• The Washington Post (1877-1999)
Infobase Issues & Controversies in History This link opens in a new window
This database use primary sources to analyze great conflicts in U.S. and World along with in-depth secondary source articles on historical events. It also provides each issue with its background information and its pro/con arguments.
Gale Primary Sources: Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers (Gale) This link opens in a new window
This database provides full text access to hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers.
Gale Primary Sources: Archives Unbound - Introduction to U.S. History: The American Revolution This link opens in a new window
This digital archive of primary sources documents the revolution and war that created the United States of America, from the earliest protests in 1765 through the peace treaty of 1783.

Primary Source Websites

DPLA: Primary Source Sets - US History
Primary source collections exploring topics in history, literature, and culture
Museum of the Cherokee
The King Research Collection: Trail of Tears
Univ. of GA - Rare Map Collection - Colonial America
Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs
Internet History Sourcebook: American Independence (Fordham)
Coming of the American Revolution (Massachusetts Historical Society)
Avalon Project - 18th Century Documents (Yale)

Finding the Full-Text

Many times, the best way to find primary sources is by looking at the bibliography of your reference and secondary sources. Since secondary sources should be analyzing primary sources, citations for the sources being analyzed should be footnoted and/or cited in their bibliography. To find the full text using the citation use the link below after watching this short video.

Full Text Finder This link opens in a new window
This resource allows you to search for specific journal titles in the OWHL's collection and see which databases have the full text articles.

HSS 300 - Fall Term: Primary Sources

Finding and Identifying Primary Sources

Primary Source Databases

Primary Source Websites

Finding the Full-Text