Databases/Websites with Primary Sources
This collection of databases is but a small sample of what UD subscribes to. For a full list of what we have, go to our "Databases" page and search for "Arts & Humanities Databases" from the "Browse by Subject" list.
- American State Papers, 1739 - 1838 This link opens in a new windowLegislative and executive documents of Congress during the period 1789 to 1838. The collection includes documents that cover the period from 1789 and the beginning of the U.S. Congressional Serial Set in 1817.
- Colonial America This link opens in a new windowColonial America will consist of all 1,450 volumes of the CO 5 series of Colonial Office files held at The National Archives in London, plus all extracted documents associated with them. These will be published in five modules, all surrounding various themes.
- Early American Imprints Series I: Evans, 1639-1800 This link opens in a new windowEarly American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800 includes all American imprints from the 17th and 18th centuries which were identified in the American Bibliography by Charles Evans and in the Supplement to Evans’ American Bibliography by Roger Bristol. The collection is a foundation set for research involving early American history, literature, philosophy, religion, and more. It is the definitive resource for information about every aspect of life in 17th- and 18th-century America, from agriculture and auctions through foreign affairs, diplomacy, literature, music, religion, the Revolutionary War, temperance, witchcraft, and many other topics.
- Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new windowBy going through this link for Gale Primary Sources, you are able to cross-list your search with all the collections UD subscribes to.
- HathiTrust Digital Library This link opens in a new windowHathiTrust has content that resides in the public domain, but UD also pays for additional content to be made available that you can only access from our library website.
- Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new windowProvides a standard source for the quantitative facts of American history. Expands and revises information provided in Historical Statistics of the United States, previously produced by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, and includes thirty years of new data and scholarship. Topics ranging from migration and health to crime and the Confederate States of America are each placed in historical context by a recognized expert in the field.
- Indigenous Peoples of North America This link opens in a new windowIndigenous Peoples of North America enables the exploration of the political, social, and cultural history of native peoples from the 16th century well into the 20th century. Comprehensive yet personal, the collection covers the history of American Indian tribes and supporting organizations. It provides a robust and diverse search experience, facilitating intelligent inquiry into the culture and heritage of indigenous people.
- North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new windowThe collection includes one of the most comprehensive bibliographies of women’s diaries and letters yet published. It lists over 2,000 published and unpublished items from a variety of sources, including online resources and microform.
- Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new windowStatistical tables & charts covering various aspects of social, political, & economic life. Emphasis is on the U.S., but some tables cover regions, states, cities, & comparative international statistics. (Coverage: 1878 --)
- Women & Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 This link opens in a new windowOrganized around the history of women in social movements in the U.S. between 1600 and 2000, this collection seeks to advance scholarly debates and understanding about U.S. women’s history. Included are document projects and document archives, primary source collections, the archive of federal, state, and local Commissions on the Status of Women between 1961 and 2005, the online edition of the biographical dictionary, Notable American Women (1971-2004), book reviews, teaching tools, and more.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of online collections of primary sources. Try using Google to search for collections that are publicly available at other institutions.
- Founders Online (NARA)Letters and records from America's early presidents including George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.
- Digital Public Library of AmericaThe DPLA portal searches collections held by US archives, libraries and museums.
- Making of AmericaBooks and periodicals from the 19th century.
- Primary Sources for American History (RUSA)Prepared by the RUSA History Section of the American Library Association, this guide lists important, yet freely-available resources on the web that pertain to American history.
- Internet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more. It was founded to build an Internet library, with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format.
Founded in 1996, the Internet Archive has an historical web collection (the Wayback Machine) of over 150 billion web pages, about 240,000 movies, over 500,000 audio items (including over 70,000 live concerts), over 1,800,000 texts, 1600 education items, and over 30,000 software items. - A Guide to Resources on the American Civil WarAlthough this guide is not comprehensive, it provides a large curate list of diverse, free collections on the American Civil War.
- A Guide to Resources on the Vietnam WarA guide curated by Academic Librarians on free internet resources on the Vietnam War.
- American Journeys: Eyewitness Accounts of Early American Exploration and SettlementFrom the Wisconsin Historical Society. Consists of documents selected to provide 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.
- ArchiveGridArchiveGrid includes over three million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,000 different archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.