American Studies Research Guide

Primary sources are the "raw stuff" of history, created or experienced during the time period being studied. 

• Provide firsthand accounts, viewpoints, and evidence contemporary to the time.
• Examples: photograph, diary, speech, map, newspaper article, video footage, legal document, etc.

Explore the sections below to get started with your search for a primary source. This list is robust, but not exhaustive! Depending on our topic you may want to search on your own for primary sources. Here are some tips:

• Look for historical societies or museum websites specific to the geographic area you are studying.
• Find university or college libraries with ties to your topic or geographic area, then locate their digital archival collections.
• In many cases librarians have already done the work for you! On Google, search for your topic + "libguide" and look at results from libraries. Here is an example of a search for sources that might be helpful if you were writing a story about the "true" story of Pocahontas. 
• Looking for documents created by a particular person? Add the word "papers" to your search to find out if their personal collection of writing is housed at a library or archive.

This helpful video from the Katherine Brush Library covers how to cite a primary source in Noodletools:

The Digital Public Library of America includes over 40 million primary documents, photographs, and other primary sources from archives and libraries across the United States.

• Search by keyword from the homepage. Use quotation marks to limit your search to specific terms (for example, searching for "Louisiana Purchase" will bring up more relevant resources than searching for Louisiana Purchase without quotation marks).
• Browse the Primary Source Sets by using the dropdown menus located at the top center of the webpage.
• If you find an item you are interested in, click on "View Full Item" to learn more about it from the owning institution.
• To cite an item, click on "Cite this Item" on the right side to generate an MLA or Chicago citation. 

The Library of Congress collections contain primary sources from all time periods of United States history 

• The Library of Congress digital collections contain documents, letters, photos, pamphlets, maps, sheet music, artwork, and more.
• Chronicling America: This project from the Library of Congress provides access to many of America's historic newspaper from 1770-1963. Limit your search to a specific time period or state. 

GovInfo is the official digital repository of the United States Government Publishing Office. Access government publications from all three branches of government and federal agencies, including:

• Presidential papers
• Congressional hearings
• Bills and statutes 
• Publicly funded scientific and medical research
• Supreme court opinions
• and much more!

Writing about the time period just before and including the Civil War? Access these historical newspapers and publications through the library's subscriptions:

These library databases include a number of primary sources on all time periods in American history: