Historical Primary Sources: Collections by Time Period, Subject, Format, and Geographic Region

North American Primary Sources: Library Resources

Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window
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Full-text of 18th and 19th century publications including selected African American newspapers (eg. North Star), Civil War era magazines and newspapers, Godey's Ladies' Book, major early American newspapers (eg. Pennsylvania Gazette), and major Civil war articles from the north and south.<
Periodicals include Godey's Lady's Book and the Pennsylvania Gazette. Civil War articles from The New York Herald, The Charleston Mercury, and the Richmond Enquirer. African-American papers, including Freedom's Journal, The Colored American, The North Star the Frederick Douglass Paper (1851-59), and others.
Alternative Press Index Archive This link opens in a new window
Oxford campus users only.
Alternative Press Index is a bibliographic database of journal, newspaper, and magazine articles from over 700 international alternative, radical, and left periodicals.
Alternative Press Index covers theories and practices of: socialism, revolution, ecology, democracy, anarchism, feminism, organized labor, indigenous peoples, and gay and lesbian issues. API coverage is both international and interdisciplinary and begins with 1969.
American Film Scripts Online This link opens in a new window
A work in progress, this edition of American Film Scripts Online contains more than 1,100 scripts together with detailed information on the scenes, characters and people related to the scripts. Users may encounter content in this database the library has not purchased.
Users can search by subject (topics, events, places) as well as by character name, writer, film title, and people (actors, director, producers) When complete, the collection will include more than 1,000 scripts and over 100,000 scenes of life as portrayed in the movies.
American History in Video This link opens in a new window
Historical videos (1894-2015) from commercial and governmental newsreels, archival footage, public affairs footage, and important documentaries. Users may encounter content in this database the library has not purchased.
The collection allows students and researchers to analyze historical events, and their presentation over time, through commercial and governmental newsreels, archival footage, public affairs footage, and important documentaries.
American Periodicals This link opens in a new window
Full-text of American magazines published from 1741 into the 20th century. Database can be browsed by title, editor, or publisher, and searched using a sophisticated search menu.
The collection includes the first American magazines, early literary and cultural reviews, the first scholarly journals, and many popular magazines that continue to be published to this day, including Atlantic, Ladies'Home Journal, Vanity Fair, Puck, and Scientific American. This is a work-in-progress and is updated daily. For additional indexing use the 19th Century Index and Index to Early American Periodicals.
American Music This link opens in a new window
Explore the music of Americans of diverse origins and all walks of life through these recordings of songs and instrumentals. Users may encounter content in this database the library has not purchased.
The songs are by and about Native Americans, miners, immigrants, slaves, children, pioneers, cowboys, and ordinary folk and address topics ranging from the American Revolution and Civil War to political campaigns and civil rights. Genres include country, bluegrass, blues, gospel, shape note singing, doo-wop, Motown, R&B, soul, funk, and others.
Black Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Covers non-fiction published works of leading African Americans. full-texts of books, essays, articles, speeches, and interviews written by leaders within the black community. Users may encounter content in this database the library has not purchased.
Cincinnati Newspaper Index (NEWSDEX) This link opens in a new window
Created and maintained by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County staff, this database indexes selected articles on local topics from area newspapers, currently including the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Cincinnati Post, the Cincinnati Herald, the Business Courier, Cincinnati Magazine, and the Downtowner.
Some topics can be traced back into the 19th century, although the years since 1990 are covered more fully. There is no full-text in the database.
Cities in American Political History This link opens in a new window
Profiling the ten most populous cities in the United States during ten critical eras of political development including their government and politics, industry, commerce, labor, and race and ethnicity.
County and Regional Histories and Atlases: Ohio This link opens in a new window
Ohio. 1857-1922. Local histories and atlases at the county level published during the last quarter of the 19th century to the early years of the 20th century. Included are tables and lists of vital statistics, military service records, municipal and county officers, chronologies, portraits of individuals and views of urban and rural life. The atlases provide additional information on land use and settlement patterns and scarce early town and city plans.
Database of Recorded American Music This link opens in a new window
Listen to recordings and view liner notes and essays from New World, Composers' Recordings, Albany, Cedille and other labels focusing on music of the United States.
DRAM preserves and makes available recordings from a set of independent labels possibly overlooked by commercial vendors.
Declassified Documents Reference System This link opens in a new window
Full-text of previously classified federal records from presidential libraries and numerous executive agencies, including the Department of Defense, CIA, FBI and others. Collection spans the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Majority of documents are presidential records. Materials cover significant foreign and domestic events.
Digital National Security Archive This link opens in a new window
Declassified documents covering U.S. policy decisions from 1945 to present.
Includes supporting materials from the National Security Archive, including bibliographies, chronologies, glossaries and scholarly overviews.
Early American Imprints: The Digital Evans This link opens in a new window
Full-text of most printed matter (books, pamphlets, and broadsides, etc.) issued the United States and Canada from 1640-1800. If the full-text is not included, it is not extant anywhere.
Based on the American Bibliography compiled by Charles Evans, with updates and corrections, EAI offers rich indexing (author, title, subject, genre, publishing location, language, more) and easy access to the print culture of Colonial and early republican America. Complemented by the two full-text collections, Early English Books Online and Eighteenth Century Collections Online.
Early American Newspapers: Series 1-7 This link opens in a new window
Full-text page and article images of selected American newspapers from roughly 1690-1922.
Early Encounters in North America: Peoples, Cultures, and the Environment This link opens in a new window
Letters, diaries, memoirs, and other kinds of personal accounts of encounters between native cultures and colonizers in North and South America (although Canada and the United States dominate). Perspectives include traders, slaves, missionaries, explorers, soldiers, native peoples, and officials, both men and women. Users may encounter content in this database the library has not purchased.
European Views of the Americas: 1493-1750 This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive bibliography (not full-text) to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750. Content covers European exploration, portrayals of Native American peoples, natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and slavery. Based on the bibliography European Americana: A Chronological Guide to Works Printed in Europe Relating to The Americas, 1493-1750.
HarpWeek This link opens in a new window
Full-text page and article images of Harpers Weekly, an important 19th century political and social magazine. 1857-1871.
Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
Collected from governmental and non-governmental resources. Contains statistics on social, behavioral, economics, government, finance, demography, education, law, natural resources, climate, religion, migration, trade and more. Allows for customization of data into tables.
Historic Documents Series This link opens in a new window
Published annually since 1972, the Historic Documents Series now contains 35 volumes of primary sources. Each volume includes approximately one hundred documents covering the most significant events of the year. These documents range from presidential speeches, international agreements, and Supreme Court decisions to U.S. governmental reports, scientific findings, and cultural discussions.
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Homeland Security Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Collection of documents related to homeland security policy, strategy and organizational management.
Collection includes reports from the Congressional Research Service and General Accounting Office, presidential directives and executive orders, congressional hearings and legislation, theses and research reports, and more.
Illustrated Civil War Newspapers and Magazines This link opens in a new window
Contains campaign newspapers for the 1860 Presidential campaign and magazines and newspapers sympathetic to the Confederacy, Union, and Abolitionism. 1860-1865.
Carefully sought out and compiled from 17 different museum, library, and private collections, including those of the American Antiquarian Society and the Chicago Historical Society, these resources are now available to modern scholars in electronic form for the first time here.
Images of the American Civil War This link opens in a new window
Posters, photographs, and ephemera depicting Civil War battlefields, the home front, politics, and general society. Users may encounter content in this database the library has not purchased.
Images, etc. from the collections of the American Antiquarian Society, Virginia Historical Society, The Library Company of Philadelphia, and the New York Historical Society.
Literature, Culture and Society in Depression Era America This link opens in a new window
Archives of the Federal Writers' Project. Writers, artists, historians, sociologists, and others were hired through this federal government program during the Great Depression to document and preserve American life. The collection includes city and county guides; ethnic, sociological, and labor studies; folklore studies; and even poems and plays. 1930s.
In five years, the WPA spent millions to provide literary training and, more significantly, the opportunity for participants to observe, eat and write. This collection presents the FWP publications of all 47 states involved in the 10-year project.
March of Time This link opens in a new window
Collection of newsreels highlighting world cultures and contemporary issues. Some videos contain multiple short vignettes about news around the world and others are longer single topic explorations. Some were also reenactments 1935-1967. Users may encounter content in this database the library has not purchased.
Morgan Bibliography of Ohio Imprints, 1796-1850 This link opens in a new window
Description and bibliography of books, pamphlets, and broadsides printed in Ohio. Many titles will be available through HathiTrust and Google books online as well as in print in Miami's collection or through OhioLINK.
Mountain People: Life and Culture in Appalachia This link opens in a new window
Diaries, journals and narratives of explorers, emigrants, military men, Native Americans, and travelers are complemented by accounts of the development of farming and mining communities, family histories and folklore. Covers the colonial era and the settlers conflicts with Native Americans through the evolution of a farm- and forest-society to Civil War divisions and post war industrialization, railroads and mining and modern day poverty.
New York Times Historical This link opens in a new window
Full-text of the complete run of New York Times including with page images, individual articles, ads, and illustrations in downloadable PDF. It includes, and is searchable by, display and classified ads, cartoons, photos, maps, graphics, etc., editorials, obituaries, and commentary, as well as articles. 1851-3 years ago.
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories This link opens in a new window
Personal narratives including letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, and oral histories (some audio content). Much of the material is previously unpublished. Content includes perspectives both on North America and on the immigrants. 1800-1950.
North American Indian Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Contains autobiographies, biographies, Indian publications, oral histories, personal writings, photographs, drawings, and audio files. Provides American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Canadian First Peoples perspectives. 18th century-present.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Unpublished and published sources of women's diaries and correspondence. They provide a detailed record of what women wore, the conditions under which they worked, what they ate, what they read, and how they amused themselves. Colonial - present.
Unpublished and published sources of women's diaries and correspondence. They provide a detailed record of what women wore, the conditions under which they worked, what they ate, what they read, and how they amused themselves. Colonial - present.
Oxford African American Studies Center This link opens in a new window
5 simultaneous users. Contains a comprehensive collection of scholarship focused on the lives and events which have shaped African American and African history and culture. Includes articles from Oxford's reference works, primary sources with specially written commentaries, images, maps, charts and tables, timelines, and biographies.
Features over 7,500 articles from Oxford's reference works, approximately 100 primary sources with specially written commentaries, over 1,000 images, over 100 maps, over 200 charts and tables, timelines to guide researchers through the history of African Americans and over 6,000 biographies.
ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
U.S. Congress documents including hearings, legislation, and regulations. Provides bill tracking and legislative histories. ProQuest Congressional offers information and primary-source documents by and about the United States Congress. Indexes some social media from various government bodies. 1789-present.
Full-text is available for many publications including testimony from congressional hearings (1824-Present); committee reports (1817-Present); bill texts and status (1989-); Statutes at Large/U.S. Code (1789-); Congressional Serial Set (1789-2003); Federal Register (1980-); and the Congressional Record, including the Annals of Congress (1789-1997). It also provides information about members and committees.
Readers' Guide Retrospective This link opens in a new window
Oxford campus users only. Index only to popular magazines (primarily United States) in the 20th century. 1890-1982.
Rotunda This link opens in a new window
Primary source collections of 18th and 19th century text, including papers of Dolly Madison and George Washington, papers from Kristina Rosetti, Matthew Arnold, Emily Shore, Herman Melville (text of his novel Typee), and an 19th century novel about slavery by a slave. Contains supplemental and interpretive materials.
Social and Cultural History: Letters and Diaries Online This link opens in a new window
Brings together the following collections into one searchable database: North American Women's Letters and Diaries; British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries; The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries; North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories; Black Thought and Culture. Each of these databases has a separate description in this Databases A-Z list.
Brings together the following collections into one searchable database: North American Women's Letters and Diaries; British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries; The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries; North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories; Black Thought and Culture. Each of these databases has a separate description in this Databases A-Z list.
Twentieth Century Advice Literature This link opens in a new window
Full-text of handbooks, manuals, textbooks, etiquette guides, self-help books, instructional pamphlets, and how-to books that illustrate the standards of personal conduct for millions of Americans and reflected the prevailing social mores across the twentieth century. Titles include: "Official Preppy Handbook" and "Facts about Marriage Every Young Man & Woman Should Know" 1900-present
The collection provides a window into American social history by bringing together the instructional, prescriptive, behavioral, and etiquette literature that defined standards of personal conduct for millions of Americans and reflected the prevailing social mores across the twentieth century. The collection contains fully searchable handbooks, manuals, textbooks, etiquette guides, self-help books, instructional pamphlets, and how-to books that illustrate both how Americans actually behaved and how they felt they ought to behave.
Underground and Independent Comics, Comix and Graphic Novels This link opens in a new window
Primary source database focusing on North American and European adult comic books and graphic novels. The collection includes original material from the 1960s to today along with interviews, commentary, theory, and criticism from journals, books, and magazines.
Washington Post Historical This link opens in a new window
Full-text image and indexing of the Washington Post from its beginning in 1877 through 17 years ago. Includes full-page and article images of all articles and display and classified ads, comics and cartoons, photos, maps, graphics, etc., editorials and commentary, literary criticism as well as articles.
We Were Prepared for the Possibility of Death: Freedom Riders in the South This link opens in a new window
FBI documents and files Including surveillance reports, chronologies, witness statements and relating to the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) "freedom ride." By riding interstate buses in the South in mixed racial groups, the Freedom Riders challenged the southern states that ignored federal anti-segregation laws.
Women and Social Movements in the United States This link opens in a new window
This database includes documents from the President's Commission on the Status of Women, Institute for Women's Policy Research, papers of women active in the women's movements as well as selected speeches diaries and other publications.

European Primary Sources: Library Resources

British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
full-text of diaries and letters of British and Irish women in the UK and abroad. Most have been published, but also some are in manuscript form. Coverage 15th century - sometime in the 20th century. See advanced index. Users may encounter content in this database the library has not purchased.
Current Digest of the Russian Press This link opens in a new window
A weekly English language publication providing comprehensive coverage of national news, current events, economic developments, and cultural events in Russia.
Founded in 1949, the Current Digest was first published as The Current Digest of the Soviet Press (1949-1991), followed by The Current Digest of the Post-Soviet Press (1992-2010), and now The Current Digest of the Russian Press. Each week the Current Digest presents a selection of Russian-language press materials, carefully translated into English. The translations are intended for use in teaching and research. They are therefore presented as documentary materials without elaboration or comment, and state the opinions and views of the original authors, not of the publisher of the journal.
Early English Books Online This link opens in a new window
Early English Books Online (EEBO) contains over 125,000 books, pamphlets, broadsides, and other printed matter printed in England or its Colonies or in English anywhere during the years 1475-1700.
EEBO titles appear as digital images and can be downloaded as pdf files. The database is searchable, but see also the English Short-Title Catalogue that allows more complex searches and is keyed to EEBO titles. Some 25,000 of the EEBO titles are being digitized with SGML coding as part of the Text Creation Partnership. Included here are titles listed in Pollard & Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640), Wing's Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700), and the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661); titles in the Tract Supplement will be added starting in 2007-08.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window
The Eighteenth Century Collections Online is a comprehensive digital collection of nearly 140,000 English-language titles covering all subjects published between 1701 and 1800 in the United Kingdom and North America (and including foreign-language titles printed in the UK). It allows both full-text searching of more than 33 million pages of material and sophisticated searches by subject, author, publisher, and back-of-the-book indexes.
English Short Title Catalogue This link opens in a new window
The English Short Title Catalog (ESTC) catalogs and describes works printed in any language in England or its dependencies and works printed in English anywhere in the world, 1473 to the end of the eighteenth century.
Simple and advanced searches are possible, using author, title, subject, imprint, and other features. Most of the items listed are available online in Early English Books Online, Eighteenth Century Collections Online, and Early American Imprints.
European Views of the Americas: 1493-1750 This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive bibliography (not full-text) to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750. Content covers European exploration, portrayals of Native American peoples, natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and slavery. Based on the bibliography European Americana: A Chronological Guide to Works Printed in Europe Relating to The Americas, 1493-1750.
FBIS Daily Reports (1941-1996) This link opens in a new window
Full-text, transcribed and translated intercepted media (official news services as well as other types) from sources outside the United States.
Many of these materials are first-hand reports of events as they occurred. Key historical events are accessible directly through predefined, hyperlinked collections. From 157 different countries. Many of these materials are first-hand reports of events as they occurred. Key historical events are accessible directly through predefined, hyperlinked collections.
Historic Documents Series This link opens in a new window
Published annually since 1972, the Historic Documents Series now contains 35 volumes of primary sources. Each volume includes approximately one hundred documents covering the most significant events of the year. These documents range from presidential speeches, international agreements, and Supreme Court decisions to U.S. governmental reports, scientific findings, and cultural discussions.
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Krokodil Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
Krokodil was a satirical magazine published in the Soviet Union. Founded in 1922, it was first published as a supplement for Rabochaia gazeta. In 2001-2004 the title Krokodil was changed to Novyi Krokodil, but in 2005 the old title was back. Published continuously until 2008, Krokodil was at one time the most popular newspaper for humorous stories and satire, with a circulation reaching 6.5 million copies.
Krokodil lampooned religion, alcoholism, foreign political figures and events. It ridiculed bureaucracy and excessive centralized control. The caricatures found in Krokodil can be studied as a gauge of the 'correct party line' of the time. During the height of the Cold War, cartoons criticizing Uncle Sam, Pentagon, Western colonialism and German militarism were common in the pages of Krokodil.
Pravda Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
Pravda ("Truth") was the official voice of Soviet communism and the Central Committee of the Communist Party between 1918 and 1991. Founded in 1912 in St. Petersburg, Pravda originated as an underground daily workers' newspaper, and it soon became the main newspaper of the revolutionary wing of the Russian socialist movement. Throughout the Soviet era, party members were obligated to read Pravda. Today, Pravda still remains the official organ of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, an important political faction in contemporary Russian politics.
Publication of Pravda was completely suspended in 1915 and 1916, and no issues were produced. The lack of database content for this period is not a gap, but reflects the publication schedule during these years.
Romantic Era Redefined This link opens in a new window
This resource covers writers from Britain, the British Empire, and North America and includes over 170,000 pages of text. It includes poetry, prose, drama, letters, and diaries.
Social and Cultural History: Letters and Diaries Online This link opens in a new window
Brings together the following collections into one searchable database: North American Women's Letters and Diaries; British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries; The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries; North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories; Black Thought and Culture. Each of these databases has a separate description in this Databases A-Z list.
Brings together the following collections into one searchable database: North American Women's Letters and Diaries; British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries; The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries; North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories; Black Thought and Culture. Each of these databases has a separate description in this Databases A-Z list.
Stalin Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
The Stalin Digital Archive (SDA) contains primary and secondary source material related to Joseph Stalin's personal biography, his work in government, and his conduct of foreign affairs. A majority of these documents are scanned page images and corresponding bibliographic records in Russian created by the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History (RGASPI). The archive also contains full transcriptions of all of the volumes in Yale University Press' acclaimed Annals of Communism (AOC) series.
Times Digital Archive, 1785-2010 This link opens in a new window
Full-text page and article images of the daily edition of the Times, London newspaper. The daily edition of the Times has always been published by a separate publisher from the Sunday edition. Major newspaper not only for Britain, but also for articles on the British colonies and much of Europe. 1822 - 2006
The index to the paper after 1985 is available in the King Index area at the end of the reference section. Older indexes are available in King Circulation. Microfilm of the newspaper is available by request from the Instructional Materials Center.
Underground and Independent Comics, Comix and Graphic Novels This link opens in a new window
Primary source database focusing on North American and European adult comic books and graphic novels. The collection includes original material from the 1960s to today along with interviews, commentary, theory, and criticism from journals, books, and magazines.
World History in Video This link opens in a new window
Online collection of streaming videos that gives users access to critically acclaimed documentaries from filmmakers worldwide. Documentaries topics include, a survey of human history from the earliest civilizations to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Focus is Africa and the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania.

Latin American Primary Sources: Library Resources

Latin American Women Writers This link opens in a new window
Latin American Women Writers contains full-text prose, poetry and drama by Latin American Women. Authors are from Mexico and South and Central America. Materials are in Spanish and Portuguese as well as French, Italian and English.
Latino Literature This link opens in a new window
Contains the full-text of poetry, fiction, and drama written in English and Spanish by hundreds of Chicano, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and other Latin authors working in the United States.

Global Primary Sources: Library Resources

New World Cinema: Independent Features & Shorts, 1990-present This link opens in a new window
This collection includes approximately 200 full-length feature films from leading independent distributors such as Kino Lorber, First Run Features, Film Movement, MK2, and Global Lens. There are also some 50 award winning short films. All films were presented at major film festivals, many were nominated for awards, and many have won major awards. Films include the Oscar-nominated Twilight Samurai, directed by Yoji Yamada, Oscar-nominated The Scent of Green Papaya, directed by Tran Anh Hung, Oscar-nominated Dogtooth, directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, and Cannes Grand Jury Prize winner The Piano Teacher, directed by Michael Haneke. Collectively the films in the database have won more than 1,000 awards.
World History in Video This link opens in a new window
Online collection of streaming videos that gives users access to critically acclaimed documentaries from filmmakers worldwide. Documentaries topics include, a survey of human history from the earliest civilizations to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Focus is Africa and the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania.
Middle East Online Series 1: Arab-Israeli Relations, 1917-1970 This link opens in a new window
A wide range of original source material from the Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Office and Cabinet Papers from the 1917 Balfour Declaration through to the Black September war of 1970-1. Topics covered include the background to the establishment of the State of Israel as a Jewish national home, Black September, Jewish terror groups, and more.
Middle East Online Series 2: Iraq, 1914-1974 This link opens in a new window
A broad range of original source material from the Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Office and Cabinet Papers covering the period from the Anglo-Indian landing in Basra in 1914 through the British Mandate in Iraq of 1920-32 to the rise of Saddam Hussein in 1974. Topics covered include the British administration in Baghdad, the Arab uprising of 1920, Iran-Iraq relations, and more.

Asian Primary Sources: Library Resources

South and Southeast Asian Literature This link opens in a new window
A searchable full-text collection of fiction and poetry written in English by authors from South and Southeast Asia and their diasporas. Focusing on works composed during the late-colonial and post-colonial eras, the collection also features author interviews and manuscript materials that will shed additional light on the rich literary heritage and emerging traditions of this region.

Last Updated: Nov 1, 2024 1:40 PM
URL: https://libguides.lib.miamioh.edu/primarysources
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