LibGuides: History: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

History Commons

American newspapers from the 18th & 19th centuries. Eras covered include the Colonial Period, the French & Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, African-American History, Industrial Revolution, and Genealogy emphasizing eyewitness accounts of historical events, editorials, popular culture, and commerce during the 18th and 19th centuries in America.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 1-6 (1684-1922)
Periodicals and magazines from the USA and Canada from the colonial period through to the twentieth century. Includes unusual and short-lived magazines as well as better-known titles with long runs. Themes include the growing tensions between colonists and their oversea rulers, the Industrial Revolution, immigration, women’s rights, World War I, as well as fashion and music during the Roaring Twenties. Search here if you are in need of primary sources based in the USA and Canada.
American Periodicals Series (Collection I)
Full text American periodicals published from colonial times to the beginning of the 20th century (1740-1940). Digitized materials include: literary and professional journals, Civil War, children's and women's magazines and many other historically-significant periodicals.
AM Explorer

Full text primary sources especially pertinent to American and world history, literature and culture. Spanning the 15th - 21st century. Digitized documents include: manuscripts and typescript letters, diaries, notebooks, journals, newspapers, art, illustrations, photographs, video and 360-degree objects.

Collections: 1980s Culture and Society; Africa and the New Imperialism; African American Communities; Age of Exploration; American in World War Two; American Committee on Africa; American History, 1493-1945; American West; Amnesty International Archives; Apartheid South Africa, 1948-1994; British Newsreels, 1911-1930; Broadcasting America; Central Asia, Persia and Afghanistan, 1834-1922; Children's Literature and Culture; China, America and the Pacific; China: Culture and Society; China: Trade, Politics and Culture, 1793-1980; Church Missionary Society Periodicals; Colonial America; Colonial Caribbean; Confidential Print: Africa, 1834-1966; Confidential Print: Latin America, 1833-1969; Confidential Print: Middle East, 1839-1969; Confidential Print: North America, 1824-1961; Conflict in Indochina: Foreign Office Files for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia; Defining Gender; Early Modern England; East India Company; Eighteenth Century Drama; Eighteenth Century Journals; Empire Online; Ethnomusicology; Everyday Life & Women in America, c1800-1920; First World War Portal; Food and Drink in History; Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980; Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanstan, 1947-1980; Foreign Office Files for Japan, 1919-1952; Foreign Office Files for Southeast Asia, 1963-1980; Foreign Office Files for the Middle East, 1971-1981; Frontier Life; Gender: Identity and Social Change; Global Commodities; Hindi Cinema; India, Raj and Empire; Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America; Indigenous Newspapers in North America; Interwar Culture; J Walter Thompson: Advertising America; Jewish Life in America, c1654-1954; Leisure Travel and Mass Culture; Life at Sea: Seafaring in the Anglo-American Maritime World, 1600-1900; Literary Manuscripts Berg; Literary Manuscripts Leeds; Literary Print Culture, London Low Life; Macmillan Cabinet Papers, 1957-1963; Market Research and American Business, 1935-1965; Mass Observation Online; Mass Observation Project; Medical Services and Warfare; Medieval Family Life; Medieval Travel Writing; Meije Japan; Mexico in History; Migration to New Worlds; Nineteenth Century Literary Society; Perdita Manuscripts, 1500-1700, Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975; Popular Medicine in America, 1800-1900; Poverty, Philanthropy and Social Conditions in Victorian Britain; Race Relations in America; Romanticism: Life, Literature and Landscape; Royal Shakespeare Company Archives; Service Newspapers of World War Two; Sex & Sexuality; Shakespeare in Performance; Shakespeare's Globe Archive; Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice; Socialism on Film; The Gilded Age and Progressive Era; The Grand Tour; The Nixon Years, 1969-1974; The Olympic Movement; The Transformation of Shopping; Trade Catalogues and the American Home; Trade in Early Modern London; Travel Writing, Spectable and World History; Victorian Popular Culture; Victorians on Film; Virginia Company Archives; Women in The National Archives; Women's Voices and Life Writing; World's Fairs
ArchiveGrid
Records describing archival materials, making information available about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and other archival materials, held primarily at institutions in the United States. Also provides contact information for the institutions where the collections are kept.
Archives Unbound
Digital collections covering a broad range of multi-disciplinary topics from the Middle Ages forward – from Witchcraft to World War II to twentieth-century political history. Includes U.S. foreign policy; U.S. Civil Rights; global affairs and colonial studies; and modern history.

Broad topic clusters include: African American studies; American Indian studies; Asian studies; British history; Holocaust studies; LGBT studies; Latin American and Caribbean studies; Middle East studies; political science; religious studies; and women’s studies.

Avalon Project
Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy 4000bce-present.

Defining Gender, 1450-1910
Primary source material from British and European archives relating to gender studies with an emphasis on history, literature, sociology, education and cultural studies from a gendered perspective. Material dates back to the fifteenth century.
Digital Sanborn Maps: CONNECTICUT Maps Only
Digitized large-scale, detailed maps of Connecticut towns and cities in the 19th and 20th centuries. Created for fire insurance companies assessing risk, they list street numbers of properties, outlines of buildings, and details about things such as building uses and construction materials and methods.
America’s Historical Imprints
Full text books, pamphlets, broadsides, government documents, ephemera, etc., printed in the United States from the early colonial era until 1900.
Digitized materials Include:
- Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800
- Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819
- American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series I, 1760-1900
Early American Newspapers, Series 1-11, 1690-1922
Historic newspapers covering three centuries.
Early Encounters in North America
Descriptions of early interactions and encounters among various cultural groups in North America as well as its natural features using a variety of primary source materials. Early encounters between Native Americans, Europeans, Africans and Americans on the North American Continent from 1534
Early English Books Online
Digital facsimiles of works printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere between 1473-1700. From the first book printed in English by William Caxton, through the age of Spenser and Shakespeare and the tumult of the English Civil War.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online
Books, pamphlets, broadsides, and ephemera printed in the United Kingdom and Americas between 1701 and 1800 on the subjects including art, history, law, literature, music, and technology.

EuroDocs: Online Sources for European History
Links connect to European primary historical documents that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated. In addition you will find video or sound files, maps, photographs or other imagery, databases, and other documentation. The sources cover a broad range of historical happenings (political, economic, social and cultural). The order of documents is chronological wherever possible.

European Views of the Americas: 1493-1750
A guide to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750 from European Americana: A Chronological Guide to Works Printed In Europe Relating to the Americas, 1493-1750.
Harper's Weekly: 1857-1912
Digitized complete contents (e.g., articles, news, editorials, illustrations, cartoons, advertisements, maps, travel narratives, poetry) for years covered – search text, browse by issues, or browse by topics.
Hartford Courant (Merged Historical and Current access)
Full text articles from the first issue in 1764 - current
Historical Newspapers (ProQuest)
Cross-searchable access to the complete contents of the following sixteen (16) historical newspapers. Atlanta Daily World (1931-2003); Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988); Boston Globe (1872-1994); Chicago Defender (1909-1975); Chicago Tribune (1849-1999); Cleveland Call and Post (1934-1991); Hartford Courant (1764-1998); Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2005); Los Angeles Times (1881-2000); New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993); New York Times (1851-2020); Norfolk Journal and Guide (1916-2003); Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2001); Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002), Wall Street Journal (1889-2012), Washington Post (1877-2007).
Historical Newspapers-Black Newspaper Collection
Primary source material from nine (9) newspapers essential to the study of American history and African-American culture, history, politics, and the arts, examines major movements from the Harlem Renaissance to Civil Rights, and explores everyday life. The newspapers included in this collection are: Atlanta Daily World (1931-2003); Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988); Chicago Defender (1910-1975); Cleveland Call and Post (1934-1991); Kansas City Call (1919-2010); Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2005); New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993); Norfolk Journal and Guide (1921-2003); Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2001); Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002).
Illustrated Civil War Newspapers and Magazines
Rare Periodicals from Confederate, Union, Abolitionist, and British Presses most of them illustrated and published from 1860 to 1865. The publications present four viewpoints: Union, Confederate, Abolitionist, and British. The database also contains a sample selection of letters from The American Civil War Letters and Diaries. These publications allow users to follow the election of Lincoln in 1860, the subsequent course of the Civil War from Fort Sumter through Appomattox, Lincoln's re-election in 1864, his assassination in 1865, and the beginning of Reconstruction under President Andrew Johnson
International Historical Statistics
Statistical data from around the world, covering a wide range of socio-economic topics. The collection includes data on the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. 1750 to 2010.

Internet Medieval Sourcebook
MAGIC (Map and Geographic Information Center)
The University of Connecticut Libraries' MAGIC (Map and Geographic Information Center), collaborates with agencies, organizations, and centers to provide the public with access to current and historical maps, atlases, gazetteers, aerial photographs, and geospatial data pertaining to the state of Connecticut, New England and the world. MAGIC digitizes public-domain and copyright free maps and resources in order to enable researchers to have digital access to these resources.

Making of America
Primary sources related to development of the U.S. infrastructure. American social history from the Antebellum period through Reconstruction, with focus on education, psychology, history, sociology, religion, science, and technology.
Monumenta Germaniae Historica
Historical works, charters, legal texts, letters, political texts, and literature from the European Middle Ages.
National Geologic Map Database
Geologic maps and other types of geoscience reports on topics such as: general geology, natural hazards, earth resources, geophysics, geochemistry, geochronology, stratigraphy, paleontology, and marine geology. Early 1800s-current
National Historical Geographic Information System
Aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States. 1790-current. Note: data is free for use, but registration is required.
New York Times (Merged Historical & Current access)
Full text articles from the first issue in 1851 - current
Nineteenth (19th) Century British Pamphlets
British pamphlets from the 19th century held in UK research libraries. Pamphlets were an important means of public debate, covering the key political, social, technological, and environmental issues of their day.
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories
Primary source material from immigrants to the United States and Canada. Letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, political cartoons, and oral histories from 1890-1920.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries
Primary source material about personal and historical events written by women who lived in North America from 1675 to 1950. Materials include letters and diaries previously published in other sources as well as materials from unpublished manuscript sources.
ProQuest Civil War Era
Pamphlets and Newspapers expanding on individual perspectives of government officials, clergy, social reformists, the formative economic factors and other forces that led to the abolitionist movement, the 600,000 battle casualties, and the emancipation of nearly 4 million slaves. Dates covered 1840-1865

Proquest News & Newspapers
Searches 26 databases, including dozens of current and historical newspapers, Ethnic NewsWatch, GenderWatch, ProQuest Civil War Era, and World News Connection.

Queen Victoria's Journals
High-resolution color images of every page of the surviving volumes of Queen Victoria's journals, along with separate photographs of the many illustrations and inserts within the pages. Each page has also been transcribed and re-keyed, allowing for the journals to be searched. A number of specially-commissioned essays have also been included in this resource, to further support the study and understanding of Queen Victoria and her world.
Sabin Americana, 1500-1926
Books, pamphlets, serials and other works about the Americas, original accounts of discovery and exploration, pioneering and westward expansion, the U.S. Civil War and other military actions, Native Americans, slavery and abolition, religious history and more. Includes the Caribbean. Covers dates from time of discovery to the early 1900s.
UK Data Service
Data from UK government-sponsored surveys, cross-national surveys, longitudinal studies, UK census data, international aggregate, business data, and qualitative data. Also includes general instructional guides to preparing and managing data.

The Wesleyan Argus, 1868-1892
Wesleyan University's biweekly student-published newspaper. Digitized full text.

American Prison Newspapers
Newspapers published within a prison by incarcerated persons. Includes examples from papers published between 1800 and 2020, representing penal institutions of all kinds, with special attention paid to women's-only institutions.
Documenting White Supremacy and Its Opponents in the 1920s
Local, regional, and national newspapers published by Klan organizations and by sympathetic publishers across the U.S. in the 1920s. It also includes the voices from several anti-Klan newspapers.
Gale News Vault
Historical archive of several significant British news sources such as The Times, Economist, Illustrated London News, Listener, and Punch.
Gale Primary Sources

A collection of archival collections, with a variety of digitized primary source materials covering such subject areas as: American and British history, literature, and culture; women, gender, and sexuality; law and legal issues; modern China; indigenous peoples of North America.
HathiTrust (Public Domain within US only)
To access all the content and services available to Wesleyan users, including the ability to download all public domain volumes either one page at a time or in their entirety, you must first log in by following these steps: 1. Go to the Hathi Trust link (above). 2. Click on the yellow 'Log In' button. 3. Select Wesleyan University from the drop-down menu and click 'Continue.' 4. You will be redirected to login with your Wesleyan username/password' The Hathi-Trust (pronounced 'hah-tee') is a partnership of libraries and research institutions that have come together to build and share a digital repository of print works. Begun in 2008, the goal of the partnership is to build a comprehensive archive of published literature from around the world. The Hathi Trust has pursued this goal chiefly by digitizing materials like books and journals from major library collections and other partners,such as Google, the Internet Archive, and Microsoft. Wesleyan University Library joined in 2016.
History Vault: NAACP Papers

Digitized letters, papers, photographs, scrapbooks, financial records, diaries, and many more primary sources with a focus on the Black Freedom Movement of the 20th Century, Southern Life and Slavery, Women's Rights, International Relations, American Politics and Society with a strong focus on labor unions, workers and radical politics in the 20th Century
Independent Voices
An open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines, and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century.
Leftist Newspapers and Periodicals
U.S. and British papers that represent Communism, Socialism, and Marxism as alternative visions of organizing society. Based in the philosophy of Karl Marx, his critique of political economy, and Marx’s belief in social politics, it addresses issues of the 20th Century such as: the working class, labor conditions, unionism, post-WWII McCarthyism, and Nazi crimes against humanity.
The Listener Historical Archive 1929-1991
Weekly magazine, intellectual counterpart to the BBC listings magazine, Radio Times. Developed as the medium for reproducing broadcast talks initially on radio but in later years television as well. 1929-1991
Punch Historical Archive 1841-1992
British wit and satire magazine, began as a campaigner for social justice and played a central role in the formation of the British identity throughout the world. 1841-1992
Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1878-2012
Comprehensive summary statistics on the United States from U.S. federal and state agencies and a number of other sources, with citations to sources for full statistical and data sets.
Print copies are available in Olin Library Stacks at call number HA 202.
Struggles for Freedom, South Africa (Aluka)
Materials from various archives and libraries throughout the world documenting colonial rule, dispersion of exiles, international intervention and worldwide networks that supported generations of resistance. Focus on liberation struggles of Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. 20th Century
Women and Social Movements, International - 1840 to Present
Primary source materials, writings of women activists, their personal letters and diaries, and the proceedings of conferences at which pivotal decisions were made.
Ancestry Library Edition
Genealogical information from Census and Vital Records, birth, marriage and death notices, the Social Security Death Index, Passenger lists and naturalizations, Military and Holocaust Records, City Directories, New York Emigrant Savings Bank records, and African American and Native American Records.
Black Life in America
The experience and impact of African Americans as recorded by US and global news sources, including Black publications. Wesleyan has access to Series 3, covering 1976 to the present.
Border and Migration Studies Online
Primary sources, archives, films, and ephemera providing historical background on worldwide border areas. Subjects include: border(land) studies, migration studies, history, law, politics, diplomacy, area and global studies, anthropology, medicine, the arts, and more. 19th century-current
CBS News Video Archive
Streaming videos of news programming. Subject areas include: history, media studies, journalism, and social sciences. 1950s-2010s
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 (scholar's edition)
Digital library of high resolution images for instruction, study, and research in the arts, architecture, humanities and social sciences. The images have been contributed by museums, scholarly collections, photo archives, and artists' estates. Pre-history-21st century.

Government Primary Sources

American State Papers, 1789-1838
Legislative and executive documents from the first 14 U.S. Congresses, from 1789-1817. Includes papers on foreign relations; Indigenous peoples; finance; commerce and navigation; military and naval affairs; genealogy; and political, social, cultural, and ethnic history.
Colonial State Papers
Papers concerning English activities in the American, Canadian, and West Indian colonies between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Also included is a digitised version of The Calendar of State Papers, Colonial: North America and the West Indies 1574-1739, which contains bibliographic records and extracts for thousands of additional documents.
Digital National Security Archive
Declassified documents acquired through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Covers the most critical world events, countries, and U.S. policy decisions from post World War II through the 21st century.
House and Senate Journals, Series I, 1789-1817
Record of the floor action from the early U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 1789-1817
Senate Executive Journals, Series I, 1789-1866
Minutes of Senate floor action on military events, judicial appointments, foreign affairs and other important issues, providing a record of American congressional and political history over nearly 200 year. First Congress through 96th Congress, 1789-1980.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994
Reports, documents, and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives subjects include the armed forces, economics, education, agriculture, government, international affairs, law, science and technology, social issues. 15th Congress (1817)through 103rd Congress, 2nd session, 1994.

The Library of Congress
The library provides Congress, the federal government and the American people with a rich, diverse and enduring source of knowledge to inform, inspire and engage them and support their intellectual and creative endeavors.
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