Subject Guides: American Studies: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

Primary sources are documents, images, photographs, etc. written, or otherwise created, to provide firsthand information, direct evidence, or original data on a topic. Click on the link below to read a more in-depth description and view examples of primary sources.

Primary Sources

Primary Resources for American Studies

For a more extensive list try our Primary Resources page.

American Historical Periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society This link opens in a new window American Historical Periodicals from the American Antiquarian Society provides a history of the American people and a testament to the growth of the nation from the colonial period through to the twentieth century. The periodicals focused on American concerns and were predominantly published in the United States or Canada, though some were published overseas by Americans living abroad. The collection offers multiple perspectives on the thought, culture, and society of North America through the eyes of those who lived it, showing how history affected citizens from all walks of life.
American periodicals This link opens in a new window Consists of digitized reproductions of more than 1,100 eighteenth and nineteenth century American newspapers and periodicals. Includes digitized images of the pages of American magazines and journals published from colonial days to the dawn of the 20th century.
American West This link opens in a new window Original manuscripts, maps, ephemeral material, and rare printed sources from the Graff Collection about the American West, including tales of frontier life, Native Americans, vigilantes, and outlaws, and the growth of urban centres and environmental impact of westward expansion and of life in the borderlands.
Ancestry This link opens in a new window Provides access to historical documents and photos, local narratives, oral histories, indexes and other resources in over 30,000 databases that span from the 1500s to the 2000s. The Library Edition of Ancestry.com has fewer personalized functions and options than the versions available to private subscribers.
Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans (1639-1800) This link opens in a new window Covering American history and literature from the colonial period up to the eighteenth century, this database is a full-text digitization of the microform set Early American Imprints, Series I (1639-1800), which was itself based on the American bibliography of Charles Evans and enhanced by Roger Bristol's Supplement to Evans' American bibliography.
Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker (1801-1819) This link opens in a new window Covering every aspect of American life during the early decades of the United States, Early American Imprints, Series II (1801-1819) provides full-text access to the 36,000 American books, pamphlets and broadsides published in the first nineteen years of the nineteenth century.
Gerritsen Collection of Aletta H. Jacobs This link opens in a new window The Gerritsen Collection was begun by Aletta Jacobs Gerritsen in the late 1800s, and, when the work was finished in 1945, it was the greatest single source for the study of women's history in the world. The online resource delivers two million page images exactly as they appeared in the original printed works. It includes monographs, periodicals and pamphlets in fifteen languages, and is searchable by keyword and Boolean operators.

Historic Documents The online equivalent of the entire run of the print serial Historic documents, issued since 1972, each annual volume of which contains approximately 100 documents covering the most significant events of the year. The documents include presidential speeches, international agreements, Supreme Court decisions, U.S. governmental reports, scientific findings, and cultural discussions. Documents are preceded by introductory material to provide historical and intellectual context. Documents may be searched by full-text keyword, title, and topic, and a cumulative index is provided.

Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America This link opens in a new window The wide range of material included in Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America presents a unique insight into interactions between Indigenous Peoples in North America and European colonists from their earliest contact, continuing through the turbulence of the American Civil War, the on-going repercussions of government legislation, right up to the civil rights movement of the mid- to late-twentieth century. This resource contains material from the Newberry Library’s extensive Edward E. Ayer Collection; one of the strongest archival collections on histories of Indigenous Peoples in North America in the world.
Indigenous Peoples of North America This link opens in a new window Enabling exploration of the political, social, and cultural history of native peoples from the sixteenth century well into the twentieth century, Indigenous Peoples of North America illustrates the fabric of the North American story with unprecedented depth and breadth. Comprehensive yet personal, the collection covers the history of American Indian tribes and supporting organizations.
Indigenous Peoples of the Americas: History, Culture & Law This link opens in a new window With nearly 3,900 titles and more than 2.3 million total pages dedicated to indigenous American life and law, this library includes an expansive archive of treaties, federal statutes and regulations, federal case law, tribal codes, constitutions, and jurisprudence.
J. Walter Thompson: advertising America This link opens in a new window Documents the history, operation, policies and accomplishments of one of the world's largest and oldest advertising firms. The papers here reveal many aspects of twentieth-century cultural, social, business, marketing, consumer and economic history while investigating the human psyche.

Library of Congress Digital Collections A multimedia Website of digitized historical documents, photographs, sound recordings, moving pictures, books, pamphlets, maps, and other resources from the Library of Congress.

Market Research and American Business, 1935-1965 This link opens in a new window Collection of proposals, pilot studies, advertisements, reports, memorandums, letters, and supporting material created by Ernest Dichter and the Institute for Motivational Research.

NYS Historic Newspapers Archive of local newspapers from around New York state including the Capitol Region. Includes The Daily Saratogian that ran till 1901 when it changed its name to The Saratogian.

Popular culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975 This link opens in a new window This database contains original archival materials about popular culture in the U.S. and U.K. from 1950 to 1975. Topics include student protests, civil rights, consumerism, the Vietnam War, and more.
Religions of America This link opens in a new window Religions of America traces the history and unique character of religious movements that originated in or were re-shaped by the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The collection pays especially close attention to America's unique role as a birthplace for new religious movements, especially after World War II.

U.S. Congressional Serial Set Database of texts from the bound, sequentially numbered Congressional documents and reports from the U.S. House and Senate. Provides access to primary source material on all aspects of American history, including committee reports related to bills and other matters, presidential communications to Congress, treaty materials, certain executive department publications, and certain non-governmental publications.

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.
Victorian Popular Culture This link opens in a new window Victorian Popular Culture is a portal comprised of four modules, inviting users into the darkened halls, small backrooms, big tops and travelling venues that hosted everything from spectacular shows and bawdy burlesque, to the world of magic, spiritualist séances, optical entertainments and the first moving pictures.
Women and Social Movements in the United States 1600-2000 This link opens in a new window Organized 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 generally and at the same time make those insights accessible to teachers and students at universities, colleges, and high schools.
World of Archie Comics Archive This link opens in a new window An unprecedented digital collection offering access to the runs of more than 100 publications from Archie Comics. It’s one of the longest-running, best-known comic staples, spanning the early 1940s to 2020.

Lucy Scribner Library

American Studies: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

Primary Resources for American Studies