Research Guides: HIST157b: Marginalized Voices and the Writing of History: Home

Librarian for History

she/her/hers

Contact:

lhibbler@brandeis.edu

781-736-4656

Subjects: African and African American Studies, Asian Studies and Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies, History

Tips for Searching for Digitized Primary Sources

If you are using a database with an Advanced Search form, try using the Advanced Search features to refine your search.

Since these databases cover many decades, it can be helpful to limit your search to a specific date range.

Think about what terms that might have been used to describe your topic during the time period. For example: the name of a specific person or organization or even a term that wouldn't be used today.

Some databases allow you to limit your search to sources related to a specific geographic area. Try doing this when researching a specific region.

These databases often sort results in chronological order. In some cases, it might be helpful to sort by relevance/best matches first.

In addition to searching, try browsing these collections to learn about sources that you wouldn't have necessarily thought of searching for.

Key Databases with Primary Source Materials

Slavery & Anti-slavery
Database of digitized primary sources for the study of the history of slavery. Includes four sections: Part 1: Debates Over Slavery and Abolition Part II: Slave Trade in the Atlantic World Part III: The Institution of Slavery Part IV: The Age of Emancipation. Sources include manuscripts, books, pamphlets, newspapers. Includes sources from the Amistad Research Center, Oberlin College, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the University of Miami, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and many other institutions. You will need a Boston Public Library eCard to access this database.

Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window
A collection of databases containing primary newspaper records, including "The Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective" and "African American Newspapers: The 19th Century."
American Civil War: Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Over 100,000 pages of memoirs, letters and diaries drawn from more than 500 sources, along with biographies and a comprehensive bibliography. Includes sources written by slaves.
American History, 1493-1945 This link opens in a new window
Collection of digitized primary source materials covering American history from 1493 to 1945. Includes documents in African American History from the Gilder Lehrman Collection; letters, diaries and documents of Civil War participants, describing army life as well as documents about the home front and women and families during the War; Civil War newspapers, such as Free South, a Union occupation newspaper with content relating to emancipation and African American troops.
Ancestry Library This link opens in a new window
Full text of 1790-1930 US census records, UK and Ireland census collection, immigration collection, military records, and birth, marriage and death records.
American Periodicals (1740-1940) This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text access to many historically-significant periodicals published between 1740 and 1940. Includes general and special interest magazines, professional and literary journals, and women's and children's magazines.
Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new window
A collection of digital facsimile images from numerous newspapers encompassing the entire 19th century from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the United States; features full-page layout as well as single articles, and includes advertisements and illustrations.
America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1876 This link opens in a new window
Contains full text copies of more than 700 historical American newspapers from 23 states and the District of Columbia printed between 1690 and 1876. Focusing largely on the 18th century.
Eight Centuries This link opens in a new window
A vast scholarly database for finding published material from the 12th century through 1930.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Includes the immediate experiences of 1,325 women and 150,000 pages of diaries and letters. The collection also includes biographies and an extensive annotated bibliography of the sources in the database.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law (HeinOnline) This link opens in a new window
This collection brings together significant legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. This includes every statute passed by every colony and state on slavery, every federal statute dealing with slavery, and all reported state and federal cases on slavery.

More recommended resources are listed on the guides for American History and African and African American Studies