LibGuides: U.S. History: Home

U.S. History Primary Sources

This guide is a gateway to primary sources relating to United States history. Resources are grouped by time period, theme, and demographic groups. Resources may be listed in multiple relevant areas. The list is not exhaustive, however, and using the search techniques listed on the main primary source research guide can help you find even more valuable resouces.

Secondary Source Databases

America: History & Life This link opens in a new window
Covers history of the United States and Canada from 1493. It indexes over 1,800 journals and Ph.D. dissertations including book reviews. Its Clio Notes provide guides on key topics in United States history and allow you to browse through chronologies and brief summaries of significant events and themes from the Colonization of America to the 21st Century.
Coverage: 1895-present
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Offers interdisciplinary content including approximately 2,600 academic journals across the humanities, social sciences, and sciences, as well as select monographs and other materials.
On occasions, you may encounter problems opening PDFs. The reason for this to happen is most likely due to the time out error. This could be due to a slow internet connection or a large download size. Many times, articles with images contained in them will time out the download.
To resolve this, right click on the link "Proceed to PDF" and select "Save Target As..." (or "Save Link as..." for Firefox). This will allow you to save the PDF to your computer and should allow for a faster, more successful download.
If the problem persists, check the PDF Help Page at JSTOR

Primary Sources

Library of Congress American Memory Project
Written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
National Archives and Records Administration
Investigative journalism center, research institute on international affairs, library and archive of declassified U.S. documents.
Digital Public Library of America
A vast project that works with many cultural heritage institutions to bring together the riches of America’s libraries, archives, and museums, freely available to the world. It strives to contain the full breadth of human expression, from the written word, to works of art and culture, to records of America’s heritage, to the efforts and data of science. The portal provides innovative ways to search and scan through the united collection of millions of items, including by timeline, map, virtual bookshelf, format, subject, and partner.
Calisphere
Calisphere provides free access to unique and historically important artifacts for research, teaching, and curious exploration. Discover over 750,000 photographs, documents, letters, artwork, diaries, oral histories, films, advertisements, musical recordings, and more.

University Library

U.S. History

U.S. History Primary Sources

Secondary Source Databases

Primary Sources