Research and Course Guides: HIST 211 Women and Families in the Americas: Find Primary Sources

Find Primary Sources in Books

Search LibrarySearch to find primary sources in books and ebooks. When searching the catalog, you will want to use specific terms in your searches to single out the primary source materials. Some are subject headings which are specialized "tags" added to the records to books by librarians to provide accurate descriptions of books. Using the following words in your search will help you find the source material you seek:

correspondence	personal narratives
literary collections	pictorial works
diary or diaries	documents
sources	documentary history

Digitized books can also be found in the following databases:

Early American Imprints, 1639-1800
The Early American Imprints collection is a searchable full-image primary source collection that features books, pamphlets, and ephemera documenting life in 17th- and 18th-century America. It includes materials relating to agriculture, foreign affairs, diplomacy, literature, music, religion, the Revolutionary War, slavery, temperance, and witchcraft.
Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500–1926
Sabin Americana, 1500–1926 is digital archive of books, pamphlets, serials and other works about North, Central and South America, and the Caribbean the from the time of their discovery to the early 1900s.

Find Historical Newspaper Articles

New York Times (historical)
Complete searchable content of The New York Times from 1851 to 2020 including articles, editorials, advertisements, and photographs.
Washington Post (historical)
Complete searchable content of Washington Post from 1877 to 2008 including all articles, editorials, advertisements, and photographs.
Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers
In this database, you will find full-text content and images from numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S. The collection encompasses the entire 19th century, with an emphasis on such topics as the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration and Antebellum-era life.
Chicago Defender (Historical)
This database provides you with access to the complete content the African-American newspaper, The Chicago Defender (1910-1975) including all articles, editorials, advertisements and photographs.
Pittsburgh Courier (Historical)
This database provides you with access to the complete content of the African-American newspaper, the Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002) including all articles, editorials, advertisements and photographs.

Find Historical Magazine Articles

American Periodicals Series
With this database you have access to 1,500 magazines, newspapers and popular journal titles published in the United States dating 1741 through the 1930s.
Women's Magazine Archive

With this database you have access to several popular women’s magazines published in the United States and Canada dating from the from the late 1800s through the 20th century.
Readers' Guide Retrospective

Use the Readers' Guide Retrospective index to locate articles published in popular press magazines and journals dating from 1890 to 1982.

Find Primary Sources on Websites

Hathi Trust
The HathiTrust Digital Library brings together the immense collections of partner institutions in digital form.
DPLA (Digital Public Library of America)
The Digital Public Library of America is a searchable portal to a vast array digital collections from libraries, museums, historical societies across the United States.
Women Working, 1800 - 1930
An exploration of women's impact on the economic life of the United States between 1800 and the Great Depression from Harvard University.
Library of Congress - Women's History Collections
Digital Collections from the Library of Congress relating to women.