Primary Sources

Papers from Alexander Hamilton documenting topics such as his family life, participation in the revolutionary war, and his political career in the early United States. To search this collection use the search bar at the top of the screen. To browse, click the "collection items" button beneath the collection title.

Provides access to published American fiction from the colonial times to the early twentieth century.

Searchable full-text versions of the papers of key individuals in the founding of the American republic, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, both John and Abigail Adams, James Madison, and Andrew Jackson.

Papers of the U.S. statesman, Benjamin Franklin, covering the topics of literature, sciences, diplomacy, and international politics. To search this collection use the search bar at the top of the screen. To browse, click the "collection items" button beneath the collection title.

Definitive resource for life in 17th and 18th century America, from agriculture through foreign affairs, literature, music, religion, the Revolutionary War, witchcraft, etc.

Covering every aspect of American life, this primary source collection provides full-text access to the 36,000 American books, pamphlets and broadsides published in the first nineteen years of the 19th century.

Resource offering full text access to a large number of correspondence and writings of founding fathers ranging from the colonial era, the revolutionary founding era, and the 18th-19th century.

papers of army officer and first U.S. president George Washington including correspondence, diaries, and financial and military records. To search this collection use the search bar at the top of the screen. To browse, click the "collection items" button beneath the collection title.

Comprehensive index to the U.S. Congress. Provides full-text of congressional publications including bills, laws, hearings, transcripts, regulations, political news, and analytical reports. This is an excellent resource for students studying a wide range of topics concerning American history including, but not limited to, the evolution of human and civil rights, foreign affairs, and social issues.

Papers of Thomas Jefferson, covering the topics of literature, sciences, diplomacy, and international politics. To search this collection use the search bar at the top of the screen. To browse, click the "collection items" button beneath the collection title.

Collection of papers written by Abraham Lincoln throughout his life, focusing primarily on his tenure as president of the United States. To search this collection use the search bar at the top of the screen. To browse, click the "collection items" button beneath the collection title.

Resource offering full text access to Alabama State newspapers active during the Civil War and Reconstruction era in the United States.

Collection of varying materials pertaining to the events of the American Civil War. To search this collection use the search bar at the top of the screen. To browse, click the "collection items" button beneath the collection title.

A selection of original Civil War correspondence between soldiers from the battlefields and their family members and friends on the homefront. These letters describe firsthand accounts of battle, reflections on the nature of war and its profound effect on those involved.

Drawn from the collections of the New York Historical Society, this collection includes correspondence, diaries, first-hand accounts, and illustrations from both Confederate and Union troops, societies and individuals and their families.

Collection documenting the formation of the government of the Confederacy and the conduct of its internal, external, and military affairs. To search this collection use the search bar at the top of the screen. To browse, click the "collection items" button beneath the collection title.

Collection of records pertaining to Freedmen's Bureau operations in Tennessee during the Reconstruction era. The Freedmen's Bureau was the government agency responsible for the integration and protection of freed slaves in the American South.

Database containing searchable government documents covering a wide range of topics in American History. It also contains various unpublished works as well as some published materials that have come out of copyright due to age.

This database covers a vast range of topics including the formative economic factors and other forces that led to the abolitionist movement and emancipation. It combines continuous runs of regional newspapers, as well as pamphlets covering a wide range of topics.

Collection of photographs taken documenting projects undertaken by the Civil Works Administration (CWA) to revitalize U.S. infrastructure. Photographs provided in this collection offer insight into the efforts of the U.S. to resolve the strife of the Great Depression.

Collection documenting Great Depression infrastructure projects in the United States. Items in this collection provide insight into some of the early iterations of parks and recreation in the United States as well as other construction projects.

Resource providing access to various archives of the Franklin D. Roosevelt presidency. This resources offers materials on a wide range of issues during the Great Depression as well as some events throughout World War II.

Collection of photographs taken during the Great Depression. Photos in this collection document the state of the city of Seattle, labor rallies, and homeless shanty towns known as Hoovervilles which were a hallmark of the time period.

Provides materials documenting the experiences of migrant workers as a result of the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. To search this collection use the search bar at the top of the screen. To browse, click the "collection items" button beneath the collection title.