Good for: First hand accounts of European exploration, trade and colonization worldwide using primary sources.
Contains: Manuscripts, maps, illustrated documents, diaries, and ship logs.
Dates covered: 1420-1920.
Good for: Finding primary source records of Native American and indigenous groups in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Contains: Manuscripts, artwork, and rare printed books.
Dates covered: 1400-1950s.
Good for: Primary source evidence of the British administration of the American colonies.
Contains: British government documents from the Colonial Office (CO 5).
Dates covered: 1606-1822.
Good for: Researching British governance of Caribbean islands and the rise and decline of trade in enslaved people.
Contains: Primary sources from the records of the British Colonial Office.
Dates covered: 1624-1872.
Good for: Researching British trade and colonial rule in the Indian subcontinent.
Contains: British government records from the India Office.
Dates covered: 1599-1947.
Good for: Exploring colonial history, politics, culture and society from British and European perspectives.
Contains: Primary sources from archival collections.
Dates covered: 1492-1969.
Good for: Studying European colonization in North America, Africa, and Australasia.
Contains: Primary sources like expedition records, letters, diaries, and government records.
Dates covered: 1650-1920.
Good for: Examining primary sources that tell the story of global trade in chocolate, coffee, cotton, fur, opium, oil, porcelain, silver and gold, spices, sugar, tea, timber, tobacco, wheat, and wine and spirits.
Contains: Archival collections.
Dates covered: 1500-present.
Good for: Studying migration from Great Britain, Ireland, mainland Europe, and Asia to the New World and Australasia.
Contains: Personal accounts, correspondence, maps, plans, and photos.
Dates covered: 1800-1924.
Good for: Researching the trade in enslaved people in America, the Caribbean, Brazil, and Cuba using material examining European, Islamic, and African involvement in the slave trade.
Contains: Case studies and primary source documents.
Dates covered: 1490-2007.
Good for: Primary sources recording the history of U.S. territories before statehood.
Contains: Archival records.
Dates covered: 1764-1953.
Good for: Primary sources recording details of agriculture, business and enslaved people in the Atlantic world and early Colonial period.
Contains: Archival collection (Ferrar Papers).
Dates covered: 1590-1790.
Good for: Researching interactions between the U.S. government and American Indian tribes.
Contains: Handwritten correspondence.
Dates covered: 1800-1824.
Collections of several types of primary sources curated around a topic or theme.
Good for: Finding primary source records of Native American and indigenous groups in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Contains: Manuscripts, artwork, and rare printed books.
Dates covered: 1400-1950s.
Good for: Exploring colonial history, politics, culture and society from British and European perspectives.
Contains: Primary sources from archival collections.
Dates covered: 1492-1969.
Good for: Studying European colonization in North America, Africa, and Australasia.
Contains: Primary sources like expedition records, letters, diaries, and government records.
Dates covered: 1650-1920.
Good for: Consulting classic French and Italian literature and non-fiction for literary or linguistic research.
Contains: French and Italian books and encyclopedias, most from the 18th century and earlier.
Use the date range limit to narrow your search to a relevant time period.
Search for articles published in popular magazines and journals from different times in history.
Good for: Searching American magazines and journals published mostly before 1900.
Contains: Magazines and journals.
Dates covered: 1740-1940.
Good for: Searching articles in magazines about British culture and society.
Contains: Popular British periodicals, mostly from the 19th century.
Dates covered: 1681-1920.
Good for: Finding out about 18th-century British and Irish culture through magazines and newspapers.
Contains: Literary, satirical, political, religious and theatrical publications from England, Ireland, Scotland, India and the Caribbean.
Dates covered: 1685-1835.
These collections reprint letters and diary entries that have been previously published in books. Use the Browse Indexes to find references to specific historical or life events.
Good for: Researching the lives of women in Great Britain and Ireland.
Contains: Women's letters and diaries.
Dates covered: 1500-1900.
Good for: Exploring the lives and experiences of North American women.
Contains: Diaries, journals, and letters.
Dates covered: 1770-1950.
Digitized collections of books published during different time periods.
Good for: Researching 18th-century English literature and culture.
Contains: Most extant books published in English.
Dates covered: 1701-1800.
Good for: Finding primary source materials on exploration, trade, colonialism, slavery and abolition, the western movement, Native Americans, military actions, and more.
Contains: Historical books, pamphlets, serials and other documents about North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Dates covered: 1500-1926.
Good for: Reading publications that document early American history and culture.
Contains: Books, pamphlets, and broadsides.
Dates covered: 1639-1800.
Good for: Researching early English literature and culture.
Contains: Most extant printed books in English published before 1700.
Dates covered: 1475-1700.
Good for: Access to nearly any public domain (pre-1929) book owned and scanned by a library.
Contains: Digitized books.
about books of this era
Official government publications, including laws, treaties, and records of legislative proceedings.
Good for: Researching U.S. legislative information.
Contains: Congressional publications, bills, laws, regulations, committee information, and more.
Dates covered: 1789-present.
Good for: Researching U.S. legislative history.
Contains: Searchable full text of U.S. bills and resolutions.
Dates covered: 1789-present.
Good for: Researching legal topics.
Contains: Law journals and federal legal materials.
Good for: Researching historical legal materials.
Contains: Treatises, primary sources, trials, and foreign, comparative, and international law.
Dates covered: 1600-1926.
Good for: Studying significant British historical documents.
Contains: Primary sources like treaties, statutes, declarations, government and cabinet proceedings, plus editorial commentary.
Dates covered: 476-1914.
Good for: Understanding Britain's role in political, social, economic, and foreign policy arenas through records of Parliament.
Contains: Bills, reports, correspondence, and command papers.
Dates covered: 1801-2000.
Digitized photos and art images.
Good for: Finding images held by the Library of Congress.
Contains: Images.
Good for: Finding and using digital images for research and teaching.
Contains: Art digital images and related data.
These links allow you to search across multiple databases at the same time.
Good for: Searching all ProQuest U.S. historical newspaper collections simultaneously.
Contains: Newspapers.
Dates covered: 1841-2014.
Good for: Searching historical periodicals.
Contains: Magazine and journal articles.
Dates covered: 1740-1940 with some more recent.
Good for: Searching across historical newspapers and books for primary sources about American life and culture.
Contains: American historical newspapers, printed books, pamphlets, and ephemera.
Dates covered: 1639-1922.
