History: Primary Sources by Era or Topic

1690-1923
Historical newspapers from every state in the U.S.

1732-1950
National and regional British newspapers representing different political and cultural views.

1909-2010
African American newspaper from Chicago, Illinois.

1849-2014
Major daily newspaper from Chicago.

1789-1924
Historical newspapers from the Library of Congress, including Nevada newspapers.

1881-2015
Historical California newspaper.

1851-2020
Historical New York newspaper.

1785-2019
The Times (London) newspaper.

1877-2007
Daily newspaper from Washington, DC. 

1843-2015
Issues of The Economist, a news magazine with a global scope published in London.

1903-1995. Film industry and fan publications.

1902-2013
London Times Literary Supplement publishes essays, letters, poems and articles.

• Good for: Researching fashion and culture, including specific garments, accessories or brands.
• Contains: Images and text from Vogue Magazine. 
• Dates covered: 1892-present.

1850-1990s
Search three archival collections representing 20th century advertising and marketing from Adam Matthew Publishers.

1493-1945
Primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman collection about American history from the earliest settlers to the mid-twentieth century.

1400-1950s
Primary sources for American Indian history in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books from pre-contact through the mid-20th century.

1830-1939
Pamphlets, maps, books, ephemeral material and rare printed sources related to the history of the American West.

1948-1980
British government files from the Foreign, Colonial, Dominion and Foreign and Commonwealth Offices documenting the history of South Africa's apartheid regime.

1940-present
Primary sources from more than 35 countries related to LGBTQ activism and the HIV/AIDS crisis.

1901-2000
Records from the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations detailing the interaction between civil rights leaders and the federal government; includes FBI files on Martin Luther King Jr; records of the NAACP. 

1834-1922
Correspondence, intelligence reports, agents’ diaries, minutes, maps, newspaper excerpts and other materials from the British Foreign Office Files about the history of Persia (Iran), Central Asia and Afghanistan from the decline of the Silk Road in the first half of the nineteenth century to the establishment of Soviet rule over parts of the region in the early 1920s.

1817-1949
Academic and literary journals, journals of sinology, and missionary periodicals in English about China.

1858-1949
Primary source collection for the study of China and its relations with the West in the late Qing and Republican periods.

1834-1966
Primary source documents about African colonies generated by the Foreign and Colonial Offices of the British government between 1834 and 1966.

1833-1969
Government and agency records from the British National Archives concerning Central and South America and the French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean.

1839-1969
Government and agency records from the British National Archives concerning the Levant and the Arabian peninsula, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Sudan.

1824-1961
Government and agency records from the British National Archives concerning the United States, Canada and the English-speaking Caribbean, with some coverage of Central and South America.

1800-1920
Primary source material for the study of American social, cultural, and popular history in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

1919-1980
British Foreign Office files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan between 1919 and 1980.

1947-1980
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the political and social history of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

1919-1952
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on Japan: sections on Japanese Imperialism and the War in the Pacific, 1931-1945; Occupation of Japan, 1946-1952; and Japan and Great Power Status, 1919-1930.

1963-1980
Correspondence, reports, maps and other primary source evidence of British Foreign Office involvement in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

1971-1981
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the Middle East in the 1970s.

1880s-1990s
The J. Walter Thompson Company advertising agency archives include brand case studies and account files about campaigns for Kellogg’s, Kodak, Kraft, Oscar Mayer, Pan Am, the US Marine Corps, and more.

1957-1963
Archival collection from the British National Archives focused on Harold Macmillan’s government and selected policy committees.

1935-1965
Market research reports and supporting documents regarding the American consumer boom of the mid-20th century from the archives of Ernest Dichter and the Institute for Motivational Research.

1913-1965
Selected sets of documents from the archives of the NAACP.

• Good for: Finding primary sources about the development of urban centers and of the restructuring of society that took place during the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain.
• Contains: Government and archival collections 
• Dates covered: 1750-1916 

• Good for: Finding primary source documentation related to the European “Scramble for Africa,” colonial conquest and the legacy of slavery, missionaries, explorers, economics, world politics, and international strategy.
• Contains: Books, manuscripts, government records and newspaper accounts
• Dates covered: 1800-1906
   

1969-1974
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the Nixon presidency and impeachment (FCO 7 and FCO 82).

1784-2006
Biographies, oral histories, personal papers, images and audio files documenting the history of American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Canadian First Peoples with representation of historical events as told by the individuals who lived through them.

1950-1975
Primary sources documenting music and popular culture in the US and Britain, 1950-1975, including manuscripts, video, photos, underground magazines and more.

1945-1950
Records from the National Archives of the UK reveal challenges facing Displaced Persons, refugees and humanitarian aid organizations in the aftermath of World War II.

1490-2007
Case studies documenting slavery in America, the Caribbean, Brazil and Cuba, along with material examining European, Islamic and African involvement in the slave trade.

1850-1950
Primary sources like catalogs, price lists, and brochures reflecting the history of consumer advertising and marketing and life and leisure in America. Includes department store catalogs, cosmetic advertisements, real estate brochures and much more.

• Good for: Finding primary sources related to popular entertainment in America, Britain, and Europe. 
• Contains: Books, posters, scrapbooks, and optical toys. 
• Dates covered: 1779-1930.

1903-1962
Original documents from the National Archives on the suffrage question in Britain, the Empire and colonial territories.

1820-1922
Pamphlets with advice and opinions about all kinds of 19th century controversies.

1600-1926
Cross-search five Making of Modern Law databases: Making of Modern Law: Foreign, Comparative and International Law 1600-1926, Making of Modern Law: Foreign Primary Sources, Making of Modern Law: Primary Sources 1620-1926, Making of Modern Law: Treatises, 1800-1926, and Making of Modern Law: Trials 1600-1926.

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

1789-present
Contains searchable full text of all U.S. bills and resolutions from 1789 to the present.

1751-present 
Government reports, laws, legislative histories, ebooks and selected scholarly articles related to branches of the United States armed forces.

1600-1926
Cross-search five Making of Modern Law databases: Making of Modern Law: Foreign, Comparative and International Law 1600-1926, Making of Modern Law: Foreign Primary Sources, Making of Modern Law: Primary Sources 1620-1926, Making of Modern Law: Treatises, 1800-1926, and Making of Modern Law: Trials 1600-1926.

1945-1950
Records from the National Archives of the UK reveal challenges facing Displaced Persons, refugees and humanitarian aid organizations in the aftermath of World War II.

1834-1966
Primary source documents about African colonies generated by the Foreign and Colonial Offices of the British government between 1834 and 1966.

1833-1969
Government and agency records from the British National Archives concerning Central and South America and the French- and Spanish-speaking Caribbean.

1839-1969
Government and agency records from the British National Archives concerning the Levant and the Arabian peninsula, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Sudan.

1824-1961
Government and agency records from the British National Archives concerning the United States, Canada and the English-speaking Caribbean, with some coverage of Central and South America.

1919-1980
British Foreign Office files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan between 1919 and 1980.

1947-1980
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the political and social history of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

1919-1952
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on Japan: sections on Japanese Imperialism and the War in the Pacific, 1931-1945; Occupation of Japan, 1946-1952; and Japan and Great Power Status, 1919-1930.

1971-1981
Archival collection from the British Foreign Office focused on the Middle East in the 1970s.

• Good for: Texts on the invention and early history of photography, collections of photographs, photograph albums, and early books illustrated with photos.
• Contains: Books, photographs
• Dates covered: 1800s-early 1900s

Art digital images and related data.