Research Guides: HY 300: Historian's Craft: Databases

Finding Primary Docs in Collections

Collections can be organized around a number of different things. Sometimes collections are pulled together by a time period. Sometimes they are pulled together around a person or group of people. Sometimes a collection can be built for multiple reasons. It can be helpful to start with something you already know about your topic and use it as a jumping off point. The lists below are not all the options, but can be good places to start. Have a look around to see what there is to see.

Archival Databases

Eighteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window
A vast eighteenth-century library—a fully text-searchable corpus of books, pamphlets and broadsides in all subjects printed between 1701 and 1800. It currently contains over 180,000 titles amounting to over 32 million fully-searchable pages. ECCO is a digitization of the eighteenth-century section of the works catalogued in the English Short-title Catalogue (ESTC).
Nineteenth Century Collections Online This link opens in a new window
Books, monographs, newspapers, photographs and more, published during the nineteenth century. Includes Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange; British Politics and Society; British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture; and European Literature, 1790-1840: The Corvey Collection.
Gilded Age, The This link opens in a new window
Primary documents covering race, labor, immigration, commerce, western expansion, and women’s suffrage in America during the decades between the end of the Civil War and the election of Theodore Roosevelt.
The Gilded Age and Progressive Era This link opens in a new window
Collection of resources that traces the period after the Civil War in America that became known as the Gilded Age, all the way through to the Progressive Era from 1890's to the 1920's. Content ranges from mid-1800's to 1920's.
Early English Books Online This link opens in a new window
25,000 fully searchable texts selected from Early English Books Online (EEBO). Content from 1473-1700.
Civil War Era This link opens in a new window
Primary source materials, regional newspapers, pamphlets covering topics including the abolitionist movement, and the emancipation of slaves.
Burney Newspapers This link opens in a new window
The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Burney Newspapers Collection represents the largest single collection of seventeenth and eighteenth century English news media available from the British Library and includes more than 1,000 pamphlets, proclamations, newsbooks and newspapers from the period.
Black Abolitionist Papers This link opens in a new window
Literary works of Black abolitionists documenting the impact of African American activism against slavery. Content from 1830 - 1865.
Archives Direct This link opens in a new window
Contains diplomatic correspondence, letters, reports, surveys, material from newspapers, maps and many other types of documents covering the history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries from the British state’s point of view.
Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century This link opens in a new window
Contains Federal Government Records, including presidential records, military, and FBI Files, and Organizational Records and Personal Papers, including those of SCLC, SNCC, and CORE, offering unique documentation and a variety of perspectives on the 20th century fight for freedom. Content from 1898 - 1996.

Making of America This link opens in a new window
Primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction; includes books, journals, and volumes focusing on New York City.
U.S. Declassified Documents Online This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive compilation of declassified documents from the executive branch; includes intelligence studies, policy papers, diplomatic correspondence, cabinet meeting minutes, briefing materials, and domestic surveillance and military reports.
Documenting the American South This link opens in a new window
A digital publishing initiative sponsored by the University Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that provides access to digitized primary materials which offer Southern perspectives on American history and culture.
Archives Direct This link opens in a new window
Contains diplomatic correspondence, letters, reports, surveys, material from newspapers, maps and many other types of documents covering the history of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries from the British state’s point of view.
American Periodicals, 1740 - 1940 This link opens in a new window
Contains periodicals published between 1740 and 1940, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines and many other historically-significant periodicals.
American Indian Histories and Cultures This link opens in a new window
Covers American Indian history including volumes, maps, atlases, photographs, drawings and paintings, as well as archaeology, voyages, exploration and accounts of early America, the development of cartography, Philippine and Hawaiian history, and Central and South American history.
British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Includes diaries, letters, biographies of and by women spanning more than 300 years.
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories This link opens in a new window
Collection of letters, diaries, oral histories, interviews and personal narratives providing unique view of immigration to America and Canada between 1800 to 1950.
North American Indian Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Contains more than 100,000 pages of biographies, Indian publications, oral histories, personal writings and more resulting in a comprehensive representation of historical events as told by the individuals who lived through them.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Collection of women's diaries and correspondence, spanning over 300 years and covering the personal experiences of 1,500 North American women.
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States This link opens in a new window
Provides access to primary source documents that are related to critical people and events in African American history.

Alabama Maps - Historical Archive

Legislative & Executive Publications This link opens in a new window
Congressional publications, legislative histories, bills and laws, Congressional members and committees, regulations, Congressional Record, and political news.
The Making of Modern Law: American Civil Liberties Union Papers This link opens in a new window
Three primary collections focusing on civil rights, civil liberties, race, gender, and issues relating to the U.S. Supreme Court.
NAACP Papers This link opens in a new window
Contains internal memos, legal briefings, and direct action summaries from national, legal, and branch offices throughout the country. It charts the NAACP's work and delivers a first-hand view into crucial issues. Content from 1909 - 1972.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) This link opens in a new window
Documents the "national experience"; includes the Federal Register, public laws, presidential documents, and much more.
U.S. Declassified Documents Online This link opens in a new window
A comprehensive compilation of declassified documents from the executive branch; includes intelligence studies, policy papers, diplomatic correspondence, cabinet meeting minutes, briefing materials, and domestic surveillance and military reports.
Vanderbilt Television News Archive This link opens in a new window
Abstracts of ABC, NBC, and CBS evening news broadcasts (August 1968-present); daily news programs from CNN (1995-present), FOX News (2004-present), and ABC Nightline (12 September 1988-present); and special event broadcasts. Streaming video of NBC nightly news broadcasts (August 1968-present) and CNN broadcasts (1995-present).
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Includes law periodicals, the Congressional Record, U.S. Reports, trials, legal classics, the United Nations and League of Nations Treaty Series, all United States treaties, the Federal Register and more.

Data

ICPSR This link opens in a new window
An archive of social science data for research and instruction.

See related Research Guide: ICPSR

Contact UAB Librarian Brooke Becker at babecker@uab.edu, or send an email to icpsr-help@umich.edu if you experience issues.
SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window
Web-based mapping application where users can quickly collect data to create thematic maps and custom reports using demographic, business, and marketing data. Includes D&B US Company Data, SimmonsLOCAL Data & EASI Health Data.

Alabama Data Center
Data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other state and federal sources. Located in the Center for Business and Economic Research on The University of Alabama’s main campus.
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Data from the U.S. Census Bureau and other state and federal sources. Located in the Center for Business and Economic Research on The University of Alabama’s main campus.

Maps

Harvard Map Collection: Digital Maps
Thousands of the Harvard Map Collection's maps and atlases from around the world are available online in hi-res.
Library of Congress: Maps
Treasure trove of map collections.
USGS Historical Topographic Map Explorer
The US Geological Survey (USGS) and Esri collaborated to bring the ever-increasing collection of US historical topographic maps to everyone through the USGS Historical Topographic Map Explorer. This app brings to life more than 178,000 maps dating from 1882 to 2006.
Historical Map Archive
The Historical Map Archive is a digitized collection of selected map holdings from sources including the University of Alabama Map Library, the W. S. Hoole Special Collections Library, the Birmingham Public Library Cartography Collection of the Birmingham Public Library, the Geological Survey of Alabama, Samford University Special Collections Library, and the Alabama Department of Archives and History. We are indebted to these organizations for their cooperation in facilitating the introduction of these digitial maps to the Internet.

Grand Tour This link opens in a new window
Collection of primary and secondary sources; artworks; photographs and maps for the study of travel. Content from 1550 - 1850.

Note: While newspaper collections could be included here, the number of options lends itself to needing a separate page.

Archives of Sexuality and Gender This link opens in a new window
Four primary source collections on gender and sexuality, LGBTQ history and activism, cultural studies, psychology, health, political science, and policy studies.
NAACP Papers This link opens in a new window
Contains internal memos, legal briefings, and direct action summaries from national, legal, and branch offices throughout the country. It charts the NAACP's work and delivers a first-hand view into crucial issues. Content from 1909 - 1972.
Political Extremism and Radicalism This link opens in a new window
Seventeen primary source collections documenting 20th century far-right and left political groups in the US, Europe and Australia.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Collection of women's diaries and correspondence, spanning over 300 years and covering the personal experiences of 1,500 North American women.
British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Includes diaries, letters, biographies of and by women spanning more than 300 years.
Black Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Contains non-fiction writings by major American black leaders covering 250 years of history, including letters, speeches, prefatory essays, political leaflets, interviews, periodicals, and trial transcripts.
Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century This link opens in a new window
Contains Federal Government Records, including presidential records, military, and FBI Files, and Organizational Records and Personal Papers, including those of SCLC, SNCC, and CORE, offering unique documentation and a variety of perspectives on the 20th century fight for freedom. Content from 1898 - 1996.
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States This link opens in a new window
Provides access to primary source documents that are related to critical people and events in African American history.
Black Abolitionist Papers This link opens in a new window
Literary works of Black abolitionists documenting the impact of African American activism against slavery. Content from 1830 - 1865.
North American Indian Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Contains more than 100,000 pages of biographies, Indian publications, oral histories, personal writings and more resulting in a comprehensive representation of historical events as told by the individuals who lived through them.

Archival Collections on the Open Web

Alabama Department of Archives and History
Founded in 1901, the Archives was the first state-funded archival and historical agency in the country. Although it had been a state for more than eighty years and boasted a rich, centuries-old history, Alabama previously had no formal system in place for the collection and preservation of its records.
AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History
Originally part of Carrie, The first full-text on-line library, AMDOCS is maintained by George Laughead, manager, and is a work in progress where one can find a wide variety to digital historical documents.
Library of Congress Digital Collections
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, films and video, audio recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.
American Presidency Project
The APP was launched in 1999. Their goal today is to be recognized as the authoritative, non-partisan on-line source for presidential public documents. By providing easy access to useful information, they seek to promote a more informed citizenry of the United States, high quality scholarly and media analysis, and a better understanding of American democracy throughout the world.
Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
The Digital Collections of the Birmingham Public Library were created to preserve and make available the local history of Birmingham and the surrounding area. These resources may help students, teachers, genealogists, historians, and interested citizens learn more about the history of Birmingham.
Contagion: Historical Views of Diseases and Epidemics
This online collection offers important historical perspectives on the science and public policy of epidemiology today and contributes to the understanding of the global, social–history, and public–policy implications of diseases.
Digital Occult Library: Primary Sources
Hosted by CUNY, the sources listed here are for study, either by practitioners or academics. This list is far from exhaustive but should give you a general idea of what works were most important throughout history.
Famous American Trials
“Famous Trials” first appeared on the Web in 1995. You will not find every trial deserving of being called “famous” on this site. If the famous trial you were hoping to find is not included, click on the “Other Famous Trials” link for information about additional famous trials.
FBI Records: The Vault
The Vault is our new FOIA Library, containing 6,700 documents and other media that have been scanned from paper into digital copies so you can read them in the comfort of your home or office.
Foreign Relations of the United States - Office of the Historian
The Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series presents the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity.
Immigration to the United States, 1789-1930
Documenting voluntary immigration to the United States from the signing of the Constitution to the start of the Great Depression.
Internet Archive
Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.
Internet History Sourcebook Project
The Internet History Sourcebooks Project is a collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented for educational use. Primary sources are available here mainly for use in high-school and university/college courses. The site takes a very broad view of the sources that should be available to students and as well as documents long associated with a "western civilization" approach to history also provides much information on Byzantine, Islamic, Jewish, Indian, East Asian, and African history. You will also find many documents especially relevant to women's history and LGBT studies.
The Proceedings of the Old Bailey
According to John Langbein, the Proceedings are “probably the best accounts we shall ever have of what transpired in ordinary English criminal courts before the later eighteenth century”. Although initially aimed at a popular rather than a legal audience, the material reported was neither invented nor significantly distorted. Published under licence from the City of London, and increasingly relied upon by legal officials, the printers and publishers of the Proceedings were under pressure to produce accurate reports.
Women Working, 1800-1930
An exploration of women's impact on the economic life of the United States between 1800 and the Great Depression.