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Last modified 05.26.08
Dana Hall Library >> Subject Guides >> Social Studies >> U.S. History >>  Mid-19th Century

U.S. History:
Mid-19th Century Research Project Pathfinder

Reference Materials

Specialized Reference Sources

100 key documents in American democracy REF 973 ONE
The African-American archive REF 973.0496073 AFR
Africana: the encyclopedia of African and African-American experience REF 909.0496 AFR
Album of American history REF 973 ALB
The American economy: a historical encyclopedia REF 330.973003 AME
The American years: a chronology of United States history REF 973.0202 GRO
Annals of America REF 973 ANN
Bicentennial almanac: 200 years of America 1776-1976 REF 973 BIC
Civil War archive: the history of the Civil War in documents REF 973.78 CIV
Chronology of the United States REF 973 CLE
The Civil War REF 973.7022 CIV
The Civil War archive REF 973.78 CIV
The Civil War book of lists REF 973.702 BOA
The Civil War dictionary REF 973.7 BOA
Concise dictionary of American history REF 973 CON
Dictionary of Afro-American slavery REF 305.567 DIC
Dictionary of American history REF 973.03 DIC
Encyclopedia of American history REF 973 ENC
Encyclopedia of American social history REF 301.0973 ENC
Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: a political, social, and military history REF 973.703 ENC
Encyclopedia of African-American culture and history REF 973 ENC
Encyclopedia of the United States in the nineteenth century REF 973.5 ENC
Great events from history: American series REF 973 GRE
Harvard guide to American history REF 973 HAR
Historic documents REF 917.3 HIS
The historical and cultural atlas of African Americans REF 973.04 ASA
Key issues in constitutional history REF 973 KEY
Negro heritage library REF 960 NEG
Our nation's archive: the history of the United States in documents REF 973 OUR
The New York Public Library American history desk reference REF 973 OXF
The Oxford companion to American history REF 973 OXF
Reference library of Black America REF 973 REF
This fabulous century 973.91 THI

Websites

Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition

African-American Mosaic Project
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/african/afam001.html

One of the Library of Congress' excellent online exhibits covers 500 years of African-American history. Several sections will be pertinent to the topics of slavery, resistance, and abolition.

Africans of America

  • Brotherly Love (Part 3)
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part3/title.html

  • Judgement Day (Part 4)
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/index.html

    A great collection from PBS of primary (historical documents) and secondary (modern voices) sources collected under the titles of "Brotherly Love" and "Judgement Day." This site also covers topics such as antebellum slavery, northern racism, and westward expansion.

    Common-place
    http://common-place.org/

    Sponsored by the American Antiquarian Society and Gilder Lehrman Institute, the editor from State University of Florida and a very diverse editorial board describe their online journal as follows: "Common-place is a common place for exploring and exchanging ideas about early American history and culture. A bit friendlier than a scholarly journal, a bit more scholarly than a popular magazine, Common-place speaks--and listens--to scholars, museum curators, teachers, hobbyists, and just about anyone interested in American history before 1900." This site offers mostly analysis and commentary.

    The Frederick Douglass Papers
    http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/doughtml/doughome.html

    Not only the first publications of Douglass' books, but also his speeches and letters are part of this excellent online collection at the Library of Congress.

    From Slavery to Freedom: The African-American Pamphlet Collection
    http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aapchtml/aapchome.html

    This Library of Congress collection "offers complete page images of the 396 titles in the African American Pamphlet Collection, as well as searchable electronic texts and bibliographic records."

    The Geography of Slavery
    http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/gos/

    Through the advertisements of runaway and captured slaves, along with the commentary by specialists, one can learn about slavery in Virginia. As the site points out: "The Geography of Slavery in Virginia is a digital collection of advertisements for runaway and captured slaves and servants in 18th- and 19th-century Virginia newspapers. Building on the rich descriptions of individual slaves and servants in the ads, the project offers a personal, geographical and documentary context for the study of slavery in Virginia, from colonial times to the Civil War."

    The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
    http://www.gilderlehrman.org/

    "Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. Increasingly national and international in scope, the Institute's initiatives target audiences ranging from students to scholars to the general public."

    New York Public Library: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
    http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html

    This site offers resources that explore several of your research topics: slavery, abolitionism, the Civil War, and women's rights (for example, a whole section of 19th century African American women writers). It is worth exploring this site, especially "African American Women Writers of the 19th Century" and "Images of African Americans in the 19th Century."

    Third Person, First Person: Slave Voices
    http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/slavery/

    This online exhibit from the Special Collections Library at Duke University is based on the catalog of an exhibit presented at Perkins Library, Duke University, in November and December 1995. The online exhibit from the Special Collections is missing some images that were too large or fragile to be scanned but instead has only descriptions of them.

    Civil War

    New York Public Library: Civil War
    http://www.nypl.org/links/index.cfm?Trg=1&d1=1285&d3=Civil%20War

    The New York Public Library is an excellent source of high quality websites.

    Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
    http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html

    The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture site at the New York Public Library offers resources that explore several of your research topics: slavery, abolitionism, the Civil War, and Women's Rights (a whole section of 19th century African American women writers. It is worth exploring this site, especially "African American Women Writers of the 19th Century" and "Images of African Americans in the 19th Century."

    PBS.org: Civil War
    http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/

    Ken Burns' film is a platform for several exercises regarding primary source materials, especially if one wants to create a video.

    PBS.org: Time of the Lincolns
    http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/lincolns/

    A film examining the Lincolns' personal history, slavery and freedom, and the Civil War.

    United States Army Military History Institute
    http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usamhi/

    "The U.S. Army Military History Institute (USAMHI) is an institute of the Army Heritage and Education Center and serves as the primary research facility for the historical study of the U.S. Army in order to foster greater understanding of the Army's role in our nation's history and in its future."

    Women's Rights

    American Women: A Gateway to Library of Congress Resources for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States
    http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/

    "An expanded and searchable version of the print publication American Women: A Library of Congress Guide for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 2001)."

    Internet History Sourcebooks Project
    http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/

    "Collections of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts for educational use. Find primary sources in ancient, medieval and modern history as well as African, East Asian, Islamic, Jewish, Lesbian and Gay, Science, and Women's history. This is a wonderful site for primary sources on the Internet." (New York Public Library) This site is run by a professor at Fordham University.

    Women and Social Movements in the United States
    http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/notes.htm

    This site "is intended to serve as a resource for students and scholars of U.S. history and U.S. women's history. Organized around the history of women in social movements in the U.S. between 1600 and 2000, the website seeks to advance scholarly debates and understanding at the same time that it makes the insights of women's history accessible to teachers and students at universities, colleges, and high schools." (http://womhist.alexanderstreet.com/notes.htm)

    Primary Source Collections

    AmDocs: Documents for Study of American History
    http://www.ku.edu/carrie/docs/amdocs_index.html

    "A treasure trove of full-text primary sources spanning 500 years of American History. Speeches, treaties, Supreme Court decisions, declarations of war, and other key documents are arranged chronologically in a simple list, making it easy to find the primary source you need." (New York Public Library)

    American Women: A Gateway to Library of Congress Resources for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States
    http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/awhhtml/

    "An expanded and searchable version of the print publication American Women: A Library of Congress Guide for the Study of Women's History and Culture in the United States (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 2001)". (New York Public Library) This rich collection offers well- prepared and -researched sections of primary documents. It is worth investing some time to learn how to navigate it.

    Avalon Project at Yale Law School: Documents in Law, History, and Diplomacy
    http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm

    A collection of historical documents related to law, history, and diplomacy, divided by century.

    Documenting the American South (DocSouth)
    http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/index.html

    "Documenting the American South (DocSouth), a digital publishing initiative sponsored by the University Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provides access to digitized primary materials that offer Southern perspectives on American history and culture. It supplies teachers, students, and researchers at every educational level with a wide array of titles they can use for reference, studying, teaching, and research."

    The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
    http://www.gilderlehrman.org/

    "Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History promotes the study and love of American history. Increasingly national and international in scope, the Institute's initiatives target audiences ranging from students to scholars to the general public."

    A Hypertext on American History From the Colonial Period Until Modern Times
    http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/index.htm

    Produced by the Department of Humanities Computing and the Department of American Studies at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands.

    Making of America - Cornell University
    http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/

    "Cornell University's contributions to the digital library of primary sources in American social history. The MOA is a collaborative effort of Cornell University and the University of Michigan to preserve and provide electronic access to historical texts covering the period from the antebellum through reconstruction. This site provides access to 267 monograph volumes and over 100,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints from Cornell's collections." (New York Public Library)
    The collection is not only searchable at different levels, but the help section is a gem! It allows you to use your library skills in the best possible way.

    Making of America - University of Michigan
    http://moa.umdl.umich.edu/

    "The University of Michigan's contributions to MOA. This site provides access to approximately 8,500 books and 50,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints from the university's collections." (New York Public Library)
    The collection is a collaboration with the above Cornell University project.

    National Archives and Records Administration: Archival Research Catalog
    http://www.archives.gov/research_room/arc/

    "The National Archives "ensures, for citizens and federal officials, ready access to essential evidence that documents the rights of American citizens, the actions of federal officials, and the national experience." This incomparable site provides access to millions of documentary treasures including the Charters of Freedom, the Apollo 11 Flight Plan, photographs spanning a century of life in America, and posters from World War II, to name just a few.

    New York Public Library: Primary Sources List
    http://www.nypl.org/links/index.cfm?Trg=1&d1=180&d3=Primary%20Sources

    Great collection of links to primary sources, many of which are on already listed here, but it is a great page to bookmark.

    Ohio State University Libraries: Selected Primary Source Materials and Guides on the Web
    http://library.osu.edu/sites/history/hismore.htm

    Under the section American History, one can find a collection of primary sources offered on the web.

    Project Gutenberg
    http://promo.net/pg/

    The entire text of a selection of "famous and important" books, available online for free. The books on Project Gutenberg are all out of copyright.

    Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
    http://www.nypl.org/research/sc/sc.html

    The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture site at the New York Public Library offers resources that explore several of your research topics: slavery, abolitionism, the Civil War, and Women's Rights (a whole section of 19th century African American women writers. It is worth exploring this site, especially "African American Women Writers of the 19th Century" and "Images of African Americans in the 19th Century."

    The Valley of the Shadow
    http://valley.vcdh.virginia.edu/

    "The Valley of the Shadow is a digital archive of primary sources that document the lives of people in Augusta County, Virginia, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, during the era of the American Civil War. Here you may explore thousands of original documents that allow you to see what life was like during the Civil War for the men and women of Augusta and Franklin."