History - Primary Sources

Historical Documents

Library of Congress Digital Collections

The Library of Congress provides access to rich primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site includes more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections on topics as wide-ranging as agriculture, art & architecture, business & economics, geography, performing arts, religion, sports, and technology.

American Studies at the University of Virginia

This site contains several collections of primary source material. Selecting "Cultural Maps" will access historical maps of the United States and list links to maps at other websites. Selecting "The 1930s" will present a menu of film, radio programs, bibliographies and features of life from the 1930's. Selecting "Hypertext" produces a list of United States literature containing works such as Emerson's "Representative Men" or Booker T. Washington's "Up from Slavery" or the WPA's "American Slave Narratives". All of the literary works have been digitalized and are available in full text.

Avalon Project at Yale Law School

The Avalon Project posts digital documents relevant to the fields of Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government from the pre-18th century to the present. Major collections include colonial charters, the Constitution, the Cold War, Treaties between the U.S. & Native Americans, and World War II to name just a few.

Mountain West Digital Library

A central search portal for digital collections about the Mountain West region that provides free access to over 700,000 resources from universities, colleges, public libraries, museums, historical societies, and government agencies, counties, and municipalities in Utah, Nevada, and other parts of the U.S. West.

New Jersey Digital Highway 

Presents a collection on New Jersey history and culture, with focus on immigration. Try a search using "women" or "suffrage" as keywords.  

Rutgers Oral History Archives 

Since 1994 the Rutgers Oral History Archives have been recording the life narratives of: alumni and/or New Jersey residents who served during times of conflict; people with a story to tell about New Jersey's rich social and cultural history; Individuals who helped shape the history of Rutgers University. The Archive includes life course oral history interviews and fully searchable transcripts. 

Milestone Documents initiative

Access to 100 milestone documents of American history. These documents reflect our diversity and our unity, our past and our future, and mostly our commitment as a nation to continue to strive to "form a more perfect union."