LibGuides: HIST J-495 U.S.-China Relations: Finding Primary Sources

What are primary sources?

Primary sources are original records created at the time historical events occurred, or well after events occurred. Primary sources may include:

letters
manuscripts
diaries
journals
oral histories
newspapers
speeches
interviews
memoirs
government documents
photographs
audio recordings
video recordings

These sources serve as the raw material to interpret the past. When they are used along with previous interpretations by historians, they provide the resources necessary for historical research.

Primary source databases available via IUS Library:

19th Century Index This link opens in a new window
Provides citations to nineteenth century (1800s) books, official documents, archival collections, and journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.
American Memory (now called Library of Congress Digital Collections) This link opens in a new window
Now called Library of Congress Digital Collections.
Note: A small number of American Memory collections are still available on the older platform: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html

Cold War International History Project
The Cold War International History Project is based in the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. The Cold War International History Project disseminates new information and perspectives on the history of the Cold War, in particular new findings from previously inaccessible sources on "the other side" -- the former Communist world.

Early American Newspapers, Series 6 & 7 This link opens in a new window
This collection includes over 300 hundred significant 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century newspapers, including titles of unique historical significance, regional weeklies and big-city dailies. Series 6 of Early American Newspapers includes newspapers published between 1741-1922. Its theme is national debates of the mid-19th century. Series 7 of Early American Newspapers includes newspapers published between 1773-1922. Its theme is the rise of the 19th-century independent press.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) This link opens in a new window
See 18th Century Collections Online.
Historical New York Times with Index This link opens in a new window
Access to the full-text of the New York Times from 1851-2014, including all advertisements, images, photographs, and supplements.
Use the Advanced Search option to access the Index (1851-1993), and limit your search to a specific company or organization, creative work (book or movie), location, person, or subject.
Library of Congress Digital Collections (previously called American Memory) This link opens in a new window
Provides free and open access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
Note: A small number of American Memory collections are still available on the older platform: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
Making of the Modern World, 1450-1945 This link opens in a new window
Provides searchable access to primary sources, including monographs, reports, correspondence, speeches, surveys, and more, covering social, economic and business history as well as political science, technology, and industrialization.
Note: The ability to cross-search multiple primary source collections from the provider Gale is now available on the Gale Primary Sources platform.
Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Provides access to the full-text of numerous 19th century newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S. Subjects covered in this collection include the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration and Antebellum-era life and culture.
Note: The ability to cross-search multiple primary source collections from the provider Gale is now available on the Gale Primary Sources platform.
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories This link opens in a new window
Includes personal narratives including letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, and oral histories of immigrants who came to the United States and Canada between 1800 and 1950.

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