Primary Sources
Many of the following sites hold digital collections of primary documents, photos, pamphlets, letters, and more.
** Keep in mind that what we call something now is not necessarily what it was called at the time it was happening. For example, World War I won't work as a search term during the actual war yeas, so search for specific battles or people instead.
** Keep in mind that what we call something now is not necessarily what it was called at the time it was happening. For example, World War I won't work as a search term during the actual war yeas, so search for specific battles or people instead.
- Library of Congress Digital Collections - the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, and it serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world.
- National Archives -- independent agency of the United States government charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records.
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History -- collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history.
- British Library -- national library of the United Kingdom.
- various Presidential Libraries or homes -- (Google "[insert name] presidential library", then when you arrive at the site, look for "Digital Collections" or similar)
- 71 Digital Portals to State History -- compiled by the Library of Congress, these sites provide digital access to a broad array of primary source materials at the state level.
secondary sources
EBSCOhost -- use our database to find newspapers, magazine articles, and peer-reviewed papers on your topic.
HHS Library Catalog -- find books in our library and libraries across Illinois.
Internet Searches -- look over the research tips at the bottom of this page to get better results.
HHS Library Catalog -- find books in our library and libraries across Illinois.
Internet Searches -- look over the research tips at the bottom of this page to get better results.
U.S. Presidents
- Presidents of the United States Resource Guide -- by the Library of Congress
- The Presidents -- by WhiteHouse.gov
- various Presidential Libraries or homes -- (Google "[insert name] presidential library", then when you arrive at the site, look for "Digital Collections" or similar)
American indian history
Black American History
- National Museum of African American History and Culture
- National Archives -- African American Research
- National Archives -- Black History
- Black Past Digital Archives -- a listing of many archives specializing in Black History.
environmental history
Database:
Web Sites:
Web Sites:
Other Interesting Sites & archives
primary vs. secondary sources
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Learn the difference between primary and secondary sources.
Video by the University of Houston Libraries |
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Research Tips
Not sure how to construct the right kind of search for finding specific eras, events, or people? Try to focus your search on three keyword concepts: Event, Text, and Topic. See examples below.
Event
Text
Topic Use a topic related to your central argument, such as:
Then, think about how you can combine your keywords using AND or OR.
So how does this translate? Let's say you were writing a paper the origins of the U.S. Civil War. Some of the searches you could try include:
Quotation Marks: Use quotation marks to limit your search to an exact phrase.
Example: "Antebellum South" limits your search to the topic.
Combining Search Terms: In an "Advanced Search" option, you can connect search terms the following ways:
AND - narrows your search results by looking for two (or more) keywords at the same time. Example: "jacob astor" AND "fur trade" gets results that include both terms. Add a third term, for example, AND "explor*" to get even more specific results. (Note that "explor" has an asterisk - this gives you all variations of the word (see Truncation below).
OR - expands your search results by searching for more than one keyword at a time.
Example: "native american" OR "american indian" searches for results that include either term.
Tip: use ONE search term per search box.
Wildcard: A wildcard lets you search for different letters in a word. This can be useful to search for plurals and alternate spellings. A question mark is used in place of the letter.
Example: "wom?n" searches for "woman," "women," and "womyn."
Truncation: You can use truncation to search for all the endings of a word in one search. Most search tools use the asterisk (*), but some use and exclamation point (!) or dollar sign ($). Check the help function if your search isn't working.
Example: Shakespear* searches for Shakespear, Shakespeare, Shakespearean, Shakespeare's, etc.
Event
- Start with the general event, and then narrow it down to specifics: Civil War > Battle of Gettysburg > Casualties
- Look for key people involved: General George Meade, General Robert E. Lee, George Pickett
Text
- Primary sources (Library of Congress, National Archives, Presidential museums, autobiographies, etc.)
- Secondary sources (scholarly articles, books about the topic, biographies, websites, etc.)
- Letters, historical newpapers, Congressional publications (EBSCO, Library of Congress, National Archives, etc. )
- Biographies, scholarly articles, historiography (our HHS library -- keep in mind we have inter-library loan)
Topic Use a topic related to your central argument, such as:
- Event(s)
- Country
- Religion
- Politics
- Economy or Trade
- Exploration
- Slavery
- Antislavery, Abolition Movements
- Quakers,
- Feminism
- Caribbean and West Indies
- Cotton, sugar, and slaves
Then, think about how you can combine your keywords using AND or OR.
So how does this translate? Let's say you were writing a paper the origins of the U.S. Civil War. Some of the searches you could try include:
- Cotton AND slavery
- Abolitionist movement AND women
- West Indies OR Caribbean AND slavery
Quotation Marks: Use quotation marks to limit your search to an exact phrase.
Example: "Antebellum South" limits your search to the topic.
Combining Search Terms: In an "Advanced Search" option, you can connect search terms the following ways:
AND - narrows your search results by looking for two (or more) keywords at the same time. Example: "jacob astor" AND "fur trade" gets results that include both terms. Add a third term, for example, AND "explor*" to get even more specific results. (Note that "explor" has an asterisk - this gives you all variations of the word (see Truncation below).
OR - expands your search results by searching for more than one keyword at a time.
Example: "native american" OR "american indian" searches for results that include either term.
Tip: use ONE search term per search box.
Wildcard: A wildcard lets you search for different letters in a word. This can be useful to search for plurals and alternate spellings. A question mark is used in place of the letter.
Example: "wom?n" searches for "woman," "women," and "womyn."
Truncation: You can use truncation to search for all the endings of a word in one search. Most search tools use the asterisk (*), but some use and exclamation point (!) or dollar sign ($). Check the help function if your search isn't working.
Example: Shakespear* searches for Shakespear, Shakespeare, Shakespearean, Shakespeare's, etc.
