Primary Source Databases
- Twentieth Century USA list of full-text primary source databases for 20th century U.S. history, including newspapers, magazines, and government documents.
- Nineteenth Century USA list of full-text primary source databases for 19th century U.S. history, including newspapers, magazines, and government documents.
- Colonial AmericaA list of full-text databases of Colonial U.S. history sources, including books, newspapers, and government documents.
Primary Source Collections
- African American HistoryA guide to primary source collections for African American history research at Yale.
- Art, Architecture, and DramaA guide to art, architecture, and drama collections from the Manuscripts and Archives Department of Sterling Memorial Library.
- Asian American HistoryA guide to archival collections at the Yale University Library for the study of Asian American history.
- Environmental HistoryA guide to primary source collections at Yale for environmental history.
- Hispanic American HistoryA list of primary source collections for the study of Hispanic American history at the Yale University Library.
- History of Science and MedicineA guide to archival materials related to the history of science, particularly medicine and health, at the Yale University Library.
- Legal HistoryA guide to primary source collections in legal history at Manuscripts and Archives, Sterling Memorial Library.
- Native American HistoryA guide to primary source collections for the study of American Indian History at Yale University.
- Yale Research Initiative on the History of SexualitiesList of highlighted primary source collections on the history of sexuality and gender sponsored by the Yale Research Initiative on the History of Sexualities
- Sexuality Studies - BeineckeA guide to sexuality studies primary source collections at the Beinecke Rare Book Library.
- Sexuality Studies - Manuscripts and Archives, SMLA guide to sexuality studies primary source collections in Manuscripts and Archives, Sterling Memorial Library.
- Slavery, Abolition, EmancipationA list of primary source collections for the study of slavery and abolition at the Yale University Library.
Important Databases for U.S. History
- America History and LifeThe key source for searching scholarly literature in U.S. history. Unlike JSTOR, America History and Life is current and includes books and dissertations. Tip: Search book titles to find book reviews.
- Yale Finding Aid DatabaseThe Yale Finding Aid Database searches the full text of finding aids for archival materials at Yale University. Finding aids are guides that provide information about the creation, historical context, arrangement, and content of collections as well as the information necessary for users to identify and request items relevant to their research.
- American National BiographyA seminal reference source which includes reliable biographical information on a number of individuals. One of the key strengths of this database is that its entries often contain bibliographies that point to key secondary works and primary source collections.
- American Foreign Relations Since 1600A seminal reference book that provides annotated overviews of secondary and primary source resources on all periods and places of U.S. foreign relations.
Key Newspaper Databases for U.S. History
- Access Newspaper ArchiveA collection of digital newspapers from smaller towns. Dates and places vary widely, making search results hit or miss.
- America's Historical NewspapersLarge collection of digital newspapers from the 18th and 19th centuries. Tip: by clicking on the "Archive of Americana" link in the interface, you are able to cross-search other Readex databases for this time period.
- Historical Newspapers CompleteOne of our premier databases, Historical Newspapers Complete contains large runs of major U.S. newspapers including the New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times. Tip: choose "more search options" to limit searches to specific newspaper sections.
- Yale Daily News Digital ArchiveAn incomplete, but fairly substantial, digital archive of the Yale Daily News, going back to its inaugural issue in 1878.
Key Primary Source Databases for U.S. History
- Rotunda: American Founding EraThe complete published collections of major Founding Fathers in a single, fully searchable database. Contains the papers of George Washington, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Dolley Madison.
- Ancestry Library EditionThis database contains a large collection of primary sources, including original images of U.S. census records, slave schedules, and immigration passenger lists from New York, Philadelphia, and Boston for the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
- ProQuest CongressionalOne of the best sources for U.S. government documents. Contains the Congressional Record and numerous hearings, reports and other documents from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Tip: limit searches to individual Congresses to narrow searches. Also, choose advanced search to select different parts of the database, such as the large map collection (Serial Set Maps).
- American Periodical SeriesThis database includes digitized images of the pages of many American magazines and journals published from 1740 to 1900. Titles range from Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine and America's first scientific journal, Medical Repository; popular magazines such as Vanity Fair and Ladies' Home Journal; regional and niche publications; and groundbreaking journals like The Dial, Puck, and McClure's.
My Favorite Databases
- The EconomistFull-text database of every issue of the seminal English magazine from 1843-2006, providing an interesting lens through which to view U.S. events and policy.
- Historical Statistics CompleteAggregated historical statistical data covering a number of areas, including economics, the military, crime, and demographics.
- Google PatentsLinks to millions of US patents and patent applications from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, dating back to the eighteenth century and including patents as recent as the last few months. The google interface makes this rich collection readily searchable.
- Travel Writing, Spectacle and World History, 1819-1972Women's Travel Diaries and Correspondence from The Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard University
- South Asian American Digital ArchiveGrowing digital archive of materials related to the South Asian diaspora in the Americas.
Kaplanoff Librarian for American History and British and Commonwealth History |
Contact Info I am happy to help members of the Yale community with their history related research. I am located in SML 226 and am available by appointment. Send Email |


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