LibGuides: American Experience: U.S. History

Article Databases

History Reference Source By EBSCOhost This link opens in a new window
The database features full text for more than 1,990 reference books, encyclopedias and non-fiction books from leading history publishers. The database also includes full text for more than 150 leading history periodicals.

Part of the Database Offerings in GALILEO, Georgia’s Virtual Library
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Featuring thousands of full-text journals, this collection of scholarly trade and popular articles offers information on a broad range of important areas including: anthropology, biology, chemistry, ethnic & multicultural studies, law, mathematics, music, psychology, women's studies, and many other fields.

Part of the Database Offerings in GALILEO, Georgia’s Virtual Library

U.S. History

100 Milestone Documents: 1776-1965
"To help us think, talk and teach about the rights and responsibilities of citizens in our democracy, we invite you to explore 100 milestone documents of American history.
American Experience - Online Films
Over 200 films by PBS about the American Experience. Themes include Presidents, Biographies, War & Politics, Technology, Pop Culture, and the American Landscape. The videos span the entire history of the United States.
Digital Collections of the Library of Congress
A digital record of American history and creativity - written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
American Women Through Time
a timeline and research resources about prominent American women
Making of America - Cornell University Library
"Making of America Collection is a digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction." A joint venture between Cornell and the University of Michigan.
Making of America - University of Michigan
"Making of America Collection is a digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction." A joint venture between Cornell and the University of Michigan.
Primary Documents in American History (Library of Congress)
Important documents from three eras of American history: The American Revolution and the New Nation, National Expansion and Reform, and Civil War and Reconstruction. The site plans to expand to the 20th century in the future.
The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases
"Access to over 85 million historic electronic records created by more than 30 agencies of the of the U.S. federal government and from collections of donated historical materials."
Women and Social Movements in the United States
"Organized around the history of women in social movements in the U.S. between 1600 and 2000, this collection ... currently includes 87 document projects with more than 2,800 documents and 150,000 pages of additional full-text documents."

American History to 1865
Site includes General American History, Biographical Sites, and sites arranged chronologically from the colonial period through the Civil War.
Civil War in the American South
Full text primary source manuscripts, letters, sermons, economic data, and other materials document the intellectual and cultural context which defined the American Civil War Era, 1850 through 1865. Provided by the Association of Southeastern Research Libraries (ASERL) and Digital Library of Georgia, and GALILEO.
The Cornelius C. Platter Civil War Diary, 1864 - 1865
"Platter's diary details Sherman's march through Georgia from Rome to Savannah and the march north through the Carolinas."
Lincoln / Net
Primary sources pertaining to frontier settlement; Native American relations; economic development; women's experience & gender roles; African-Americans' experience & American racial attitudes; law & society; religion & culture, political development
Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade
"Information on almost 35,000 slaving voyages that forcibly embarked over 10 million Africans for transport to the Americas between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries."
Uncle Tom's Cabin & American Culture
"This authoritative, comprehensive Web site both introduces the novel to newcomers and provides sophisticated primary materials and search opportunities for advanced scholars."
The Valley of the Shadow: Two Communities in the American Civil War
"The Valley Project details life in two American communities, one Northern and one Southern, from the time of John Brown's Raid through the era of Reconstruction."
Ulysses S. Grant Digital Collection
The Ulysses S. Grant Digital Collection offers researchers access to the first 31 volumes of The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant. Mississippi State University's Mitchell Memorial Library has a rich digital collection on Grant's life, military career, and presidency.

New Deal Network
"A research and teaching resource devoted to the public works and arts projects of the New Deal." NDN contains photographs, political cartoons, speeches, letters, and other historic documents from the New Deal period.
The Vietnam Center and Archive
"A major repository of material related to the US war in Vietnam, focusing on participants' personal stories."
Civil Rights Digital Library
The Civil Rights Digital Library promotes an enhanced understanding of the Movement by helping users discover primary sources and other educational materials from libraries, archives, museums, public broadcasters, and others on a national scale.
Civil Rights Primary Sources
Library of Congress primary source sets supporting study about Jim Crow America and the history of the NAACP.
Women's Suffrage Primary Sources
Primary sources collected by the Library of Congress, focusing on Women's suffrage in America.
Military and Wars Primary Sources
A collection of primary sources on war and the American military aggregated by Sam Houston State University.
The Cold War
The National Security Archive from George Washington University.
LGBTQ+ History
LibGuide created by the University of Washington libraries with links to many primary document sites.