American History: A Research Guide
Researchers looking for information from the Crittenden Compromise, the Hartford Convention, and the Sons of Liberty to the Declaration of Independence can find a vast amount of information in the resources listed here. The terms and phrases listed in the subject headings below can be used to search for more materials in the library’s catalog and research databases. If you need further assistance, please ask a librarian.
Primary Source Material
Core Documents of U.S. Democracy
www.gpoaccess.gov/coredocs.html
Includes full-text documents like the Articles of Confederation, Bill of Rights, Emancipation Proclamation, and the Gettysburg Address. Also includes documents related to presidencies and legislative and judicial history.
Great American Speeches: 80 Years of Political Oratory
www.pbs.org/greatspeeches
An archive of speeches and background information from 1900–1999.
Library of Congress American Memory Project
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem
Primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
American Eras edited by Gretchen D. Starr-LeBeau, Jessica Kross, and Robert J. Allison. 8 vols. Detroit: Gale Research, 1997– . ISBN: 0787614777.
Includes essays on events, publications, lifestyles, and individuals important to American history. Vol. 1: Early American civilizations and exploration to 1600; vol. 2: The colonial era, 1600–1754; vol. 3: The Revolutionary era, 1754–1783; vol. 4: Development of a nation, 1783–1815; vol. 5: The reform era and eastern U.S. development, 1815–1850; vol. 6: Westward expansion, 1800–1860; vol. 7: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1850–1877; vol. 8: Development of the industrial United States, 1878–1899.
Annals of America. Chicago: Encylopaedia Britannica, 1968–1987. 20 vols.
A multivolume encyclopedia set that includes the words of more than 1,500 authors including illustrations, photographs, articles, essays, speeches, songs, excerpts from books, and primary source documents.
Datapedia of the United States. 1790–2005: America Year by Year, 3rd ed. Lanham, MD: Bernan Press, 2004. ISBN: 0890598622.
Represents data from several hundred indicators of social, economic, political, and cultural developments. Consists chiefly of tables with bibliographical references and index.
Dictionary of American History, 3rd ed. edited by Stanley I. Kutler. 10 vols. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2002. ISBN: 0684805332.
Alphabetical entries with coverage extending from the colonial period to the present including maps and illustrations. First published in 1940 and completely revised in this edition.
Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History edited by David S. Heidler and Jeanne T. Heidler. 5 vols. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2000. ISBN: 1576070662.
Coverage of broad areas of specific topics on the Civil War including photographs, lithographs, and primary source documents.
Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History edited by Mary K. Cayton and Peter W. Williams. 3 vols. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2001. ISBN: 0684805618.
Covers historical periods from 1771–2000, including subjects which form the country’s rich history such as people, places, politics, arts, economy, social order, the arts, religion, and nature.
Encyclopedia of American History edited by Gary B. Nash. 11 vols. New York: Facts On File, 2003. ISBN: 081604371X.
Details the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the nation. Organized in chronological order.
Encyclopedia of American Social History edited by Mary K. Cayton, Elliot J. Gorn, and Peter W. Williams. 3 vols. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1993. ISBN: 0684192462.
180 essays highlighting the people of the American social structure through ethnology, gender study, geography, literature, religion, anthropology, and sociology.
Encyclopedia of the North American Colonies edited by Jacob E. Cooke. 3 vols. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1993. ISBN: 0684192691.
Covers geography and ecology, patterns of settlement, law and government, economy, society, religion, popular culture, and family life.
Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century edited by Paul Finkelman. 3 vols. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 2001. ISBN: 0684805006.
600 articles written by scholars including illustrations, maps, and time lines. Written to support the National Standards for U.S. History.
Encyclopedia of Urban America: The Cities and Suburb edited by Neil Larry Shumsky. 2 vols. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 1998. ISBN: 0874368464.
Provides a comprehensive view of American cities in a series of 547 signed articles including biographical articles and topical entries.
Web Sites
History Channel
www.historychannel.com
Look for “America’s Timeline” and choose a decade.
Making of America
www.hti.umich.edu/m/moagrp/
This Web site, created by the University of Michigan, includes primary source material from the antebellum period through Reconstruction.
Our Documents
www.ourdocuments.gov
Web site promoting the 100 milestone documents of American history.
Smithsonian National Museum of American History
http://americanhistory.si.edu
Includes Information on collections and exhibits.
Subject Headings
• United States—civilization
• United States—history
• United States—intellectual life
• United States—politics and government
• United States—social conditions
• United States and Civil War
• United States and Industrial Revolution
• United States and women and history