Introduction to Primary Sources on 19th Century U.S. History |
Published diaries, journals, letters, and other correspondances are very useful primary sources when researching 19th century U.S. history. Memoirs and autobiographies will be helpful, as will government documents, congressional records, and data such as the U.S. census. Articles published during the 19th century in newspapers and magazines can be good sources. Finally, visual images such as photographs, illustrations, and political cartoons also qualify as primary sources. Much the the above-mentioned material can be found using WorldCat, but there are also specialized research tools and web pages listed below.
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Finding Personal Narratives and Collections of Documents Using WorldCat and GLOCAT
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Published personal narratives (such as diaries and memoirs) and collections of documents can be located using library catalogs, but there are various pitfalls you will encounter when using these databases. Books are given subject headings that only briefly describe the topics covered in them. Books will invariably cover many other topics in addition to the ones listed in a database. Rather than typing narrow search terms into the database search screen, search broadly by typing broad subject heading. Be patient while looking down the list of results, and be vigilant in looking for the clues that can alert you to primary sources. In other words, you have the think creatively to uncover the pieces to the puzzle you are putting together when you do history research. Useful subject headings: narratives, diaries, journals, memoirs, correspondences, letters, speeches, and sources.
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Research Tools:
GLOCAT and WorldCat
Examples
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Finding 19th Century Newspaper and Magazine Articles **
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Newspaper and magazine articles can be extremely important primary sources. The newspaper articles that are easiest to find are from the New York Times, because the articles from the Civil War-era are available full text in a database called New York Times Article Archive. (We also have the entire run of the NYT newspapers on microfilm here at Milne Library.) There are web pages with selected articles from other newspapers, and we can get others newspapers on microfilm via the IDS system. An online book called Newspapers in Microfilm can be used to identify what newspapers were being published in cities and towns in 19th century America.
Milne Library has some popular magazines from 19th century America, which are located on the top floor of the library, at the beginning of all of the circulating books, with call numbers starting with AP. To search these publications, you can use Poole's Index to Periodical Literature, which is a print index kept on the top floor of the library at the end of all the criculating books. Some of the web pages listed below also have full text of articles from 19th century periodicals as well.
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Research Tools:
New York Times Article Archive
Newspapers in Microform
Harper's Weekly ---
Abraham Lincoln Newspaper Archive
Poole's Index to Periodical Literature (in print) |
| Online Primary Sources
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Harper's Weekly
Documenting the American South--Slave Narratives
Slave Narratives from the Library of Congress
Footnote
The Valley of the Shadow -- Two Communities in the American Civil War
National Archives and Records Administration
American Memory
Historical Text Archive
Making of America
American Civil War Homepage
Avalon Project
U.S.
Historical Census Browser
Abraham Lincoln Newspaper Archive
New York Times Article Archive
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If you use Google to find web pages with primary sources, be careful to evaluate the authenticity of the sponsoring site. Make sure it is the web page of a reputable educational institution.
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| Government Documents |
WorldCat can be used to find government documents. One way to limit your search is to search "g.p.o. or government printing office" as publisher. Another way is to search "government" as material type. The Library of Congress's web page, American Memory, has many government documents, including Congressional Record, a transcript of what is said on the floor of congress. The NARA web site also lists selected government documents. |
Research Tools:
WorldCat
American Memory
National Archives and Records Administration
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Finding the Work of Historians
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The work of historians is published in journal articles, as well as books. Books can be found using WorldCat and GLOCAT (make sure the publisher is a university press), and America: History and Life can be used to find articles from history journals.
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Research Tools:
America: History and Life
GLOCAT and WorldCat
Making of America
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/ |
