Primary Sources
Books published before 1923 may be available in full text digital collections such as HathiTrust or Internet Archive. These are excellent sources for primary information.
Newspapers
- New York Times, Historical (1851-2020)Full text historic database of the New York Times newspaper which covers international, national, and regional stories on a variety of topics. Includes issues published from 1851-2020. A new year is added annually. For the most current issues, create a free NYT website account via the Library catalog.
- Chicago Tribune, Historical (1849-2013)Full text historic database of the Chicago Tribune newspaper which covers international, national, and regional stories on a variety of topics. Includes issues published from 1849-2012; new year added annually.
- Newspapers.com Illinois CollectionFull text historic database of regional and local Illinois newspapers.
- HarpweekFull text database of the historic American news magazine, Harper's Weekly.
- Nineteenth Century U.S. NewspapersFull text and image database of 19th century US newspapers with an emphasis on the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration, and Antebellum-era life.
- Chronicling AmericaFull text database of selected historic American newspapers from 1789 -1963.
- African American Newspapers SeriesFull text of African American newspapers from 39 different states from 1827 - 1998.
Other Materials
- Black Freedom Struggle in the United StatesCollection of full text documents from eras of U.S. history
- Civil War and Reconstruction Era (1861-1877)Specific Sub-Collection from Proquest's Black Freedom Collection.
- Library of Congress Exhibitions: The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship - Reconstruction and Its AftermathOnline exhibit with selected primary sources highlighting specific themes during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
- Library of Congress Exhibitions: The African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship - The Civil WarOnline exhibit with selected primary sources highlighting specific themes during the Civil War and Reconstruction.
- Library of Congress Digital Collections - The Civil WarLibrary of Congress site containing primary documents from various eras including Civil War.
- American Periodicals Series OnlineFull text of American popular and professional periodicals including over 1,000 titles in all, covering a wide range of subjects.
Suggested Databases
- Accessible ArchivesA collection of digitized full text replicas of magazines, newspapers, and books covering many aspects of American life during colonial times, Civil War, Emancipation, Reconstruction, and World War I; covers science, literature, medicine, agriculture, family life, slavery, military, and religion.
- Women and Social Movements in the US (Scholar's Edition)An archival collection, focusing on the history of women in social movements in the U.S. between 1600 and 2000, includes full-text documents, reviews of books and websites, notes from the archives, and teaching tools.
- Black Thought and CultureWritten by leaders within the black community, this database includes books, essays, articles, speeches, and interviews from authors such as Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois, Carter G. Woodson, Alain Locke, Mary McLeod Bethune, and Booker T. Washington.
- Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & LawFull text database focused on essential legal materials about all aspects of slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. It includes articles from magazines and scholarly journals, judicial cases, state and federal statutes, pamphlets, books, and web links to similar free sources. Sources cover primarily the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Help documentation available here.
