Databasese - Primary Sources - History - Guides at Milner Library, Illinois State University

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This page lists the Milner databases that collect information relevant to History. Use these databases to find articles on particular research topics. If you need help using any of these databases, click How To page or reach out to me.

Primary Source Databases

Accessible Archives
A 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.
Included in the collection is:
- African American Newspapers
- America and World War I
- American County Histories
- American Military Camp Newspapers
- Frank Leslies Illustrated Weekly
- Godeys Ladys Book
- National Anti-Slavery Standard
- Reconstruction of Southern States: Pamphlets
- Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman
- South Carolina Newspapers (1732-1780)
- The Civil War Collection
- The Liberator (1831-1865)
- The Pennsylvania Gazette (1728-1800)
- The Pennsylvania Genealogical Catalogue
- The Pennsylvania Newspaper Record
- The Virginia Gazette
- Twelve Years A Slave
- Virginia Gazette (1736 1780)
- Womens Suffrage Collection/Series
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 1
A collection of digitized full text replicas of magazines, newspapers, and journals from the late seventeenth century through the early nineteenth century covering all aspects of American society.

Includes over 500 titles from 1691 through 1820. Series 1 is first of the five series created from periodical holdings from the American Antiquarian Society.
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 2
A collection of digitized full text replicas of magazines, newspapers, and journals from the early nineteenth century (the Jacksonian Democracy era, 1821-1837) covering agriculture, entertainment, history, literary criticism, and politics.

Includes over 1000 titles dating from 1821 through 1837. Series 2 is second of the five series created from periodical holdings from the American Antiquarian Society.
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 3
A collection of digitized full text replicas of magazines, newspapers, and journals from 1838-1852 covering every facet of American life, including science, literature, medicine, agriculture, womens fashion, family life, and religion.

Includes over 1,800 titles dating from 1838 through 1852. Series 3 is the third of five series created from periodical holdings of the American Antiquarian Society. The themes reveal a rapidly growing young nation, where industrialization, the railroads, regional political differences, and life on the western frontier were daily realities.
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 4
A collection of digitized full text replicas of magazines, newspapers, and journals from 1853-1865 covering the Civil War, science, literature, medicine, agriculture, womens fashion, family life, and religion.

Includes over 1,100 titles dating from 1853 through 1865. Series 4 is the fourth of five series created from periodical holdings from the American Antiquarian Society. The Civil War is a focal point of the collection including American daily life leading up to and during the war and news from the battlefront.
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 5
A collection of digitized full text replicas of magazines, newspapers, and journals from 1866-1877 covering every facet of American life, including science, literature, medicine, agriculture, womens fashion, family life, and religion.

Includes over 2,500 titles dating from 1866 through 1877. Series 5 is the fifth of five series created from periodical holdings of the American Antiquarian Society. The themes presented reflect a nation that persevered through a most difficult set of circumstances: a bloody civil war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives; the incorporation of the recently-freed African Americans into American life; a population that rapidly expanded into the Western territories.
American Broadsides and Ephemera
Searchable image database of rare printed items from 1749 to 1900 including historical menus, invitations, advertisements, broadsides, trade cards, and theater, music, and traveling entertainment (including circus) programs.

The diverse subjects of these broadsides range from contemporary accounts of the Civil War, unusual occurrences and natural disasters to official government proclamations, tax bills and town meeting reports. Features many rare items, the pieces of ephemera include clipper ship sailing cards, early trade cards, bill heads, theater, music and traveling entertainment (including circus) programs, stock certificates, menus and invitations documenting civic, political and private celebrations.
American Memory Project
Database of digitized images, sound recordings, movies, and manuscripts representing American history, life, and culture.
American Slavery Collection, 1820-1922
Explores slavery and abolition in the United States through 3,500+ printed works, including books, pamphlets, graphic materials, and ephemera.
Early American Imprints, Series 1: Supplement from the American Antiquarian Society
Collection provides digitized, searchable primary source documents related to early American history leading up to the Lincoln period.
Early American Imprints, Series 1: Supplement from the Library Company of Philadelphia
Collection provides digitized, searchable primary source documents related to early American history leading up to the Lincoln period.
Early American Imprints, Series 2: Supplement from the Library Company of Philadelphia
Collection provides digitized, searchable primary source documents related to early American history leading up to the Lincoln period.
Early English Books Online (EEBO)
Full text database of historic English publications from the first book published in English through the age of Shakespeare.

Provides access to more than 125,000 titles including the full text of titles listed in Pollard & Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640) and Wing's Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700) and their revised editions, as well as the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661) collection and the Early English Books Tract Supplement.
European Colonialism in the Early 20th Century: French Colonialism in Africa: From Algeria to Madagascar, 1910-1930
Collection of correspondence, studies and reports, cables, maps, and other kinds of documents related to U.S. consular activities. U.S. Consulates were listening posts reporting on the activities of the French colonial government and the activities of the native peoples. Highlights include the beginning of an anti-colonial movement and problems along the Moroccan-Algerian border.
Evangelism in China: Correspondence of the Board of Foreign Mission, 1837-1911
Records of the Board of Foreign Missions (BFM) of the Presbyterian church provide valuable information on social conditions in developing Third World nations and on efforts to spread the gospel during the nineteenth century.
Evangelism in Japan: Correspondence of the Board of Foreign Mission, 1859 to 1911
The records of the Board of Foreign Missions (BFM) of the Presbyterian church provide valuable information on social conditions in Japan and on efforts to spread the gospel during the nineteenth century. Documenting the church's educational, evangelical, and medical work, these are records mainly of incoming correspondence from the mission field and outgoing correspondence from the Board headquarters.
Historic Documents
Online version of the print source. Each annual volume highlights the most significant events of the year and includes speeches from leaders and opinion makers, international agreements, Supreme Court decisions, U.S. government reports & legislation, court cases, scientific findings, and cultural discussions.

Includes documents from 1972 to present.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online: Women and Transnational Networks
A database of full text primary source documents such as serials, books, manuscripts, diaries, reports, and multi-medium visuals. The focus is on issues that intersect gender and class from the late-eighteenth century to the era of suffrage in the early-twentieth century.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law
Full 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.
The American Indian Movement and Native American Radicalism
Digital collections of historical documents from 1968-1979 including FBI files on the evolution of AIM as an organization of social protest and the development of Native American radicalism.
North American Indian Thought and Culture
Full text biographies, autobiographies, oral histories, reference works, manuscripts, and photographs of the life stories of Native Americans and Canadian First Peoples.
The American Indian Movement and Native American Radicalism
Digital collections of historical documents from 1968-1979 including FBI files on the evolution of AIM as an organization of social protest and the development of Native American radicalism.
Voyages: The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
Full text database focused on the trans-Atlantic slave trade between 1514 and 1866. Primary source materials include original documents, historical publications, and digital images.
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.

Archive Locator:

ArchiveGrid
Online catalog with records describing archival materials such as historical documents, personal papers, and family histories representing collections from libraries, archives, museums, and other organizations around the world.

Historical Statistics

Historical Statistics of the United States

Search for statistics from over 1000 sources covering topics such as health, crime, slavery, American Indians, economic sectors, and poverty. Also available in print: Floor 4 Federal Documents Shelves, C 3.134/2:H 62x/.
International Historical Statistics
Reference ebook that provides economic and social statistical data from the past 260 years.

History

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Primary Source Databases

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Historical Statistics

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