Skip to Main Content

History, United States

This guide will help you discover resources useful for researching American history, from prehistory to the recent past.

Articles

Search the University Libraries' databases for articles about your topic. The databases listed on this page were chosen because they contain articles from American History journals, including scholarly sources. This page also features tips on finding American History journals in the print collection. 

Encyclopedias, etc.

Reference resources like encyclopedias and dictionaries are excellent sources of background information and quick answers. They are particularly helpful when you are researching an unfamiliar topic. The University Libraries own a number of print and online encyclopedias about U.S. History.

Books

Search for books about U.S. History. Books are helpful as sources of in-depth information on specific topics, as well as overviews of broader topics. OneSearch will help you find books within the University Libraries. WorldCat will help you find and request books from other libraries - free of charge!

Primary Sources

This page will help you find firsthand accounts of historical persons and events in the forms of diaries, letters, and personal papers; contemporary news coverage such as historical newspaper and magazine articles; and historical documents. 

African-American History

This page lists resources about African-American History. The resources include journal, newspaper, and legal databases, books, encyclopedias, and primary sources available at the University Libraries, and reliable sources chosen from the Internet. Many of the libraries' resources on this topic are available online. 

The Civil War

This page lists resources useful for researching the U.S. Civil War. The resources include journal and newspaper databases, books, encyclopedias, and primary and archival sources available at the University Libraries, as well as reliable sources chosen from the Internet. Many of the libraries' resources on this topic are available online. 

Native American History

This page lists resources useful for researching the history of Native Americans. The resources include article database, books, encyclopedias, and primary sources available at the University Libraries, as well as reliable sources chosen from the Internet. Many of the libraries' resources on this topic are available online. 

The World Wars and the Great Depression

This page lists resources useful for researching World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II. The resources include article database, books, encyclopedias, and primary sources available at the University Libraries, as well as reliable sources chosen from the Internet. Many of the libraries' resources on this topic are available online. 

Related Subject Guides

The University Libraries maintain subject guides on a number of subjects related to American History, including world and local history, political science, and classical studies. Depending on your topic, you might find useful resources on these guides as well. 

OneSearch

​OneSearch is a good place to begin searching for sources on an unfamiliar topic. Simultaneously search books, e-books, articles and journals from multiple databases, encyclopedias, and other digital collections. OneSearch can also be helpful if you have had trouble finding sources elsewhere.