Primary Sources - U.S. History

(Original Documents, Photos, Etc.)

Abraham Lincoln Papers

memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/malhome.html  

Items in the Abraham Lincoln Papers date from 1833 through 1916. Treasures include Lincoln's draft of the Emancipation Proclamation, his March 4, 1865, draft of his second Inaugural Address, and his August 23, 1864, memorandum expressing his expectation of being defeated for re-election in the upcoming presidential contest.  The bulk of the Lincoln Papers consists of letters written to Lincoln by a wide variety of correspondents: friends, and legal and political associates from Lincoln's Springfield, Illinois, days; national and regional political figures and reformers; and local people and organizations writing to their president.

American Memory Historical Collections

memory.loc.gov

The spectacular American Memory, created by the Library of Congress, provides access to a portion of the Library's holdings in American History. Included are unique documents, moving pictures, sounds and photographs. These digitized items are grouped into 60 collections, from "African-American Odyssey" to "Votes for Women." Together the collections contain over one million items online.

Core Documents of US Democracy

www.gpoaccess.gov/coredocs.html

With this very straightforward site, the Government Printing Office provides access to the essential texts which have shaped, and continue to shape, our democracy. These texts range from the Articles of Confederation and the Gettysburg Address to the United States Code.

Perry Castañeda Library Map Collection

www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/histus.html

Finely reproduced maps showing early inhabitants, exploration and settlement, and territorial growth of the US form the core of this interesting site.

Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States of America

www.bartleby.com/124

This site is the online version of a printed Senate document bearing the same title. The site consists of links to the inaugural addresses of all the US presidents. Accompanying most addresses is a presidential portrait or photograph. As an added feature, Bill Clinton's second inaugural address is available in audio or visual format, as well as in text. A list of non-inaugurated presidents gives brief descriptions of the circumstances in which these men ascended to the role of Chief Executive.

Making of America

quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moagrp

Making of America provides in-depth documentation of the period spanning the antebellum years through reconstruction. The site features approximately 1,600 books and 50,000 journal articles dating from this eventful period. Illustrations accompany many of the items.

New Deal Network

newdeal.feri.org

This multi-faceted site evokes the entire New Deal era via texts and photographs. Teachers will appreciate the suggested lesson plans and Web projects.

Psychedelic '60s

www.lib.virginia.edu/small/exhibits/sixties/index.html

This vibrant, polychromatic site from the University of Virginia touches on many aspects of the 60's, including protest, drugs and rock-and-roll. Information on nineteenth and twentieth century precursors to the hippie movement enhances the site's historical value. While much of the text appearing in Psychedelic '60s is not primary material, the numerous photographs and illustrations are.

Red Scare (1918 - 1921)

newman.baruch.cuny.edu/DIGITAL/redscare/ABOUT_RS.HTM

Red Scare is a database of images which capture societal upheaval in the US during the years immediately following World War I. These images depict not only "Reds" and "Anarchists," but the broad social conditions from which virulent anti-red sentiment sprang. Images are arranged both by subject and chronologically.

Secession Era Editorials Project

history.furman.edu/editorials/see.py

A fair number of important nineteenth century documents are available thanks to this project. The Civil War inevitably forms the focus of many of these documents, although pre and post-War texts appear as well.

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