United States History Sources
TIP:
Press
Ctrl/f and
enter a root word, word, or phrase in the
Find what: box and
click on Find Next to
search for a topic on this page. For example, type histor to search for history, historical, histories.
General Bibliography
The American
South: A Historical Bibliography, v. 1-2
This is a bibliography of periodical literature covering topics from colonial
times through the post-World War II period. These volumes are a part of
the excellent Clio Bibliography Series.
Civil
War Books: A Critical Bibliography, v. 1-2
This is a bibliography of monographic works and pamphlets on the
Civil War. The basic outline of the bibliography follows The Civil
War and Reconstruction, a standard work in the field, by James G.
Randall and David Donald.
Compendium
of the Confederacy: An Annotated Bibliography, v. 1-2
A bibliography of books, pamphlets, and periodicals about the Confederacy
is provided. Material is listed alphabetically by author, so there is
no subject index. This book was compiled primarily from book dealers catalogs.
Many of the serials entries are not indexed elsewhere.
A Guide
to the Study of The United States of America: Representative Books Reflecting
the Development of American Life and Thought
This guide was compiled by the Reference Department of the Library
of Congress. Many facets of the American experience are found here including
literature, history, travel, society, technology, entertainment, recreation,
education, religion, folklore, music, art, agriculture, economic life,
law, government, politics, and libraries.
Harvard
Guide to American History, v. 1-2
This resource is divided by topics in volume one and chronologically in
volume two. It is to be used as a finding aid to newspapers, magazines,
government documents, archives, manuscript collections, and books. This
book, like the one listed above, covers a broad spectrum of American life.
The Reader's
Guide to American History
This book includes essays and bibliographies about events,
individuals, and issues that shaped American history.
United
States History: A Selective Guide to Information Sources
This work covers selected library resources, bibliographic resources,
information sources, and biographical sources. Included are electronic
resources as well as print sources for United States history up to the
end of the Vietnam War.
Writings
on American History; A Subject Bibliography of Articles, v. 1-4
These works are compiled through the efforts of the American Historical
Association. Volume one is a chronological listing of resources. Volume
two is a listing by geography within the United States. Volumes three
and four are subject listings. 33,000 citations from 510 journals are
represented for journal literature written during 1962-73.
Return to Top
Biography
Link to the Biographical
Research Guide
Missouri Census Sources
Selected census
publications are available at Owens Library for the dates listed in the
formats indicated:
Memorial and
Resolutions of the Legislature of the Missouri Territory and a Copy of
the Census of the Fall of 1817, Amounting 19,218 Males
Fifth Census
of the United States, 1830, Population Schedules, Missouri
Population
Schedules of the Sixth Census of the United States, 1840 Microform:
Missouri
Population
Schedules of the Seventh Census of the United States, 1850: Missouri
Census of
Population (1860). Missouri
Population
Schedules of the Ninth Census of the United States, 1870. Missouri
Population
Schedules of the Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. Missouri
Eleventh Census
of the United States, 1890. Missouri Schedules Enumerating Union Veterans
and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Population
Schedules of the Twelfth census of the United States, 1900: Missouri
Thirteenth
Census of the United States, 1910: Population: Missouri: Marion, Polk,
Nodaway, Osage and Pemiscot Counties Microform
14th Census
of Population, 1920. Missouri
United States Census (includes Missouri)
The
following sources are available on Third Floor
Compendium
of the Enumeration of the Inhabitants and Statistics of the United States
"Sixth Census Compendium of Enumeration- 1840," is available
in the FOLIO section.
Sixth Census
or Enumeration of the Inhabitants of the United States as Corrected
at the Department of State in 1840
Thirteenth
Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1910
Fifteenth
Census of the United States: 1930
This collection includes the Abstract of the Fifteenth Census of
the United States and separate sections including those on various topics:
Agriculture
Population
Unemployment
Sixteenth
Census of the United States: 1940
Census of
Housing: 1950 (Taken as Part of the Seventeenth Decennial Census of
the United States
The Eighteenth
Decennial Census of the United States. Census of Population: 1960
1970 Census
of Population
These
sources are available on First Floor in the GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS area.
1980 Census
of Population
Social and Economic Profile of the United States, 1992
Return to Top
Dictionaries, Encyclopedias and Guides
American
Revolution 1775-1783: An Encyclopedia, v. 1-2
This encyclopedia focuses on the "...military and naval development for
the 1775-1783 era in American history". Political and diplomatic topics
are covered as are biographies and effects of the war on society.
Dictionary
of American History, v. 1-8
This is considered by many historians to be the best work of its kind.
It covers prehistory to the present in all aspects of American history.
Included in this latest edition are expanded coverage of science and technology,
history of the arts, native American Indians, and Afro-Americans. "The
Index of the revised edition of the Dictionary is not simply a
listing of proper names, but a thorough analytical listing of every item
of information in the Dictionary under all its possible headings."
Encyclopedia of American Social History, v. 1-3
This encyclopedia is divided into several units
covering these topics: distinct periods in the development of American
society; theoretical and methodological issues in the study of social
history; construction of social identity; large-scale forces that have
shaped American society such as industrialization, urbanization and the
market revolution; patterns of everyday life such as food, clothing, and
housing; work and labor and its effect on leisure; effect of the life
cycle with stress on aging and gender; the impact of science and technology
on society; and the impact of education on culture
Encyclopedia of Civil Rights in America, v. 1-3
"This three volume encyclopedia surveys the history, meaning,
and application of civil rights issues in the United States." Civil rights
is defined in a broad way as "...all rights that people have in relation
to government." There are 683 essays and appendixes which give a table
of court cases, a chronology, and a bibliography.
Encyclopedia of Colonial and Revolutionary America
This is designed to be a quick reference guide to topics dealing
with colonial and revolutionary America. Handy features are the topic
guides that accompany most large subject areas and bibliographies at the
end of many entries which are helpful in broadening or focusing research.
Encyclopedia of Southern History
This resource has defined the South as "...Encompassing the District of
Columbia and those states that accepted the practice of slavery in 1860"
. Each of these sixteen states have individual articles showing the diversity
among the Southern states. Many articles include bibliographies and entries
have many maps and tables.
Encyclopedia of the American Constitution, v. 1-4 and supplement
This resource approaches the study of the United States Constitution in
a multidisciplinary way. It is a legal document, a framework for building
a nation, and an institution. This work covers not only the constitution
itself but court decisions which have interpreted it for over 200 years.
"The subjects fall into five general categories: doctrinal concepts of
constitutional law (about fifty-five percent of the total words); people
(about fifteen percent); judicial decisions, mostly from the Supreme Court
of the United States (about fifteen percent); public acts, such as statutes,
treaties, and executive orders (about five percent); and historical periods
(about ten percent). Primary documents are included in the appendixes."
Encyclopedia of the American Judicial System v. 1-3
It includes several topics of interest to historians including legal history
from colonial law to civil liberties of the present. The last volume contains
a historiography of the American legal system.
Encyclopedia of the American Presidency, v. 1-4
Included in this multi-volume set is both biographical information
about the presidents, vice-presidents, selected first-ladies and selected
other officials close to the presidency. In addition, subjects covered
are powers and prerogatives of the office; multiple roles of the President;
scandals and impeachment; the relationship of the President to Congress
and the judiciary; and foreign affairs and public policies.
Encyclopedia of the Confederacy, v. 1-4
This is very broad in scope. It includes accounts of campaigns; biographical
sketches of leaders; origins of the Confederacy; features of the Confederate
government and economy; and social and cultural qualities of the South.
Look here for treatment of some nontraditional topics such as the treatment
of ethnic minorities who were not slaves or the place of education and
religion in the Confederacy.
Encyclopedia of the Democratic Party/The Encyclopedia of the Republican
Party, v. 1-4
This set covers issues and ideology; biographies of major candidates;
conventions; platforms, and elections of each of these two major political
parties from 1832 to the present.
Encyclopedia of the United States Congress, v. 1-4
This resource states it's "...Objective is to be the definitive
reference work on the history and character of the United States Congress.
Many of these articles describe and explain major elements of Congress
as an institution; its constitutional powers, rules and procedures, committee
system (including the history and jurisdiction of every standing committee),
budget process, political parties, work load, and staffing." Eight essays
are on the historical development of Congress. Bibliographies are at the
end of most articles.
Encyclopedia of US Foreign Relations, v. 1-4
This set is divided into eight historical periods beginning with
1776 to the present centered around five core United States goals of survival
and independence; territorial integrity and expansion; military security;
economic security; and democratic values and ideals. Many articles have
bibliographies.
Guide
to the US Supreme Court, v. 1-2
This resource chronicles the development and significance of the United
States Supreme Court from its inception in 1790 to 1996. Detailed are
the court's influence on the federal system and the individual. Volume
two includes a biography of each of the justices.
Oxford
History of the American West
This book goes beyond the stereotype of the American West to explore
the historical significance of the West from before the White man arrived
to the 1950s.
Return to Top
Foreign Policy Sources
American
Foreign Policy, A Documentary Survey, 1776-1960
This source includes excerpts from primary source materials regarding
major foreign policy issues.
American
Foreign Policy Current Documents
Owens Library has 1981 to the present. This is an annual, one-volume
compilation of principal, official papers which are selected to indicate
the scope, goals, and implementation of the foreign policy of the United
States.
Chronological History of United States Foreign Relations, 1776 to
January 20, 1981
These volumes provide an overview US foreign relations policies in date
order.
Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy: Studies of the Principal
Movements & Ideas
This three volume set is a selection of essays by scholars covering themes,
concepts, and ideas in the history of American foreign policy. Topics
include the Cold War, the Domino Theory, Isolationism and the Truman Doctrine.
Each essay has a bibliography.
Foreign
Relations of the United States
This source documents major foreign policy decisions and diplomatic activity
of the United States government from the year 1899 to the present.
US Department
of State Dispatch
This is an excellent source for research concerning American foreign policy.
Our holdings begin in 1990 and are shelved on second floor as indicated
below:
1990
to the present on microfiche
Return to Top
Indexes to Periodical Literature
America:
History and Life
This collection
includes article abstracts and bibliographical citations of reviews and
dissertations on the history and culture of the United States and Canada
from prehistoric times to the present. Owens Library has this title in
print from 1964 to 1996 in the Reference Collection on first floor under
the call number Ref.
016.917 A51a.
Historical
Abstracts
Online
This source indexes historical periodical articles, books and dissertations
concerning the world with the exception of the United States and Canada.
It covers information written about events from 1450 to the present. Owens
Library has this title in print from 1955 to 1970 with the call number
Ref. 016.9 H67h
JSTOR
"The JSTOR database is unique because the complete archives
of core scholarly journals have been digitized, starting with the very
first issues, many of which date from the 1800s. New titles and fields
are being added regularly." Many issues start in the 1800's and continue
to 2-5 years before the currently published year
New York
Times Index
The index is available for the years 1851 to the present on the
North Wall of first floor of Owens Library.
Nineteenth
Century Readers' Guide [1890-1899]
This resource is available on the North Wall of first floor of Owens
Library.
Poole's
Index to Periodical Literature [1815-1899]
This resource is available on the North Wall of first floor of Owens
Library.
Readers'
Guide Retrospective
This database indexes articles from 1890 to the present.
Readers'
Guide to Periodical Literature
This resource is available for the years 1900 to the present
on the North Wall of first floor of Owens Library.
Return to Top
Periodical Sources
American
Periodical Series, Eighteenth Century: The American Magazine
Using the library catalog, search for the title "american periodical
series" to view a list of periodical titles included in this collection.
Liberator
This periodical was published from 1831-1865, and covers the topic
of slavery.
Missouri
Historical Review
This is a periodical which is available from 1906 to the present.
Shelved with the periodical are indexes for volumes 1 through 25 and volume
41 to the present time.
Niles'
National Register
This weekly newspaper was founded and edited for 25 years by Hezekiah
Niles. It contains information about politics, history, geography, science,
statistics, and economics. Other materials included are biographical documents,
essays, notices of the arts and manufactures, and a record of the events
of the times. Owens Library owns this publication for the years 1811-1842.
Return to Top
Primary Sources
American
Culture Series
This series is particularly strong in the exploration of America. A title
search in the Online Catalog under "American culture series" will retrieve
a list of individual titles in the series.
American
Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of Published American Diaries and Journals
to 1980
This two volume set is an annotated bibliography of more than 5,000
diaries and journals and includes subject, geographic and name indexes.
Cornell
University Collection of Women's Rights Pamphlets on Microfiche
This collection consists of 117 pamphlets published between 1814 and
1912. The Contents Guide to this collection is shelved in the Reference
Collection under the same call number.
Diplomatic
Correspondence of the Unites States: Canadian relations, 1784-1860
Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States: Inter-American Affairs
1831-1860
These two volumes include reproductions of primary documents from
American diplomatic history. Separate volumes, covering unique geographic
areas or time periods, are separately indexed.
Documents
of American History
This is a source of the primary text of selected documents.
Economic
Report of the President Transmitted to the Congress
The President's Economic Report to Congress; the Annual Report of
the Council of Economic Advisors; and statistical tables relating to income,
employment, and production are included in this volume. It reviews economic
development for the past year and details the economic outlook for the
coming year. It has been published annually since 1964.
Founding
Fathers and the American Revolution
A "Contents Guide" for this collection is shelved on top of the Bookfiche
Cabinets and is also available on fiche with the collection. This publication
includes fiche copies of collections of letters, manuscripts and documents
from the Revolutionary War. Biographical documents for historical figures
from the Revolutionary Period, records of the US Congress from 1775-1784,
US Army records from 1775-1783, and documents from the Connecticut Militia
are also parts of the collection.
Intercepted
Japanese Messages: Operation Magic
A background reel is included in the collection. The guide to the
collection is available on third floor. The information included was gathered
between 1942 and 1945.
Library
of American Civilization (LAC)
This collection of materials, on microfiche, relates to all
aspects of American life and literature from its beginning to the outbreak
of World War I. Included are pamphlets, periodicals, documents (both
public and private), biographies and autobiographies, fictional works,
poetry, collections of various kinds, materials of foreign origin relating
to America, and many rare books not generally available. The indexes
to this collection are on top of the Bookfiche Cabinets on Second Floor
of Owens Library. Ask in the Archives Office, near the Second Floor Periodicals
Collection, for the special lens to use when reading this microfilm.
Old South
Leaflets
This source provides a history of the South through primary documents
from Southern history. There is no index available for this set. A table
of contents is provided at the beginning of each volume.
Oral
History Project: Columbia University Collection
This source documents interviews and remembrance's of individuals
in United States history.
Public
Papers of the President
They were published by the federal government from 1957 to the present
and cover all of the presidents beginning with Eisenhower's fifth year
in office. Volumes covering the early years of the Eisenhower administration
and the presidencies of Harry Truman and Herbert Hoover were published
later. Using the Library Catalog, do a title search for public papers
of the presidents of the united states to find the call numbers needed.
Papers for Franklin D. Roosevelt and earlier Presidents were published
commercially and may be located in the Library Catalog under the last
name of the President.
Revolutionary Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States
Swan
Land and Cattle Company
This collection of 15 microfilm reels was issued as part of the Library
of Congress's Western Range Cattle Industry Study.
Thomas
Penn Papers at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1729-1832, v. 1-10
War of
the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and
Confederate Armies
A general index volume provides subject and name access. Also included
are a special military index, a synopsis of the contents of the four series
included in the set, and a table showing the locations of documents about
monthly operations.
Return to Top
Records of Congress
Records
of the proceedings of Congress had little significance in the early days
of the republic. Thomas Lloyd first published a commercial record from
1789 to 1873, called The Congressional Register. This was not a
complete record and had errors and biases. From 1789 to 1978 the Senate
and the House kept journals (House Journal and Senate Journal)
which were issued annually, but these do not record transcriptions of
debates or hearings held in Congress. The first formal effort to record
the activities and debates was done by Joseph Gales and William Seaton
in the Annals of Congress which were published from 1789-1824.
These were compiled by using news reports and included only summaries
of many speeches. From 1824-1837, the Register of Debates, was
published. This was not a verbatim account of the debates and members
of Congress could alter the speeches before they were published. The Congressional
Globe became a more accurate and complete account of the proceedings
of Congress and was published from 1833-1873. To this point all records
of proceedings were commercial ventures. In 1873, the Congressional
Record was born and continues today. It is published daily by the
government printing office with a permanent bound edition available on
a regular basis. For more information on the proceedings of Congress,
see Introduction to United States Government Information Sources (available
in the Reference collection on First floor - Ref 015.73 M83i, 1999).
Register
of Debates
This resource is available for the years 1873-1893 and 1975-1988.
Congressional Globe Containing Sketches of the Debates and Proceedings
of the ... Congress
This is available on microfilm for the years 1833-1873.
Congressional Record: Proceedings and Debates of the...Congress
This resource is available in several formats in various locations throughout
the library as described below:
1993-current
Journal
of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, 1861-1865
A "General Index", included on volume 7 (pp. 847-966), directs the user
to specific volumes. Use the index to each volume to locate exact page
numbers for entries.
Return to Top
Statistics
County
Business Patterns
This selection
is available in the current edition and from 1968 to the present.
Historical
Statistics of the South, 1790-1970: A Compilation of State-level Census
Statistics for the Sixteen States...
This publication compiles state-level census statistics.
Historical
Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970
This is an excellent source of historical data. It includes labor
statistics, prices and price indexes, national income and wealth, consumer
income and expenditures, as well as population and social statistics.
Historical
Statistics of the States of the United States: Two Centuries of the Census,
1790-1990
This is a "census-focused compilation of state-level population, agriculture,
and manufacturing data." It also includes populations of the largest 1990
cities from 1790-1990.
Population
Information in Nineteenth Century Census Volumes
Population Information in Twentieth Century Census Volumes, 1900-1940
Population Information in Twentieth Century Census Volumes, 1950-1980
These volumes index population information from censuses by subject.
Statistical
Abstract of the United States
This resource is the best single-stop reference source for statistics.
The latest edition is located in the Reference section. Previous editions,
back to 1924, are in the main collection on third floor. Tables on labor
force employment and earnings, income, expenditures, price indexes,
inflation, business activity, manufacturing, etc. are included. A note
at the bottom of each table lists the source which might be useful for
finding related or more detailed statistics on your topic.
Return to Top
All quoted material
is from the respective source.
Return to Course/Subject Resources
