Research Guides: HIST492: Nature & the Natural in Early America 1492-1876: Finding Online Primary Sources

Primary Source Databases via CSU Libraries

Archival Collections

Click here to link to the Libraries' A-Z Database list that contains 90+databases for historical and primary resources.Select resources available to this class include:

Archives Unbound
Coverage: Varies Collections of interest include Overland Journeys: Travels in the West, 1800-1880
Adam Matthew Explorer This link opens in a new window
Adam Matthew publishes unique primary source collections from archives around the world. There are also collections on American History 1493-1945, Indigenous Newspapers in North America, and the American West that may be useful.

Alexander Street Press Primary Source Collections

Early American Imprints: Evans 1639-1800
Coverage: 1639-1800
Sponsored By: Irene Bostrom Endowment in the CSU College of Liberal Arts and Wentworth Funds
Books, pamphlets, broadsides and other imprints listed in the renowned bibliography by Charles Evans.
Early American Newspapers
Coverage: 1823-1860
AAS Historical Periodicals Collection. Series 1
Coverage: 1684-1820
Provides digital access to a comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1684 and 1820. Subject coverage includes advertising, health, women's issues, science, the history of slavery, industry, and professions, religious issues, culture, the arts, and more.
AAS Historical Periodicals Collection. Series 2
Coverage: 1821-1837
Provides digital access to a comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1821 and 1837. Subject coverage includes advertising, health, women's issues, science, the history of slavery, industry, and professions, religious issues, culture, the arts, and more.
AAS Historical Periodicals Collection. Series 3
Coverage: 1838-1852
Provides digital access to a comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1838 and 1852. Subject coverage includes advertising, health, women's issues, science, the history of slavery, industry, professions, religious issues, culture, the arts, and more.
AAS Historical Periodicals Collection. Series 4
Coverage: 1853-1865
Provides digital access to a comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1853 and 1865. Subject coverage includes advertising, health, women's issues, science, the history of slavery, industry, professions, religious issues, culture, the arts, and more.
AAS Historical Periodicals Collection. Series 5
Coverage: 1866-1877
Provides digital access to a comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1866 and 1912 Subject coverage includes advertising, health, women's issues, science, the history of slavery, industry, professions, religious issues, culture, the arts, and more.
Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection: Series 1
Coverage: Colonial to 1960 (with occasional later items)
U.S. Hispanic history, literature and culture from colonial times until 1960. Focuses on the creative life of U.S. Latinos and Hispanics. Content is written, indexed and searchable in Spanish and English.
Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection: Series 2
Coverage: 18th century to 1970s (with occasional later items)
U.S. Hispanic history, literature and culture from colonial times until 1960. Focuses on Hispanic American civil rights, religion and women’s rights from the 18th through the 20th century. Content is written, indexed and searchable in Spanish and English.

Search Engines

Search engines can be useful for locating specific primary source documents. If you use Google, enter the names of specific documents in quotation marks.

"Works Progress Administration"
"New Deal"

For broader searches, add primary source keyword terms, such as documents, primary sources, or papers to your search.

"Great Depression" "primary sources"
"Franklin D. Roosevelt" "speeches"

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