Investigating U.S. History

Finding and Focusing a Topic

The Library has a large number of subject specific online encyclopedias with short overview essays on most people and events in American history. These essays can be helpful in defining and focusing a topic. Entries generally include bibliographies which list important authors who have published on the subject. The Library has too many encyclopedias to list them all. To discover encyclopedias with essays on your topic, go to the catalog, select Articles & more, type keywords which describe your topic into the searchbox and select the format facet Reference on the results screen (see screenshot below) or browse selected encyclopedias on the History Subject Guide.

• Dictionary of American History
  #1 reference title on American history.
• American National Biography Online
  Biographical resource on more than 18,000 people from all eras who have influenced and shaped American history and culture. Each essay includes a recommended reading list and references to known unpublished and published primary sources.

Example:
A keyword search for slavery and Quakers in the "Dictionary of American History" brings up an essay on Antislavery. After a close reading of the essay you could decide to focus your topic on the role of women in the abolitionist movement or on Angelina Grimke. The bibliography of the essay leads to a number of relevant secondary sources. The essay also includes helpful leads to primary sources such as the titles of two famous antislavery newspapers. The Liberator is available online in the "American Periodicals Series" collection (see Finding Primary Sources). An author search for Angelina Grimke in "American Periodicals Series" leads to numerous articles written by her for the Liberator and other antislavery magazines. The "African American Studies Center" includes a biography of A. Grimke (it also includes a biography of Angelina Weld Grimke who was born much later) and so does the "American National Biography Online" (see Finding Primary Sources). The latter also includes references to published primary sources.

Finding Primary Sources

Here are some suggestions for locating primary sources in the Library's collection. Ask for advice and directions if you cannot find what you are looking for.

• Online catalog
  Find primary sources in the library's catalog with keywords such as correspondence, diaries, "personal narratives," speeches, documents and sources together with keywords that describe your topic. Consult the online Primary Source Research Guide for further details.
• American National Biography Online
  Biographical resource on more than 18,000 people from all eras who have influenced and shaped American history and culture. Each essay includes a recommended reading list and references to known unpublished and published primary sources.
• Historical New York Times, 1851 - present
  The complete archive of the New York Times. Includes classified ads, comics and cartoons, photos, maps, graphics, etc., editorials and commentary. Click on More Search Options to limit to cartoons, editorials, obituaries, and more.
• America's Historical Newspapers, 1690-1922
  A digital collection of early American newspapers from 1690 to 1922, that includes the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1860-1920.
• Pennsylvania Gazette, 1728-1800
• Virginia Gazette, 1736-1780
• African American Newspapers: The Nineteenth Century
• American Periodicals Series, 1740 - 1930
• Early American Imprints, 1639 - 1800
  37,000 books, pamphlets, and broadsides published in early America.
• Early American Imprints, 1801 - 1819
  36,000 books, pamphlets, and broadsides published in the early republic.
• Sabin Americana, 1500-1926
  Includes books, pamphlets, serials and other documents that provide original accounts of exploration, trade, colonialism, slavery and abolition, the western movement, Native Americans, military actions and much more.
• U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994
  Reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives from the 15th Congress through the 103rd Congress.
• The American State Papers, 1789-1838
  Legislative and executive documents of the first 14 U.S. Congresses.
• American Founding Era Collection
  Includes the papers of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,  John Adams and a documentary history of the ratification of the Constitution.
• Gerritsen Collection: Women's History Online, 1543 - 1945
• Civil War: Primary Documents on Events from 1860 to 1865
• Constitutional Debates on Freedom of Religion: A Documentary History
• Early Republic: Primary Documents on Events from 1799 to 1820
• American Decades: Primary Sources, 1900-1999
• Black Abolitionist Papers, 1830-1865
  The collected correspondence, speeches, sermons, lectures, editorials, society proceedings and poems of close to three hundred Black abolitionists including hand-written correspondence.
• African American Studies Center Online

Example:
An author search in the library's catalog for Angelina Grimke leads to published primary sources which include her diary, letters and political writings. American National Biography Online has a short biography of Angelina Grimke.

Finding Secondary Sources

• Online catalog
• WorldCat
  Books that are not owned by the Library can be found via WorldCat. WorldCat is an online catalog that includes the collections of most U.S. libraries as well as a large number of libraries abroad. Titles owned by Falvey Memorial Library are tagged, those not held by Falvey can be requested through interlibrary loan with the Borrow from another library link.
• America: History & Life
  Search the contents of academic journals, historical magazines and dissertations.
  The FindIt button links to the full text of the articles in the Library's collection as well as to an interlibrary loan form.

Example:
A subject search in the library's catalog will discover books about Angelina Grimke in the library's collection.

A subject search in America: History & Life for Angelina Grimke will lead to scholarly journal articles about aspects of Grimke's life such as

Foletta, Marshall. "Angelina Grimké: Asceticism, Millenarianism, and Reform." New England Quarterly 80, no. 2 (June 2007): 179-217.

and critical reviews of her published diary such as

Jabour, Anya, and Jean R. Soderlund. "Walking by Faith: The Diary of Angelina Grimké, 1828-1835." Journal of the Early Republic 24, no. 4 (Winter 2004): 715-717.

Annotation Helpers

Place events in American history in context with the help of chronicles:

• The Timetables of History
  Available in print only: D11.G78 1991 (2nd floor, Falvey)
• This Day in American History
  Available in print only: E174.5 .G76 2001 (2nd floor, Falvey)
• An American Chronology
  Available in print only: E169.1 .B758 2000 (2nd floor, Falvey)
• The Peopling of America: A Timeline of Events That Helped Shape Our Nation
  Available in print only: E184.A1K84 1994b (2nd floor, Falvey)
• My Soul is a Witness: A Chronology of the Civil Rights Era in the United States
  Available in print only: E185.61 .C697 2000 (3rd floor, Falvey)

Determine the origin, meaning and changing usage of words with the help of these resources:

• Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology
• Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style
• Oxford Dictionary of World Origins
• Oxford English Dictionary

Find the sources of quotations used in your primary texts with the help of these resources:

• Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
• Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
• Oxford Dictionary of American Quotations

Make an appointment to meet with Jutta

I am happy to meet with you at any time, in person, by phone, or virtually via our chat service.

You can also email me directly.

Name: *
Email address: *
Describe your assignment:
Prefered date to meet with me (day and time):
How would you like to meet?	In my office in Falvey Library  By phone  Online via chat
Please type the letters and numbers shown in the image.
	Click the image to see another captcha.