History Subject Resource Guide

Use DISCOVERY to locate primary source materials.  Click on the Books/eBooks tab to start.

Use the following databases to locate primary materials

Reveal Digital offers six collections of open-access primary source materials from libraries, museums, historical societies and individual collectors. 

• American Prison Newspapers
• Behind the Scenes of the Civil Rights Movements
• Black Periodicals: From the Great Migration Through Black Power
• HIV, AIDS & the Arts
• Independent Voices
• Student Activism

You might want to visit libraries which have collections of manuscripts, papers, organizational records, ephemera or other unpublished materials relating to the people, organizations and agencies involved in the events.  These are often original, one-of-a-kind materials.  Click on the link above for Hofstra University's Special Collections department.

Publications generated by a government body, public records, reports and statistics such as census records, laws, Supreme Court decisions and treaties are excellent sources of primary materials.  The John W. Wydler Government Information Depository of Hofstra University is a virtual depository designated by the U.S. Federal government.  Click the link above for information about the depository, guidance for using the collection, and contact information for additional help.

Please note:  Congressional Publications also provides access to many Congressional Research Service Reports (CRS).  These reports are published to provide non-partisan research to U.S. congress.  The reports are authored by experts and cover many topics.  They are especially useful to students.  

You can also find CRS reports here.

Salem Press Reference Shelf includes selected editions from the Defining Documents in American History series, Defining Documents in World History series, and Milestone Documents series.