Written primary sources are first-hand accounts from people who witnessed or were involved in the events being described. They include letters or reports written by the people involved, official documents, or photographs of the events. They also include memoirs written later.
An invaluable collection of historical works which contributed to the formation of American politics, culture, and ideals. Many links to the full-text of influential classical, medieval, and 15th – 18th century sources.
Hosted by the Library of Congress, this site features full-text of public domain newspapers from California, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Utah, Virginia, and the District of Columbia published between 1900 and 1910.
American Memory provide access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
The Veterans History Project of the American Folklife Center collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war veterans so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. The Project collects first-hand accounts of U.S. Veterans from the following wars:
World War I (1914-1920) World War II (1939-1946) Korean War (1950-1955) Vietnam War (1961-1975) Persian Gulf War (1990-1995) Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts (2001-present)
Contains a wealth of Civil War related material including Photos, Images, Battles, Documents, Southern Historical Papers, Troops Furnished, Death Stats, Associations, Letters & Diaries, Census of 1860, and Maps.
Electronic versions of map images charting over 400 years of the development of Illinois and the Northwest Territory. The project is a collaborative effort of the University of IL Library and the U. of IL Press.
An outstanding and invaluable site for American history and general studies. Contains primary and secondary documents, exhibits, map collections, prints and photographs, sound recordings and motion pictures.
Funded by the Mellon Foundation and maintained by Cornell University and the University of Michigan, this venture features a digital library of primary sources in late19th century American social history.
Documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government which are deemed important enough to preserve in the nation's archive.
The Virtual Vietnam Archive currently contains over 3 million pages of scanned materials.
Types of material include documents, photographs, slides, negatives, oral histories, artifacts, moving images, sound recordings, maps, and collection finding aids.
Commentary on and images of 100 milestone documents, compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration. The documents chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965. Click on “document transcript” for a printable version.
