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FAQ
What are these sources?
Primary sources are original materials from the time period involved, unfiltered by interpretation or evaluation. The sites and resources listed on this page gather together collections of these sources.
Useful Subject Headings for Finding Primary Sources
The following subject headings, in combination with other words relevant to your topic, are useful for finding primary sources in the library catalog:
- correspondence
- sources
- pamphlets
- diaries
- early works to 1800
- personal narratives
- interviews
- speeches
Rollins Interlibrary Loan
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Primary Sources in the Olin Print Collection
English Historical DocumentsCall Number: Ref. DA 26.E5A multi-volume, comprehensive collection of documents on English history.- American Diaries: An Annotated Bibliography of Published American Diaries and journals by Call Number: Reference CT214 .A75 1983An index of published diaries. Many of the items indexed here will not be found in the Rollins collection, but are likely to be available through interlibrary loan.Volume 1 indexes diaries written from 1492 to 1844; volume 2 indexes diaries written from 1845 to 1980.
Primary Source Online Collections at Rollins
- Ancestry Library Edition (Legacy Platform) This link opens in a new window
Unlock the story of you with sources like censuses, vital records, immigration records, family histories, military records, court and legal documents, directories, photos, maps, and more.
- China: Trade, Politics and Culture, 1793-1980 This link opens in a new windowProvides access to English-language primary source materials related to China and the West.
- Early English Books Online This link opens in a new window
Early English Books Online (EEBO) features page images of almost every work printed in the British Isles and North America, as well as works in English printed elsewhere from 1470-1700.
- Everyday Life & Women in America, c. 1800-1920 This link opens in a new windowThis resource explores women’s lives as represented in American social, cultural and popular culture during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Gallup Brain Edit/Delete Quick Stats - Federal Surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984 This link opens in a new window
This archive compiles FBI files detailing the surveillance of Black Americans from the twentieth century. It includes reports from Black informants infiltrating organizations, shedding light on "Negro" radicals and the FBI's monitoring of First Amendment activities.
- The History Makers This link opens in a new window
The HistoryMakers is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational institution committed to preserving and making widely accessible the untold personal stories of both well-known and unsung African Americans. Through the media and a series of user-friendly products, services and events, The HistoryMakers enlightens, entertains and educates the public, helping to refashion a more inclusive record of American history.
- Race Relations in America This link opens in a new window
- Ralph J. Bunche Oral Histories Collection on the Civil Rights Movement This link opens in a new window
The Ralph J. Bunche Oral History Collection is a resource for the study of the era of the American civil rights movement.
- Roper Center iPoll This link opens in a new windowA large collection of poll data —1935 to present, all US polling firms, broad topical coverage of opinions and behavior on social issues, politics, pop culture, international affairs, and more. International and US datasets available for immediate download.
- Sources in U.S. History: The Civil WarThis digital collection contains nearly personal narratives, monographs, regimental histories, collected essays, sermons, songs, legal tracts, and political speeches of the Civil War era.
- Southern Negro Youth Congress and the Communist Party This link opens in a new window
Gain access to rare primary source documents with these topically focused digital collections for academic research support.
World History Primary Sources on the Web
- AP ArchiveThis YouTube channel makes available the film and video archive of The Associated Press, one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering. The collection offers 1.7 million global news and entertainment video stories dating back to 1895.
- The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History, and DiplomacyFull texts of legal documents from the 18th century to the present. Includes treaties, constitutions, speeches, agreements, and other public documents.
- British History OnlinePrimary and secondary sources for the medieval and modern history of the British Isles.
- The British Library Flickr FeedThousands of images from the British Library, browseable in folders and with an ongoing photostream.
- Early English Books Online This link opens in a new window
Early English Books Online (EEBO) features page images of almost every work printed in the British Isles and North America, as well as works in English printed elsewhere from 1470-1700.
- East Asian History SourcebookCollected links to both primary and secondary sources in English about the history of East Asia (including China.)
- EuroDocsA vast collection of various sites that collect primary documents from all eras, covering most countries in Western Europe. Selections include court records, town archives, census data, and digital images.
- Hanover Historical Texts CollectionDigital versions of historical texts for use in history and humanities courses. Searchable or browsable by period.
- Legacies of British Slave-ownershipThis site presents a database containing the identity of all slave-owners in the British Caribbean at the time slavery ended in 1833 and identifies the commercal, cultural, and political legacies of those slave-owners.
- Library of Congress Photocrom Print CollectionThe Photochrom Print Collection has views Europe, the Middle East and North America, published primarily from the 1890s to 1910s. The richly colored images look like photographs but are actually ink-based photolithographs. Like postcards, the photochroms feature subjects that appeal to travelers, including landscapes, architecture, street scenes, and daily life and culture. The prints were sold as souvenirs and often collected in albums or framed for display.
- Perseus Digital LibraryA large collection of classical texts in the original language and in translation. Contains large collections of museum images and digitized reference works. Primarily focuses on the ancient Mediterranean, but some other areas and time periods included as well.
- Remember.org: A Cybrary of the HolocaustImmense archive of testimonials, maps, photographs and other documentation of the Holocaust.
- World War I Document ArchiveFull texts of letters, diaries, treaties, and photographs documenting World War I. Contains links to an impressive collection of medical issues from the war.
U.S. History Primary Sources on the Web
- AmDocs: Documents for the Study of American HistoryMostly famous speeches, proclamations, and political documents.
- Library of Congress Digital CollectionsLarge collection of online documents, maps, photographs, and digital images from the Library of Congress, documenting all eras of American history.
- Archive of American TelevisionThe Television Academy Foundation makes available over 800 oral history interviews with major figures in the history of television chronicling the birth and growth of the medium.
- Digital Public Library of AmericaDPLA is a non-profit organization presenting primary sources relevant to American history. All of the materials found through DPLA—photographs, books, maps, news footage, oral histories, personal letters, museum objects, artwork, government documents, etc. —are free and immediately available in digital format.
- Digitizing American FeminismsA collection of documents from the Oberlin College Archives annotated as a class project to illuminate aspects of feminisms.
- LIFE - HistoryAn image-rich collection of Life Magazine's journalism covering the 20th century and onward.
- New York City Municipal Archives Online GalleryThis large collection of photographs, maps, motion pictures and audio recordings documents the history of New York City.
- Oberlin College Anti-Slavery Collection (via Internet Achive)Oberlin has made a large portion of their anti-slavery collection freely available through the Internet Archive. The collection covers the moral, religious, economic, political, and legal aspect of the slavery debate as expressed in pamphlets, newspapers, and books (including children's literature). It is searchable via the search tool for all the Internet Archive content; to limit your search to this collection, enter "collection:oberlincollege AND [your topic]" into the search box.
- Open Access Maps at the NY Public LibraryMore than 20,000 cartographic works with no known US copyright restrictions.
- PhotogrammarA searchable collection of 170,000 photographs from 1935 to 1945 created by the United States Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information (FSA-OWI).
- Political Posters, Labadie Collection, University of MichiganThis database consists of images of those posters covering social protest movements such as Anarchism, Civil Liberties, Colonialism, Communism, Ecology, Labor, Pacifism, Sexual Freedom, Socialism, Women, and Youth/Student Protest. Some are from the first half of the 20th century, but the majority are from the 1960s and later.
- Salem Witch Trials: Documentary Archive and Transcription ProjectCollection of court records, testimony, maps, letters and other contemporary sources documenting the 1692 trials.
- Statistical AbstractsStatistical information from US Census Bureau data from 1878 to 2012. Additional statistics on this site range back to colonial times.
- Jazz Photography of William P. GottliebPhotographs taken by writer-photographer William P. Gottlieb, from 1938 to 1948, the "Golden Age of Jazz".
- The Plymouth Colony Archives ProjectA collection of searchable texts, probate inventories, ground plans, court proceedings, grave art, and maps of the Plymouth colony. Also includes secondary sources such as lesson plans, research papers, and biographies of notable people.
- The Virginia GazetteSearchable, full-text index and archive of Williamsburg's The Virginia Gazette, from 1736-1780.
- TopoviewThe U.S. Geological Survey provides high-resolution scans of more than 178,000 historical topographic maps of the United States.
- Social ExplorerOnline census data of the U.S. population and economy.
- What's on the MenuAn archive of historical restaurant menus from the New York Public Library.
Portals to Online Newspaper Archives
- U.S. News Archives on the WebThe most comprehensive list of online news archives, maintained by the Special Libraries Association.
- Wikipedia: List of Online Newspaper Archives - United StatesThis Wikipedia entry provides a useful list of online newspaper archives in the U.S.
- Wikipedia:List of online newspaper archivesThis Wikipedia entry provides a useful list of online newspaper archives from around the world.
- Newspaper Archive Sources on the WebA list of news archive portals from the Library of Congress
- Chronicling America: Historic American NewspapersThe National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) is a partnership between the NEH, the Library of Congress (LC), and state projects to provide enhanced access to United States newspapers published between 1836 and 1922. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, a prototype of the digital resource being produced through NDNP, is freely available to Internet users everywhere.
Newspaper & Magazine Archives available via Rollins
- Access World News This link opens in a new window
Explore and stay informed on local, national and international topics, people and events in areas such as business, health, education, jobs and careers, political and social issues and more. Features a wide variety of credible, vetted news sources from around the world to around the corner, including Orlando Sentinel. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device.
- African American Newspapers, Series 1: 1827-1998 This link opens in a new window
Features more than 270 newspapers from 35 states. These titles, published for or by African Americans, constitute valuable primary sources. Includes Freedom's Journal the first African American newspaper published in the U.S.
- African American Newspapers, Series 2: 1835-1956 This link opens in a new window
Complements and expands on African American Newspapers, Series 1, by including additional titles, such as Frederick Douglass’s New National Era.
- African American Periodicals, 1825-1995 This link opens in a new window
Features more than 170 wide-ranging periodicals by and about African Americans, including news, commentary, advertisements, literature, drawings and photographs, with titles from every region of the United States.
- The Economist Historical Archive This link opens in a new window
The Economist Historical Archive offers full-color and full-text coverage of each weekly issue of the magazine from 1843-four years ago, with a new year of content added each year.
- Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980 This link opens in a new window
Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980, represents the single largest compilation of Spanish-language newspapers printed in the U.S. during the 19th and 20th centuries.
- Latin American Newspapers, Series 1 This link opens in a new window
Historical Newspapers from Latin America from the World Newspaper Archive. Explore Latin American History and Culture during the 19th and 20th Centuries.
- Life Magazine Archive This link opens in a new window
Full-color, cover-to-cover coverage of the photojournalism magazine from its first issue in November 1936 through December 2000.
- Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new windowProvides full text access to primary source newspaper content from the 19th century, with an emphasis on such topics as the Civil War, African-American culture and history, and Western migration, among others.
- ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago DefenderContains the full text of the Africa-American newspaper the Chicago Defender from 1905-1975.
- New York Times, 1851-2020 (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
The New York Times is an American newspaper based in New York City with worldwide influence and readership. Founded in 1851, the paper has won 127 Pulitzer Prizes, more than any other newspaper.
- Times Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
With over 12 million articles available, the archive supports research across multiple disciplines and areas of interest, including business, humanities, political science, and philosophy, along with coverage of all major international historical events.