LibGuides: Introduction to History Research at MSU: Primary Source Collections

Primary Source Collections

American History in Video This link opens in a new window
As a biographical resource, American History in Video will include hundreds of profiles of great American leaders and personalities. As an encyclopedia of history, it provides footage of seminal historic events. Compare Kennedy’s rhetorical flair with Nixon’s. Examine racial stereotypes as presented in newsreels featuring African Americans prior to 1950. Consider Ed Herlihy’s use of alliteration and other tropes of propaganda in WW2 newsreels. These and thousands of other searches are easy with American History in Video.
American Slavery Collection 1820-1922 This link opens in a new window
This digital edition of the American Antiquarian Society’s extraordinary holdings of slavery and abolition materials delivers more than 3,500 works published over the course of more than 100 years. The American Slavery Collection addresses every facet of American slavery—one of the most important and controversial topics in U.S. history. These diverse materials, all filmed in full-resolution color, include books, pamphlets, graphic materials, and ephemera; among them are a large number of invaluable Southern imprints.
AM Explorer This link opens in a new window
AM Explorer is the gateway to a broad and diverse range of primary source content spanning the fifteenth to twenty-first centuries. Content that we own:
African American Communities
Age of Exploration
America in World War II: Oral Histories and Personal Accounts
American History, Module I. Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859
American History, Module II. Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945
American Indian Histories and Cultures. Sources from the Edward E. Ayer Collection at the Newberry Library,
Chicago
American Indian Newspapers
American West. From the Everett D. Graff Collection of Western Americana at the Newberry Library, Chicago
Apartheid South Africa, 1948-1980. Sources from the National Archives, UK. Section I - 1948-1966
Apartheid South Africa, 1948-1980. Sources from the National Archives, UK. Section II - 1967-1975
Apartheid South Africa, 1948-1980. Sources from the National Archives, UK. Section III - 1976-1980
Central Asia, Persia and Afghanistan, 1834-1922. From Silk Road to Soviet Rule
Children's Literature and Culture
China, America and The Pacific. Trade and Cultural Exchange
China: Culture and Society. Sources from the Wason Pamphlet Collection at Cornell University
China: Trade, Politics and Culture 1793-1980. Sources from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the
British Library.
Church Missionary Society Periodicals, Module I. Global Missions and Contemporary Encounters, 1804-2009
Church Missionary Society Periodicals, Module II. Medical Journals, Asian Missions and The Historical Record,
1816-1986
Colonial America, Module I. Early Settlement, Expansion and Rivalries
Colonial America, Module II. Towards Revolution
Colonial America, Module III. The American Revolution
Colonial America, Module IV. Legislation and Politics in the Colonies
Colonial America, Module V. Growth, Trade and Development
Colonial Caribbean, Module I. Settlement, Slavery and Empire, 1624-1832
Colonial Caribbean, Module II. Colonial Government and Abolition, 1833-1849
Confidential Print: Africa, 1834-1966
Confidential Print: Latin America, 1833-1969
Confidential Print: Middle East, 1839-1969
Confidential Print: North America, 1824-1961
Defining Gender
Early Modern England. Society, Culture and Everyday Life, 1500-1700
East India Company, Module I. Series A-D. Trade, Governance and Empire, 1600-1947
East India Company, Module II. Series G. Factory Records for South Asia and Southeast Asia, 1595-1830
East India Company, Module III. Series G. Factory Records for China, Japan and the Middle East, 1596-1870
East India Company, Module IV. Series E. Correspondence: Early Voyages, Formation and Conflict
East India Company, Module V. Series E: Correspondence: Domestic Life, Governance and Territorial Expansion
Eighteenth Century Drama. Censorship, Society and the Stage
Eighteenth Century Journals. A Portal to Newspapers and Periodicals, c 1685-1835. Module I: Newspapers and
Periodicals,1693-1793
Eighteenth Century Journals. A Portal to Newspapers and Periodicals, c 1685-1835. Module II: Newspapers and
Periodicals,1699-1812
Eighteenth Century Journals. A Portal to Newspapers and Periodicals, c 1685-1835. Module III: Newspapers and
Periodicals,1680-1816
Eighteenth Century Journals. A Portal to Newspapers and Periodicals, c 1685-1835. Module IV: Newspapers and
Periodicals, 1708-1820
Eighteenth Century Journals. A Portal to Newspapers and Periodicals, c 1685-1835. Module V: The Lady's
Magazine and other titles, 1712-1835
Empire Online
Ethnomusicology. Global Field Recordings
Everyday Life and Women In America, c1800-1920. From Duke University and the New York Public Library
First World War Portal, Module I. Personal Experiences
First World War Portal, Module II. Propaganda and Recruitment
First World War Portal, Module III. Visual Perspectives and Narratives
First World War Portal, Module IV. A Global Conflict
Food and Drink in History, Module I
Food and Drink in History, Module II
Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980. Section I - 1919-1929
Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980. Section II - 1930-1937
Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980. Section III - 1938-1948
Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980. Section IV - 1949-1956
Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980. Section V - 1957-1966
Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980. Section VI - 1967-1980
Foreign Office Files for India, Afghanistan and Pakistan, 1947-1980. Section I
Foreign Office Files for India, Afghanistan and Pakistan, 1947-1980. Section II
Foreign Office Files for India, Afghanistan and Pakistan, 1947-1980. Section III
Foreign Office Files for Japan, 1919-1952. Section I - 1931-1945
Foreign Office Files for Japan, 1919-1952. Section II - 1946-1952
Foreign Office Files for Japan, 1919-1952. Section III - 1919-1930
Foreign Office Files for Middle East, 1971- 1981. Section I
Foreign Office Files for Middle East, 1971- 1981. Section II
Foreign Office Files for Middle East, 1971- 1981. Section III
Foreign Office Files for South East Asia 1963 - 1980, Module I. Cold War in the Pacific, Trade Relations,
and the Post-Independence Period, 1963-1966
Foreign Office Files for South East Asia, 1963 - 1980, Module II. Foundations of Economic Growth and
Industrialisation, 1967-1980
Frontier Life. Borderlands, Settlement and Colonial Encounters
Gender: Identity and Social Change
The Gilded Age and Progressive Era
Global Commodities. Trade, Exploration and Cultural Exchange
The Grand Tour
India, Raj and Empire. Sources from The National Library of Scotland.
Interwar Culture, Module I. The 1920s
J Walter Thomson: Advertising America
Jewish Life in America, c1654-1954
Leisure, Travel and Mass Culture. The History of Tourism
Life at Sea: Seafaring in the Anglo-American Maritime World, 1600-1900
Literary Manuscripts Berg. Victorian Manuscripts from the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of the
New York Public Library
Literary Manuscripts Leeds. Sources from The Brotherton Library, University of Leeds
Literary Print Culture. The Stationers' Company Archive, London
London Low Life
Macmillan Cabinet Papers, 1957-1963. Sources from The National Archives, UK
Market Research and American Business, 1935-1965
Mass Observation Online, 1937-1967. Section I
Mass Observation Online, 1937-1967. Section II
Mass Observation Online, 1937-1967. Section III
Mass Observation Online, 1937-1967. Section IV
Mass Observation Online, 1937-1967. Section V
Mass Observation Project, Module I. 1980s
Mass Observation Project, Module II. 1990s
Mass Observation Project , Module III. The 2000s
Medical Services and Warfare, Module I. 1850-1927
Medical Services and Warfare, Module II. 1928-1949
Medieval Family Life. The Paston, Cely, Plumpton, Stonor and Armburgh Papers
Medieval Travel Writing
Meiji Japan. The Edward Sylvester Morse Collection from the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem
Migration to New Worlds, Module I. The Century of Immigration
Migration to New Worlds, Module II. The Modern Era
Nineteenth Century Literary Society. The John Murray Publishing Archive
The Nixon Years, 1969-1974. Sources from The National Archives, UK
Perdita Manuscripts, 1500-1700
Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975, Section I.
Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975, Section II.
Popular Medicine in America, 1800-1900
Poverty, Philanthropy and Social Conditions in Victorian Britain
Race Relations In America. Surveys and Papers from the Amistad Research Center, 1943-1970
Romanticism: Life, Literature and Landscape
Service Newspapers of World War II, Module I
Service Newspapers of World War II, Module II
Sex & Sexuality, Module I. Research Collections from The Kinsey Institute Library & Special Collections
Sex and Sexuality, Module II. Self Expression, Community and Identity
Shakespeare in Performance. Prompt Books from The Folger Shakespeare Library
Shakespeare's Globe Archive. Theatres, Players & Performance
Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice
Socialism on Film, Module I. Wars & Revolutions
Socialism on Film, Module II. Newsreels & Magazines
Socialism on Film, Module III. Culture and Society
Trade Catalogues in the American Home
Travel Writing, Spectacle and World History
Victorian Popular Culture, Module I. Spiritualism, Sensation and Magic
Victorian Popular Culture, Module II. Circuses, Sideshows and Freaks
Victorian Popular Culture, Module III. Music Hall, Theatre and Popular Entertainment
Victorian Popular Culture, Module IV. Moving Pictures, Optical Entertainments and the Advent of Cinema
Victorians on Film. Entertainment, Innovation & Everyday Life
Virginia Company Archives
Women in the National Archives. Sources from The National Archives, UK.
World’s Fairs. A Global History of Expositions

Archives of Sexuality & Gender, the largest collection available in support of the study of gender and sexuality, enables scholars to make new connections in LGBTQ history and activism, cultural studies, psychology, health, political science, policy studies, and other related areas of research.

Includes: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940, Parts I & II; Sex and Sexuality, Sixteenth to Twentieth Century; and International Perspectives on LGBTQ Activism and Culture.

Archives Unbound Collections

Archives Unbound presents topically-focused digital collections of historical documents that support the research and study needs of scholars and students at the college and university level. Collections in Archives Unbound cover a broad range of topics from the Middle Ages forward--from Witchcraft to World War II to twentieth-century political history.

Black Thought and Culture

When complete, Black Thought and Culture will provide approximately 100,000 pages of monographs, essays, articles, speeches, and interviews written by leaders within the black community from the earliest times to 1975. The collection is intended for research in black studies, political science, American history, music, literature, and art.

Border and Migration Studies Online

Border and Migration Studies Online is a collection that explores and provides historical background on more than thirty key worldwide border areas, including: U.S. and Mexico; the European Union; Afghanistan; Israel; Turkey; The Congo; Argentina; China; Thailand; and others. Featuring at completion 100,000 pages of text, 175 hours of video, and 1,000 images, the collection is organized around fundamental themes associated with border and migration issues.

C19: The Nineteenth Century Index

C19: The Nineteenth Century Index is a gateway, or portal, into a variety of primary sources for 19th Century studies, especially of the British Isles. Each resource or database may also be accessed/searched individually in the Electronic Resources pages: Wellesley Index to Victorian Periodicals,1824-1900,American Periodicals Series, Periodicals Index Online, NSTC, House of Commons Parliamentary Papers, Palmer's Index to the Times, Archives USA, U.S Congressional Serial Set. Results of searches in the Times newspaper, 1800-1870 link to full-text, as do most searches in Wellesley Index, APS, PIO, and House of Commons Parliamentary Papers. For results from NSTC searches, use our online catalog to see if we own the book.

Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans 1639-1800

Early American Imprints, Series I: Evans, 1639-1800 is the definitive resource for information about every aspect of life in 17th- and 18th-century America, from agriculture and auctions through foreign affairs, diplomacy, literature, music, religion, the Revolutionary War, temperance, witchcraft, and just about any other topic imaginable. This resource consists of more than 37,000 books, pamphlets, and broadsides.

Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819

Covering every aspect of American life during the early decades of the United States, Early American Imprints, Series II (1801-1819) provides full-text access to the 36,000 American books, pamphlets and broadsides published in the first nineteen years of the nineteenth century. In addition to its books, pamphlets and broadsides, this comprehensive collection features many state papers and government materials, including published reports; presidential letters and messages; congressional, state and territorial resolutions.

Eighteenth-Century Collections Online (ECCO)

Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) contains digital versions of 150,000 works published or printed from 1701-1800 in England, and other English-speaking places around the world (including the rest of the British Isles, the American colonies, and the early United States).

HistoryMakers Digital Archive

The HistoryMakers Digital Archive provides access to a collection of thousands of African American video oral histories.

Nineteenth Century Collections Online (NCCO)

Includes archive collections on British politics and society; Asia and the West; British Theatre, Music, and Literature; European Literature, 1700-1840; Europe and Africa; Photography; Science, Technology, and Medicine; Children's Literature; Maps and Travel Literature; and Religion, Society, Spirituality, and Reform.

Slavery & Anti-Slavery: a Transnational Archive

This resource includes documents from the United States and Europe, as well as other parts of the world. In addition to newspaper collections and books published in the antebellum era, Slavery and Anti-Slavery contains documents from several archives. Includes:

Part I: Debates Over Slavery and Abolition
Part II: Slave Trade in the Atlantic World
Part III: The Institution of Slavery
Part IV: The Age of Emancipation

MSU Libraries

Research Guides

Introduction to History Research at MSU: Primary Source Collections

Primary Source Collections