LibGuides: History: U.S. History

Frequently Asked Question

What are the differences between websites and library databases?

1. Generally, websites and library databases both can contain:

scholarly information (such as facts, scholarly essays, research results, and research reports), and
non-scholarly information (such as popular opinion and guesswork).

NOTE: Researchers should take the time to verify research results by checking several other reliable sources before using it or acting on it. (See more about how to determine what types of sources are credible at PPLD's LibGuide on Finding Good Information here.)

2. Library databases do not generally use natural language to search, but use specialized wording and symbols. One of the benefits of using library databases is that they give more precise results than websites or web searches, which may include duplicate or irrelevant results.

3. In addition, library databases contain content that is sometimes only available by paying for it. The library pays for access to that information on behalf of the community it serves.

4. Online web searches often do use natural language, but the results may not be exactly what a researcher is looking for.

5. The order of an online result list is also often based on the priorities of the companies who offer the search (usually at no out-of-pocket cost), rather than the priorities of the researcher.

For a more detailed discussion of researching best practices, see PPLD's LibGuide on Information and Media Literacy here.

U.S. History Databases & Recommended Websites

PPLD Databases
Recommended Websites

PPLD Databases

For general history databases, see PPLD's General History Research tab (click here or on the blue General History Research tab at the top of the screen on mobile devices or at the left of the screen on computers).

Academic Search Premier
Searches almost 3500 full text academic and scholarly journals.
American Civil War Reference Library
Offers comprehensive and wide-ranging research options on this compelling era of American history.
American Decades (1900-1999)
This series covers 20th-century events and social history beginning in 1900 and ending in 1999, written expressly for middle school students. Each decade is covered in one volume. Topics for each decade include: Headline Makers, Topics in the News, Arts and Entertainment, Business and the Economy, Education, Government, Politics, and Law, Lifestyles and Social Trends, Medicine and Health, Science and Technology, and Sports.
American Decades (2000-2009)
Covers everything from monumental events and groundbreaking individuals to the fascinating details of Americans' daily lives. Supports historical research in disciplines from the arts and business to law, medicine, technology and social trends.
American Decades Primary Sources
This volume covers the first decade of the twenty-first century from monumental events and groundbreaking individuals to the details of Americans' daily lives. Topics include world events, the arts, business and the economy, education, fashion, government and politics, law and justice, lifestyles and social trends, media, medicine and health, religion, science and technology, and sports.
American Home Front in World War II
Examines the effect of World War II on people living in America.
American Revolution Reference Library
This 4-vol. e-book set supplies the in-depth information about the American Revolution that students and researchers need for class assignments and reports.
Cold War Reference Library
Covers the Cold War period between the Western powers and the Communist bloc from the end of World War II through 1989. Includes discussion of the historic causes of the tension and information on the lives and actions of major figures, such as Harry Truman, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin.
Colonial America Reference Library
The Colonial America Reference Library provides students with the comprehensive information on the Colonial American period they need to write reports and class assignments, including biographical profiles and primary source documents.
CultureGrams
Experience the world through cultural information on more than 200 countries. Explore all the U.S. states in colorful, engaging reports. Tour all the Canadian provinces and territories in 13 image-filled reports.
Dictionary of American History
This authoritative work serves students, scholars, and general readers interested in a wide range of topics in American history, from the well studied and familiar to the obscure.
Encyclopedia of Food and Culture
A three-volume survey of food and its place in human culture and society, presented through 600 alphabetically sorted entries. Features multidisciplinary coverage of such topics as comfort food, ethnicity and food, medieval banquets, and nutrient composition, among many others. Includes photographs, illustrations, sidebars, recipes, menus, and timelines.
Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes
Provides detailed studies of tribes from all over the United States and Canada, including small tribes and some that no longer exist. Gives detailed yet accessible information on history, religion, art, government, economy, daily life and current social and political issues.
Encyclopedia of the Solar System
Provides a framework for understanding the origin and evolution of the solar system, historical discoveries, and details about planetary bodies and how they interact.
Encyclopedia of U.S. History
Introduces the history of the United States from pre-Colonial America to the present day. Explores the timeline of America: its founders, key historical figures, wars, events, political environment, economy, and culture.
Ethnic Diversity Source
This full-text database is a dedicated resource covering the culture, traditions, social treatment and lived experiences of different ethnic groups in America. It contains a growing list of sources including peer-reviewed journals, magazines, e-books, biographies and primary source documents.
Explora for Public Libraries
Find articles and facts from the world’s leading magazines and reference books in one search.
Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages
Provides a broad overview of costume traditions of diverse cultures from prehistoric times to the present day. Examines more than 430 items of human decoration and adornment, ranging from togas to turbans, necklaces to tennis shoes. Explores how and why items were created, the people who made them, and their uses.
French and Indian War
Contains historical overviews, biographical entries, and primary source material on the French and Indian War.
Gale in Context: Biography
Biography is built on a foundation of more than 600,000 biographical entries covering international figures from all time periods and areas of study. Providing coverage of the most searched and studied people, Biography includes over 5,000 portal pages on contemporary and historical figures. Reference content is offered alongside videos, audio selections, images, primary sources, and magazine and journal articles from hundreds of major periodicals and newspapers. This resource is continuously updated to ensure users have access to the latest information.
Gale in Context: U.S. History
Gale In Context: U.S. History is an engaging experience for those seeking contextual information on hundreds of the most significant people, events, and topics in U.S. history. Topics range from the arrival of Vikings in North America to the first stirrings of the American Revolution and on through the Civil Rights movement, September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and the War on Terror.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Searches our entire collection of Gale eBooks on a variety of subjects, including history, science, government, business and more.
Global Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) History
This encyclopedia covers LGBTQ topics in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East, as well as North America, and takes an interdisciplinary approach to the subject, using film, literature, human rights, politics, landmark legislation, activism, the arts, language, sports, and historical events as points of entry into the content.
History Collection
Explore a collection of over 20 Gale history reference books on a wide variety of topics.
History Reference Source
History Reference Source offers full text from more than 1,620 reference books, encyclopedias and non-fiction books, cover to cover full text for more than 150 leading history periodicals, nearly 57,000 historical documents, more than 78,000 biographies of historical figures, more than 113,000 historical photos and maps, and more than 80 hours of historical video.
Industrial Revolution Reference Library
Covers the ideas and social turmoil that marked this transition as well as the machines, manufacturing processes and energy sources that spurred it on.
Korean War Reference Library
Covers the Korean War by exploring the major topics and events related to the period. The combined Almanac and Primary Sources covers the background of and issues related to the conflict in 13 chapters. Biographies includes 25 biographical entries on major figures from the period and 50 photographs.
Mexican-American War
Covers the period from the U.S. annexation of Texas to the Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo (1848).
Religion & Philosophy Collection
Religion & Philosophy Collection is a full-text database for theology and philosophy research. It includes hundreds of journals and magazines covering many religious and philosophical topics, including world religions, religious history, political philosophy, and philosophy of language.
Shaping of America, 1783-1815 Reference Library
This collection chronicles and illustrates the important period between 1783-1815 when America forged its place at home and on the international stage.
Spanish-American War
Covers the underlying causes of the Spanish American war, the battles, and the resolution of the conflict with the signing of the Treaty of Paris.
Transgender Life
This resource provides students with an understanding of the transgender experience, starting with evidence and treatment of transgender people throughout history, challenges related to coming out as transgender, dealing with gender dysphoria, questions related to transitioning, and a discussion of rights and legal issues, with a variety of perspectives represented.
Vietnam War Reference Library
This title traces the progression of this controversial war from its beginnings in 1941 with the creation of the Vietminh guerrilla force under Ho Chi Minh, through its last days in 1975 with the fall of Saigon. It covers high ranking government officials both foreign and domestic, antiwar activists, and soldiers and provides a variety of perspectives on the country's involvement in the war with excerpts from screenplays, literature, speeches and hearing testimonies.
War in the Persian Gulf Reference Library
Triggered by its invasion of Kuwait, Iraq was pitted against a 32-nation coalition of forces commanded by Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, whose air attacks led the way for a ground war that met with success in less than four days.
War of 1812
Covers the War of 1812 by providing a detailed overview of an often overlooked war.
Westward Expansion Reference Library
This 3-vol. set features volumes dedicated to events, people and insightful primary sources that present an objective yet entertaining look at frontier life.
Witchcraft in America
Covers the history of witchcraft in the United States from the hysteria that facilitated the witch hunts during the colonial period to modern day followers of Wicca.
World War I Reference Library
Provides comprehensive coverage of the World War I period.
World War II Reference Library
Provides comprehensive coverage of the World War II period.

Recommended Websites

For general history websites, see PPLD's General History Research (click here or on the blue General History Research tab at the top of the screen on mobile devices or at the left of the screen on computers).

The American Folklife Center
From the Library of Congress: "A number of American Folklife Center collections are available as online presentations, and we continue to add new materials and update existing collections. Digital collections generally contain photographs, audio recordings, and manuscript materials such as field notes or logs for recordings and photos. Note that in many cases the full collection is not online, and in order to access some materials-such as administrative records for projects-you would need to visit the AFC Research Center." (description from website)
American History
From Library of Congress Digital Collections: Documents relating to American history and creativity, including written documents, spoken-word recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, sheet music, and musical recordings.
The American Presidency Project
"Non-profit and non-partisan, the APP is the source of presidential documents on the internet, hosted at the University of California, Santa Barbara." (description from website)
America's Founding Documents
"These three documents, known collectively as the Charters of Freedom, have secured the rights of the American people for more than two and a quarter centuries and are considered instrumental to the founding and philosophy of the United States." (description from the National Archives website)
Explore Census Data
From the United States Census Bureau: "Learn about America's communities through our data profiles. They cover 100,000+ different geographies:
states, counties, places, tribal areas, zip codes, and congressional districts. For each, we cover topics like education, employment, health, and housing just to name a few." (description from website)
Famous Speeches & Audio in History
From The History Channel: online audio recordings of historical speeches and other audio clips.
FBI Records: The Vault
From the Federal Bureau of Investigations: "The Vault is our new FOIA Library, containing 6,700 documents and other media that have been scanned from paper into digital copies so you can read them in the comfort of your home or office.

"Included here are many new FBI files that have been released to the public but never added to this website; dozens of records previously posted on our site but removed as requests diminished; files from our previous FOIA Library, and new, previously unreleased files." (description from website)
Federal Depository Library Directory (FDLD)
"There are over 1,100 designated Federal depository libraries (FDLs) located in 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Federated States of Micronesia and U.S. territories. The U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO) through the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) distributes Government information free of cost to these libraries, and the libraries provide free access for all users to this information. In addition, information specialists are available at these libraries to assist researchers with locating Federal information." (description from website)
Founders Online
From the National Archives: "George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams (and family), Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison. Over 184,000 searchable documents, fully annotated, from the authoritative Founding Fathers Papers projects." (description from the National Archives website)
Hispanic and Latino Heritage and History in the United States
From the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): "Since 1988, the U.S. Government has set aside the period from September 15 to October 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month to honor the many contributions Hispanic Americans have made and continue to make to the United States of America. Our Teacher's Guide brings together resources created during NEH-funded professional development programs, lesson plans for K-12 classrooms, and think pieces on events and experiences across Hispanic history and heritage." (description from website)
Immigration History Research Center
From the University of Minnesota: "Founded in 1965, the Immigration History Research Center (IHRC) aims to transform the way in which we understand immigration in the past and present. Along with its partner, the IHRC Archives (University Libraries), it is the oldest and largest interdisciplinary research center and archives devoted to preserving and understanding immigrant and refugee life in North America." (description from website)
Index of Library of Congress Research Guides
"Research guides to the Library's general collections of books and periodicals, as well as general subject guides prepared by Library of Congress reference librarians, are listed." (description from the Library of Congress website)
Milestone Documents
From the National Archives: "The primary source documents on this page highlight pivotal moments in the course of American history or government. They are some of the most-viewed and sought-out documents in the holdings of the National Archives." (description from the National Archives website)
Military Resources: Military History
From the National Archives: collection of links to U.S. military history websites.
National Archives
Links to resources available through the U.S. National Archives including America's founding documents, foreign affairs, military records and investigations, and more.
Native Land Digital
"Native Land is an app to help map Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages." (description from the Native Land Digital website)
Primary Source Sets
"Primary source collections exploring topics in history, literature, and culture developed by educators — complete with teaching guides for class use." (description from the Digital Public Library of America [DPLA] website)
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
"In twenty-plus years of award-winning work, RRCHNM has developed more than sixty projects, including online resources for teachers; online collections, exhibits and collecting sites; open-source software; and forums to develop knowledge and build community among those in the humanities working with digital technology." (description from website)
Studs Terkel Radio Archive
"The Studs Terkel Radio Archive (STRA), launched in May 2018 on Studs Terkel’s 106th birthday, is a digital platform whereon, eventually, will live the majority of the 5,600 radio programs Terkel created during his career at WFMT in Chicago between 1952 and 1997 live. This platform, augmented by curatorial commentary, re-use tools, educational resources, highlights of creative reuse, and an original podcast, along with other special features, opens up Terkel’s radio programs and allows for a deeper level of user engagement." (description from website)
U.S. Census Bureau Historical Documents and Images
Includes the original 1790 Census Act.
U.S. History Resources
From the Colorado Department of Education: "Teaching the Colorado Academic Standards in social studies is supported through a wide array of free instructional resources. This webpage lists just a few of these resources and will be updated regularly." (description from website)
U.S. Indian Boarding School History
"The truth about the U.S. Indian boarding school policy has largely been written out of the history books. There were more than 523 government-funded, and often church-run, Indian Boarding schools across the U.S. in the 19th and 20th centuries. Indian children were forcibly abducted by government agents, sent to schools hundreds of miles away, and beaten, starved, or otherwise abused when they spoke their Native languages." (description from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition website)
U.S. Military History Records
From the National Archives: The National Archives holds Federal military service records from the Revolutionary War to 1912 in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Military service records from WWI - present are held in the National Military Personnel Records Center (NPRC), in St. Louis, Missouri. Post-WWI regimental and unit records are primarily held at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland." (description from website)

Looking for more resources on researching?

Debate Issues & Paper Topics
Are you working on a research project? This guide offers an overview of some of PPLD's research resources. The resources are best suited for an argumentative research paper, but can be applied to other research projects as well.
History Subject Guide
Includes key research terms, search tips, and help guides.
Homework Help
PPLD Teens Homework Help Subject Guide: Explore resources for live tutoring, research, and more
Information and Media Literacy: How to Spot the Good, the Bad, and the Just Plain Ugly
PPLD's LibGuide on how to evaluate information and media online.
Library of Congress Research Guides
Reference websites compiled by the Library of Congress