Primary Documents
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American History 1493-1945 This link opens in a new windowModule 1: Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859
Sources from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, New York. Contains books, diaries, correspondence, newspapers, photographs, military documents, pamphlets, broadsides and other ephemera.
“The majority of the collection is unique manuscript. It is an extensive resource for scholars, educators and students and is considered one of the finest archives for material on the revolutionary, early national, antebellum and civil war eras.”
Module 2: Civil War, Reconstruction and the Modern Era: 1860-1945
Includes documents on slavery, the Civil War, and secession. -
Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America This link opens in a new windowContains manuscripts, artwork, photographs, rare printed books, and maps related to the historical and personal stories of the colonization of the Americas from early contacts between European settlers and American Indians to the modern era, and told against the backdrop of the 19th century expansion into the Western Frontier right through to the civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century. Sources from the Edward E. Ayer Collection at The Newberry Library, Chicago.
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American Indian Constitutions and Legal Materials (Library of Congress)Laws and constitutions from the early nineteenth century produced by the Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, and Seminole who were forced to leave the Southeast for the Indian Territory after passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830. Some of these documents are in the vernacular languages of the tribes.
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American Indian Movement 1968-1978Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Set.
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American Indians of the Pacific NorthwestUniversity of Washington Libraries Digital Collection
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Colorado Plateau ArchivesNorthwestern Arizona University
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Digital Public Library of America- Native American SearchDigital Public Library of America
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First Nations CollectionThe First Nations Collection of the Southern Oregon Digital Archives consists of documents, books, and articles relating to the indigenous peoples of this bioregion.
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Flathead Irrigation Project-U.S. National ArchivesThese photographs are part of Record Group 75: Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Flathead Irrigation Office. Accession 8NS-75-97-221; Glass Plates, Negatives, and Photographs, 1911-1939.
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Indian Converts CollectionFirst published in 1727 under the title Indian Converts, or Some account of the lives and dying speeches of a considerable number of the Christianized Indians of Martha's Vineyard, in New-England, Experience Mayhew's history of the Wampanoag Indians on Martha's Vineyard provides a rare look at the lives and culture of four generations of Native Americans in colonial America. The research and production of this website was made possible by generous funding from the Keck Foundation, the Booth Ferris Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, a Ruby Grant from Reed College, and the President's Office (Colin Diver) of Reed College.
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Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plain Digital CollectionMontana State University
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J. Willard Marriott Digital Library-The University of UtahBrowse Topic: Native American Collection
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Massachusetts Historical SocietySee Photographing the American Indian: Portraits of Native Americans, 1860-1913, from the collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society.
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National Archives-Indians/Native AmericansLinks from Archives Library Information Center (ALIC).
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Native Voices-National Library of MedicineNative People's Concepts of Health and Illness
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The New England Indian Papers Series"The New England Indian Papers Series is a scholarly critical edition of New England Native American primary source materials gathered into one robust virtual collection. The series is provided by the editors of The Yale Indian Papers Project, a scholarly editing endeavor and collaborative digital humanities research initiative with the mission to advance scholarship on the history and culture of New England Native Americans."
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New York Public Library- After ColumbusNew York Public Library Digital Collections
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Published Primary Sources Relating to American IndianNational Archives Native American Heritage
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Southern Oregon Digital ArchivesSouthern Oregon University
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Treaties between the United States and Native AmericansThe Avalon Project - Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy - Yale Law School Lillian Goldman Law Library in Memory of Sol Goldman.
Identifying Primary Sources
See the tutorial Primary vs. Secondary Sources (Twin Cities Library, St. Mary's University of Minnesota) for a definition and examples of Primary Sources.
Tips for Searching the Internet
Search terms to include: oration, speeches, letters, diaries, primary sources, oral histories, archives. Limit search to specific extensions (e.g., .edu or .gov).
Boston Public Library Resources
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Databases available through BPL This link opens in a new windowAccess to the Boston Public Library (BPL) databases are available with either your BPL library card or BPL e-card.
Eligibility for a Boston Public Library e-card include:- You reside permanently in Massachusetts
- You live in-state for part of the year to attend school
- You commute to a Massachusetts employer on a sustained and regular basis
- You own property in Massachusetts
Suggested resources at the BPL available with a BPL ecard:
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Newspapers guideIncludes access to 19th Century US Newspapers, American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collections, Gale Newsvault, and Newspaper Archives.
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History and Political Science guideIncludes access to several databases with primary resources.
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A-Z List of Electronic Resources(most available with an eCard remotely).