Subject Guides: Primary Sources: North America

North American Primary Sources

LOC Digital Collections: American History
Digitized items from the library of congress. Contents include presidential papers, maps, photographs, political cartoons, and more. 1500s-current
NYPL Digital Collections
Over 900,000 digitized items from the NYPL's public collections. Especially good for New York focused history and historical fashion & design. 1600s - current
Digital Public Library of America
Over 46 million images, texts, videos, and sounds from across the United States. Browse by topic or search. 1500s - current
Smithsonian Digital Collections
Over 35 thousand digitized books and manuscripts related to US history and culture. Mostly 1800s - current.
Sanborn Maps
Maps of American cities originally created to help fire insurance companies determine the risks associated with insuring properties. Use by connecting to the VPN and choose "on campus," even if you are not on campus. Late 1800s - early 1900s.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection
Over 6,500 historical periodicals documenting the life of America’s people. The collection is grouped in 5 series which are chronological in nature. Late 1600s - early 1900s.
Making of America
Primary sources in American social history primarily from the antebellum period through reconstruction including sources on education, religion, & sociology. 1800s.

Biblioteca Nacional Digital de Mexico
Digital collections from the National Library of Mexico. Includes scanned books, manuscripts, & musical scores. In Spanish. Late 1400s - early 1900s.
Tiatelolco Massacre
Declassified US documents about the 1968 Tlatelolco Massacre in Mexico City. Hosted by the National Security Archive at George Washington University. 1968-69.
Bracero History Archive
Oral histories and artifacts pertaining to the Bracero program, a guest worker initiative where millions of Mexican agricultural workers crossed the border to work in more than half of the states in America. 1942-1964.
Bexar Archives
Over 5000 digitized diplomatic, military, religious manuscripts and printed records of the Spanish colonial province of Texas and the Mexican District of Bexar. From the University of Texas Austin. 1717 - 1836.
Historic Mexican and Mexican American Press
Scans of historic Mexican and Mexican American news publications published in Tucson, El Paso, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sonora, Mexico. From the University of Arizona. Sources primarily in Spanish. Mid 1800s - 1970s
Independent and Revolutionary Mexican Newspapers
Over 800 titles (and far more articles) from Mexico’s pre-independence, independence and revolutionary periods. Sources primarily in Spanish. 1807-1929

Civil Rights & Social Justice
Government documents related to the American Civil Rights Movement. Includes hearings, committee prints, government reports, Supreme Court cases, and more. 1800s - current (mostly mid 1900s.)
National Museum of African American History and Culture: Digital Collections
Images -- photographs, maps, political posters, and more -- from the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Late 1600s - 2000s.
Black Rap Digital Collection
Digital scans of issues of the Black Rap student newspaper at Lake Forest College. Issues run from 1968 intermittently through the 70s and 80s. 1968 - 1987.
Chicago Defender
PDF scans of articles from Chicago's longest running African-American newspaper. 1909 - 2010.
Black Thought and Culture
Non-fiction writings by major American Black leaders—teachers, artists, politicians, religious leaders, athletes, entertainers—covering 250 years of history. Includes editions of the Black Panther newspaper. 1700s - current.
Omar Ibn Said Collection
42 digitized documents in English and Arabic on the life of Omar Said, a West African man enslaved in America. Includes the only autobiography of an American slave written in Arabic.

Chicago Collections
Maps, documents, and images about Chicago history and culture from the physical and digital archives of 38 libraries and museums. 1800s - 1900s.
Chicago History Museum Collection
Items related to Chicago history and culture especially focusing on architecture and the arts. Includes images, oral histories, books, and more. 1800s - 1900s.
Office of the Inspector General
Data on Chicago public safety and budgets including CPD 911 calls, active sworn officers, arrests, complaints, investigatory stop reports, and tactical response reports. Current (years vary)
Lake Forest College Archives and Special Collections
Search documents held by the college library about Lake Forest and Chicago area history. Currently closed.