Databases by Subject
Need help doing research? Check out the North American Studies Subject Guide.
Databases for North American studies
- America, History & Life
- Coverage: 1863 - current
- Covers American history.
- The American Civil War
- Coverage: 1848 - 1897
- 100,000+ pages of diaries, letters and memoirs by 2000+ authors. Includes many previously unpublished manuscripts. Organized for detailed browsing and searching. Some materials are cross-searchable under Social and Cultural History.
- The American Indian Movement And Native American Radicalism
- Coverage: 1968-1979
- Collection of FBI files providing detailed information on the evolution of AIM (American Indian Movement) as an organization of social protest and the development of Native American radicalism. Part of Archives Unbound.
- American Periodicals Series Online
- Coverage: 1740-1940
- Over 1,100 periodicals that first began publishing between 1740 and 1900, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines, and many other historically-significant periodicals. May be cross-searched with ProQuest Historical Newspapers.
- The American West
- Coverage: 1700's-1900's
- Selected manuscripts, maps, ephemeral material and rare printed sources from the Everett D. Graff Collection of Western Americana at the Newberry Library, Chicago.
- Black Thought And Culture
- Coverage: 1700 - 2006
- Black Thought and Culture contains 1,200+ sources covering the non-fiction published works of leading African Americans. Includes non-fiction works, interviews, journal articles, speeches, essays, pamphlets, letters and other fugitive material. Also includes the Black Panther newspaper from 1967-1980. Allows for advanced browsing and searching by author, race, gender, year, subject, nationality, etc. Some materials are cross-searchable under Social and Cultural History.
- The Civil War In Words And Deeds
- Coverage: 1861-early 20th century
- Regimental histories and personal narratives of the Civil War compiled in the postwar era through the early 20th century. Part of Archives Unbound.
- Civil War Service Reports Of Union Army Generals
- Coverage: 1864-1887
- Union generals' reports submitted to the Adjutant General's Office (AGO) on their service during the Civil War period. The reports were submitted over a 23-year period and varied widely in length and subject matter. Content includes accounts of major battles in the Civil War, interactions with Native Americans, recruitment of African Americans for the Union forces, and Reconstruction. Part of Archives Unbound.
- Confederate Newspapers
- Coverage: 1858-1866
- Digitized Confederate papers from the Western Reserve Historical Society. Part of Archives Unbound.
- Early American Imprints. Series I, Evans (1639-1800)
- Coverage: 1639 - 1800
- Full text of almost every book and pamphlet printed in North America from 1639 to 1800. Not yet complete.
- Early American Imprints. Series II, Shaw-Shoemaker (1801-1819)
- Coverage: 1801 - 1819
- Full text of almost every book and pamphlet printed in North America from 1801 to 1819. Not yet complete.
- Early Encounters In North America
- Coverage: 1474 - 1800's
- Full text works by 1,400+ authors in the form of letters, diaries, memoirs and accounts of early encounters between American Indians, Europeans, Americans, and Africans in all areas of North America. Offers advanced searching and browsing of people, events, flora, fauna and more.
- Films On Demand
- Coverage: pre-1990 to current
- Films on Demand subscription to the following categories: Humanities & Social Sciences, Business & Economics, Science & Mathematics, and Health & Medicine. Hundreds of documentaries and educational films viewable as a whole or by segment. Register for an account to build playlists and set preferences. If you have trouble viewing from off campus, please contact the Reference Desk at x6662.
- Latino Literature
- Coverage: 1872 - current
- 100,000+ pages of poetry, fiction, and over 450 plays written in English and Spanish by hundreds of Chicano, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Dominican, and other Latino authors working in the United States. Some works have never been published before. Also includes 130,000+ pages of Chicago folk tales and audio files of selected poems and plays. Some materials are cross-searchable under North American Theater Online.
- Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers
- Coverage: 1800's
- Provides access to approximately 1.7 million pages of primary source newspaper content from the 19th century, featuring full-text content and images from numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S.
- North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, And Oral Histories
- Coverage: 1784 - 2004
- 100,00 pages of letters, diaries, oral histories, interviews and other personal narratives by 2,000+ authors. Some audio recordings are available. Material is organized for advanced browsing and searching. Some materials are cross-searchable under Social and Cultural History.
- North American Indian Drama
- Coverage: 1926 - current
- 170+ plays by 30+ playwrights together with detailed, indexed information on related productions, theaters, production companies, and more. Also includes bibliographies and the Native Playwrights' Newsletter. Cross-searchable under North American Theater Online.
- North American Women's Letters And Diaries
- Coverage: 1675 - 2002
- 150,000+ pages of diaries and letters from over 1,300 women, supplemented with biographies and bibliographies. Browse and search by detailed factors like author, race, occupation, age at first childbirth, year written, and geographical setting. Cross-searchable under Social and Cultural History.
- Social And Cultural History
- Coverage: 1558 - 2005
- Cross-searchable collection of databases containing letters, diaries, oral histories, memoirs and autobiographies. The focus is on personal narratives written or published in North America. Offers advanced browsing and searching of date, place, author/speaker, interviewer, event, subject and more. Indexes some or all materials of North American Women's Letters and Diaries; British and Irish Women's Letters and Diaries; North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries and Oral Histories; The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries; Black Thought and Culture; Manuscript Women's Letters and Diaries.
- Twentieth Century North American Drama
- Coverage: 1835 - current
- 1,500+ plays (some never before published) by 200 playwrights, together with detailed, indexed information on related productions, theaters, production companies, and more. The database also includes selected playbills, production photographs and other ephemera related to the plays. Cross-searchable under North American Theater Online.
- Women And Social Movements In The United States 1600-2000
- Coverage: 1600 - 2000
- Growing collection of documents related to women and social movements in U.S. history. Includes primary source documents, images, dictionary of movements, biographical dictionary, chronology, reviews, notes, and teaching tools. Organized for in-depth browsing and searching.