LibGuides: History Subject Guide: United States

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Research Starters

Top 4 U.S. History Databases

America: History and Life: historical coverage of the United States and Canada from prehistory to present
New York Times Historical Archives (1851 - 2009): Full text and full image database of the New York Times archives
Readers' Guide Retrospective: Index of the most popular general interest periodicals published in the U.S. covering 1890 - 1982

Other Databases

American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals
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One of the most comprehensive collection of American periodicals published from 1684 to 1912. These periodicals cover events spanning from the Colonial Era to the Civil War to Reconstruction.
American State Papers
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The American State Papers collection contains published congressional records from the Continental Congress through the 43rd Congress, as well as many other journals and collections in early American history.
Digital National Security Archive
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This online archive contains indexed declassified government documents related to military, intelligence, diplomatic, and human rights issues in U.S. policy. It contains materials from 1945 to present day.
Historical Statistics of the U.S.
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The Historical Statistics of the U.S. contains a vast array of statistics in the U.S. regarding population, work and welfare, economic structure and performance, economic structure and performance, economic sectors, governance and international relations, and more.
Humanities International Complete
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Humanities International Complete contains hundreds of peer-reviewed, full-text journals and magazines pertaining to the humanities.

Online Journals

Reviews in American History (1973-2011)
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Reviews in American History provides reviews of the twenty newest books currently published about American History. It is primarily used by professors and historians in order to remain up to date in their field.
The Journal of American History (1964-2010)
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The Journal of American History is published by the Organization of American Historians and is considered the leading scholarly publication in its field.
OAH Magazine of History (1985-2010)
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Each issue of The OAH Magazine of History focuses on one topic of American History and utilize recent scholarship and provide historiography on the topic.
The Journal of Southern History (1935-2010)
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The Journal of Southern History is published by the Southern Historical Association at the University of Georgia and covers a wide range of topics within Southern history during the years 1935-2011.

Encyclopedias

Culture Wars: An Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices
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This encyclopedia is written in an A-Z format, and spans a wide range of cultural issues, such as abortion, animal rights, factory farms, McCarthyism, punk rock, vaccinations, and much more.
Encyclopedia of African American History, 1619-1895
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This encyclopedia covers life from the time of the first arrival of the first slave ship, to Frederick Douglass' death, and explores how American cultural and history have been affected by the experiences of African Americans.
Encyclopedia of African American history, 1896 to the present from the age of segregation to the twenty-first century
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This encyclopedia is a great beginning point for anyone interested in topics related to African American history. This encyclopedia covers from Reconstruction to present day, including the election of Barack Obama.
Encyclopedia of American Cultural and Intellectual History
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This encyclopedia is split into 17 different parts, such as Early America, Commercial and National Consolidation, World War II and the 1950s, The Reagan Era to the Present, etc. This is a useful source for those looking to brush up on certain aspects of U.S. history, or those who are beginners and require a quick but trustworthy explanation of various topics of American history.
Guns in American Society
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This unique encyclopedia covers all aspects of how guns affect American life, such as the social, psychological, and and political aspects of guns in America. It contains entries on specific individuals and their gun-related beliefs, as well as gun control acts, ideologies, juvenile gun courts, and much more.
Historical Encyclopedia of American Labor
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This encyclopedia is broken down into 55 appendices all dealing with the history of organized labor in America. It spans from the industrial revolution to the post-industrial age.

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Looking for a broad history of the United States?

A People's History of the United States, by Howard Zinn
This book offers a broader view of American history in an engaging and informative fashion.

Zinn, H. (1990). A people's history of the United States. New York : Harper & Row, 1990,c1980.

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A Different Perspective

A Queer History of the United States, by Michael Bronski
This book is a concise history of LGBT people in US society. It describes ways in which queer people have influenced the evolution of the United States, and how the culture of the United States has affected them.

Bronski, M. (2011). A queer history of the United States. Boston : Beacon Press, c2011.