Have a question about History research? Send a question to Erin Cassidy, the History Librarian.
What are You Looking For?
Journal Articles About History
Reference & Biography Databases
Research Guides on History Topics/Classes:
Journal Articles About History
America: History and Life
U.S. and Canadian history, from prehistory to the present. Local, state, and international journals (mostly English-language).
Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection: Series I
U.S. Hispanic history, literature, and culture, all 50 states, circa 1610-2006. Articles, books, pamphlets, broadsides, and more in full text.
Arts and Humanities Citation Index (part of Web of Science)
Bibliography of Native North Americans
Native North American culture, history, and life, 16th century to present. U.S. and Canadian books, essays, journal articles, and government documents.
Black Studies Center
African Americans, African Diaspora, and Africa, primarily 20th century. Historical newspapers, videos, images, scholarly essays, index of recent and historical periodical articles (some full text), and index of black literature.
Historical Abstracts
World history (not including U.S. and Canada), 1450 to present. Covers Africa, Asia, North and South America, Europe, Middle East, etc. Journals from around the world.
Humanities Source
JSTOR
Project MUSE
Southwestern Historical Quarterly, 1897-1997
First 100 years of oldest continuously-published scholarly journal in Texas. Searchable Tables of Contents and links to full articles. IF a certain article is not linked, search for it at Portal to Texas History.
Texas Reference Center
Texas history, diversity, gender studies, literature, public health, business, etc. Books, journals, biographies of famous historical and contemporary Texans. Spanish-language newspaper El Sol de Texas, with Texas and national news coverage.
Historical Documents
African American Newspapers 1827-1998
African American Periodicals 1825-1995
Periodicals by and about African Americans, published in 26 states. Academic & political journals, commercial magazines, institutional newsletters, organizations' bulletins, annual reports, and more.
American Memory Project
U.S. history, 1400-present: text, audio, video, images, maps, sheet music.
American Periodicals, 1740-1940
U.S. periodicals, including special interest, general, children's, women's, literary, and professional.
American State Papers 1789-1838
U.S. Congressional and Executive documents, 1789-1838.
America's Historical Newspapers 1690-1998
American and U.S. local newspapers from all 50 states, ranging from 1690 to 1998.
Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection: Series I
U.S. Hispanic history, literature, and culture, all 50 states, circa 1610-2006. Articles, books, pamphlets, broadsides, and more in full text.
Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century -- See History Vault
Black Studies Center
African Americans, African Diaspora, and Africa, primarily 20th century. Historical newspapers, videos, images, scholarly essays, index of recent and historical periodical articles (some full text), and index of black literature. Includes Chicago Defender (1910-75) & Daily Defender (1956-75).
British Periodicals I & II
British periodicals, late 17th to early 20th centuries. History of Britain and its colonies, as well as British view of events in America & world.
Burney Collection: 17th- & 18th-Century Newspapers & More
17th-18th century English newspapers, pamphlets, and books.
C19: The Nineteenth Century Index
Citations for millions of books, official publications, archival collections, and journal, magazine, and newspaper articles. Links out to full text when available (including many items in British Periodicals).
Chronicling America (Library of Congress)
Digitized newspapers from a handful of states, most coverage 1860-1922. More newspapers are being added regularly. Texas component: Texas Digital Newspaper Program.
The Civil War, Parts 1-6
- Histories, rosters, and muster lists for all Union regiments.
- Union & Confederate commanding officer memoirs, strategies, tactics.
- Selected newspaper content, 1850s-1860s: North, South, Midwest regions; Democratic, Republican, Know-Nothing political views.
- Memoirs, rosters, pamphlets, regimental histories, other documents illustrating the war experience in Iowa and the Northeast.Dallas Morning News Historical Archive 1885-1984
Documents major events in Texas, the U.S. and the world, 1885-1984. Full papers: articles, photos, graphics, maps, political cartoons, editorials, ads, recipes, etc.
Documenting the American South (UNC-Chapel Hill)
Southern history, literature, and culture, colonial period - early 20th century. Books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, songs. Free website from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Early American Imprints 1639-1819 (Evans and Shaw-Shoemaker)
Virtually every book, pamphlet and broadside published in America from 1639-1819. Documents almost every aspect of life in colonial America and the early U.S.
Early English Books Online (EEBO)
Virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and British North America, as well as works in English printed elsewhere, from 1473-1700.
The Economist Historical Archive, 1843-2008
Every page of every issue. Comprehensive analysis of historical global news.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO)
English-language and foreign-language titles printed in the United Kingdom, 1701-1800, and thousands of important works from the Americas. Books, pamphlets, broadsides, and ephemera.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports, 1941-1974
U.S. intelligence on international affairs. Covers Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Soviet Union, etc. Transcribed and translated radio broadcasts from foreign governments, official news services, and clandestine broadcasts from occupied territories--often first-hand reports of events as they occurred.
Google News Archive
Free collection of historical newspapers. Ranges broadly, 1840-1910.
HeritageQuest Online
American culture and history, local and family history, starting with 13 original colonies. U.S. census and family & local history books; index of genealogy & local history articles. Special collections of Revolutionary War and Freedman's Bank records.
Hispanic American Newspapers 1808-1980
Hundreds of Hispanic American newspapers, printed in U.S. during 19th and 20th centuries. Includes both Spanish-language and Spanish/English bilingual newspapers.
History Vault: Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century
Documents diverse topics of the black Civil Rights Movement from the last decade of 19th century through last decade of 20th century. Includes:
- Federal government agency records.
- Papers from major organizations such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Black Power Movement groups, and many more.
- Papers from major civil rights figures such as Bayard Rustin, Mary McLeod Bethune, and others.Illustrated London News Historical Archive, 1842-2003
Complete, full-color run of the world’s most iconic illustrated newspaper. Covers topics such as news, wars, royal events, scientific invention, exploration, fashion, and more.
JSTOR
Historical pamphlets, 17-19th centuries, mostly British-made, about many countries. Use Advanced Search and check the box for "Pamphlets." Also some historical journals (depending on the time period being researched).
National Geographic Magazine Archive, 1888-1994
Every page, every photo, of National Geographic Society's official journal. Research world events in history, plus culture, geography, and photography.
New York Times Historical, 1851 to 3 years ago
Every page of every issue of the New York Times, from 1851 until approximately 3 years ago.
New York Times (Late Edition, East Coast) Digital Microfilm, 2008-present
Though not exactly a searchable database, this digital microfilm collection makes it easier to view specific dates, issues, or pages of the New York Times without requiring a trip to the library or a special microform reader. Articles are provided in PDF format for printing or downloading. Available issues will be approximately 2-3 months behind the current date, though sometimes further.
Nineteenth (19th) Century Collections Online
Monographs, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, photographs, statistics, and other documents in both Western and non-Western languages. Primary collection themes are:
- Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange
- British Politics and Society
- British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture
- European Literature 1790-1840: The Corvey CollectionNineteenth (19th) Century Masterfile
Indices to 19th-century newspapers, periodicals, books, and government documents. Science/engineering history as well as politics, literature, social history, and much more.
Nineteenth (19th) Century U.S. Newspapers Digital Archive
19th-century newspapers from various urban and rural regions throughout the U.S. Strong in topics such as Civil War, African-American history, Western migration, etc.
Papers of Thomas Jefferson
Search & view 37 volumes of Jefferson's papers, 1743 to his death in 1826. Includes all illustrations and bibliographical content of print edition, plus linked cross-references and indexes.
Periodicals Archive Online
Journal articles, 1802-2000, international and in many subject areas. Journals in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and other Western languages.
Presidential Recordings of Lyndon B. Johnson
Hundreds of hours of presidential tapes from the LBJ administration. Covers many major issues, from the War on Poverty to the Civil Rights Movement to the Vietnam War. Audio files and full transcription and annotation for each conversation. Also includes photo and video galleries and a linked timeline.
Southwestern Historical Quarterly, 1897-1997
First 100 years of oldest continuously-published scholarly journal in Texas. Searchable Tables of Contents and links to full articles. IF a certain article is not linked, search for it at Portal to Texas History.
Texas Digital Newspaper Program
Papers from cities across Texas, 1829-1953 (dates are scattered). Free from University of North Texas; part of Chronicling America.
Texas Digital Sanborn Maps
Maps, 1867-1970, chart the development of 400+ Texas towns and cities. Sanborn maps are large-scale plans of a city/town, drawn at a scale of 50 feet : 1 inch. Created to assist fire insurance companies in assessing insurance risk. Maps list street blocks and building numbers in use at the time of drawing and previous numbers.
The Times of London Digital Archive 1785-2006
"World's newspaper of record." Covers all major international historical events. Every page of every issue, 1785-2006.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1994
Reports, documents, journals of U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, 1817-1994. Every publication from 15th - 103rd Congresses.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set Maps
Over 65,000 maps, 1872-1979, 42nd Congress 3rd session - 96th Congress 1st session. Diverse topics such as diseases, railroads, migrations, explorations, international events, & more.
Vogue Archive (1892-present)
Entire run of Vogue magazine from 1892-present, including text, images, captions, advertisements, covers, and fold-outs. Useful for researching fashion design and marketing, popular culture, photography and visual arts, gender, social history, designing period costumes, and more.
World Digital Library
Significant primary documents from around the world in multiple languages. Strong in Latin America & Europe. Also N. America, Middle East, Africa, Asia. Free collection produced by international institutions and the United Nations.
Video & Audio
Ambrose Video
Includes online films in U.S., ancient, military, women's, multicultural history. All films include closed-captioning.
Academic Video Online
Thousands of hours of streaming video in most disciplines, including American History, World History, Area Studies, Ethnic & Ethnographic Studies, Gender Studies, and more. Many videos include interactive text transcripts.
Films on Demand
Educational films in U.S. and World History, many topics & time periods. More than 200 World War II-era newsreels. Select films include closed-captioning and/or interactive text transcripts.
Quick-Start: How to Link to a Film
Films on Demand: A Guide for SHSU UsersHave Fun with History
History-based dramas, documentaries, and news programs. Early-20th century footage as well as modern film. Covers African American history, Native American history, immigration, colonial/Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, American West, WWI, WWII, presidents, science, and more. Excerpt regarding use: "Movies available on this site are in the public domain in the United States."
National Jukebox from the Library of Congress (early 1900s audio)
Teach Texas: Texas Archive of the Moving Image
Over 1,000 streaming videos on topics in the history and culture of Texas, including original primary-source video as well as secondary content. Click "Teach Texas" to find coordinated lesson plans, activities, etc. Excerpt regarding use: "All donations to the Archive Program must be free from copyright, or the donor must be willing to place the film in the public domain" -- therefore this material may be used without concern for copyright infringement.
Reference and Biography Databases
Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL)
More Reference and Biography Databases...
Statistics and Datasets
ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research)
Huge collection of current and historical data sets from individual researchers, governmental agencies, polling agencies and international sources. Provides files for SAS, SPSS and Stata. View guide to ICPSR.
Historical Statistics of the United States
Source for qualitative facts in American history; statistical tables are also accompanied by source documentation and expert essays to provide historical context. Diverse topics include slavery, migration, health, poverty, crime, and more. Users can customize and download data tables.
National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS)
Source for statistical and geographic information system (GIS) boundary data for the United States, 1790 to present. Includes census data; tract data; County Business Patterns; School Attendance Boundary Information System (SABINS) data. Create free account to retrieve data and GIS shapefiles.
Find more sources for statistics and datasets...
Useful Tools for Citing Sources
Chicago Manual of Style Online
Provides online access to both the 16th and 15th editions of the Chicago Manual of Style, plus Style Q&A, a quick-guide of Chicago citation examples, and a variety of helpful citing tools.
EndNote Web
Collections by Platform/Interface
Certain major platforms/interfaces are used for multiple historical collections:
