United States History

The Digital Public Library of America is a wealth of primary source material. It contains over 43,864,848 images, texts, videos, and sounds from across the United States. Searchable by topic or keyword.

The digital resources described in this guide provide online access, in varying degrees, to the personal papers and/or publications of the major founders of the American Republic—that is, those men who served in roles of national political leadership between 1774 and 1815—and members of their immediate families.

In 1864 Rev. Elias Hillard, a Congregational Minister and erstwhile historian, embarked on a “do-or-die” mission. It was the last chance history would have to record by word or photos the last surviving soldiers of the American Revolutionary War. Incredible though it may seem, six veterans who served in the Revolution were alive eighty-three years after British General Cornwallis surrendered to the Americans at Yorktown ending the War of Independence. Even more incredible is that, because of Rev. Hillard's efforts, photos of the six veterans are available in the historical record, the only photos of any of the War's soldiers.

Contains 277 documents relating to the work of Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution. Items include extracts of the journals of Congress, resolutions, proclamations, committee reports, treaties, and early printed versions of the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.

American Journeys contains more than 18,000 pages of eyewitness accounts of North American exploration, from the sagas of Vikings in Canada in AD1000 to the diaries of mountain men in the Rockies 800 years later.

A database from Cornell University of ads placed by enslavers for fugitives who ran away from slavery. "Created to control the movement of enslaved people, the ads ultimately preserved the details of individual lives--their personality, appearance, and life story. Taken collectively, the ads constitute a detailed, concise, and rare source of information about the experiences of enslaved people."

Ten audio recordings of former enslaved people in America who were mostly interviewed in the 1930s and 1940s, more than 70 years after slavery ended. The recordings are from the Library of Congress website, Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People tell their stories, and are included on the website, "2019: The 400th", commemorating the arrival of the first Africans.

In this speech Alexander Stephens, Vice President of the Confederacy, proclaims that slavery and white supremacy were not only the cause for secession, but also the “cornerstone” of the Confederate nation.