University Libraries

Full text of more than 100,000 pages of diaries, memoirs, and letters written by more than 2,000 participants in the American Civil War. A chronology of key events allows the user to see multiple perspectives surrounding a particular event.

Databases included in this collection: American History, 1493-1945; American Indian Histories and Cultures; American West; Everyday Life and Women in America, c1800-1920; Popular Culture 1950-1975; Slavery, Abolition, and Social Justice; Virginia Company Archives.

"This digital collection provides access to rare primary source material on American social, cultural, and popular history" for the period 1800-1920. Emphasis is on "social and gender issues, religion, race, education, employment, marriage, sexuality, home and family life, health, and pastimes."

"Includes the immediate experiences of 1,325 women, as revealed in approximately 150,000 pages of diaries and letters....The collection also includes biographies and an extensive annotated bibliography of the sources in the database."

The Virginia Company Archives is an essential source for the study of the Atlantic World and Early Colonial Period. It documents the founding and economic development of Virginia as seen through the papers of the Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624.

Curated by the Massachusetts Historical Society

Curated by the Library of Congress

Curated by the Library of Congress, the Jackson archival collection contains more than 26,000 items dating from 1767 to 1874.

This collection, housed at the Library of Congress, contains over 8,000 items. Of particular interest are the materials documenting Franklin's diplomatic role as a colonial representative in England and France.

This digital collection documents the public life of the great African American abolitionist who escaped from slavery and then risked his freedom by becoming an outspoken antislavery lecturer, writer, and publisher.

The George Washington Papers, consisting of approximately 65,000 items accumulated by Washington between 1745 and 1799, include correspondence, diaries, and financial and military records.

Spanning the years 1775-1889, this collection contains correspondence, diaries, speeches, records of Garfield's Civil War military service, legal records, genealogical material, college notebooks, tributes, printed matter, scrapbooks, and other material relating primarily to Garfield's career and death.

The James Madison Papers consist of approximately 12,000 items, documenting the life of the man who came to be known as the “Father of the Constitution.”

Contains 277 documents relating to the work of Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution.

The James Polk papers document struggles during Andrew Jackson’s administration over the Bank of the United States, Nullification Crisis, and internal improvements. For the period of Polk’s presidency, the papers cover the annexation of Texas, war with Mexico, the Oregon question, and the acquisition of the territories of New Mexico and California. Other subjects represented include slavery, tariff issues, patronage and office seeking, plantation matters, and family affairs.

Monroe's papers document his presidency and also his prior careers as secretary of state, secretary of war, delegate to the United States Continental Congress, diplomat, and governor of Virginia.