Research Guides: Themes: Cold War Exhibit Project: Research

Assignment Links: Cold War Research Project | Curate an Exhibit

Background Reading: Reference Collections & Articles

Click here to view recommended reference articles related to your topic.

For additional background information, explore the resources below:

U.S. Foreign Policy: A Documentary and Reference Guide
U.S. Foreign Policy: A Documentary and Reference Guide presents and interprets important documents from throughout U.S. history, from the administration of George Washington to that of Barack Obama. Examining U.S. foreign policy through this lens identifies the ideals of the United States during different periods, illuminates the intent behind its military actions, and reveals how each American president interpreted his moral responsibilities as leader of one of the most powerful nations in the world. Organized to allow readers to examine the historical evolution of U.S. foreign policy, the book includes treaties, speeches, and other documents that illustrate important doctrines and decisions over the more than two centuries of American history, covering all presidential doctrines to the current administration. It also highlights various phases of foreign policy, from regionalism to westward expansion, from the Cold War to a New World Order.
Milestones in the History of U.S. Foreign Relations
Provides a general overview of the history of U.S. engagement with the world through short essays on important moments, or milestones, in the diplomatic history of the United States. The basic objective of these essays is to provide a clear, accurate, narrative account of the events being discussed, with a brief discussion of each event’s significance for U.S. foreign policy and diplomatic history

Facts on File: American History This link opens in a new window
American History Online spans more than 500 years of political, military, social, and cultural history. Thousands of biographies, subject entries, timeline entries, primary source documents, maps, and images cover the entire spectrum of the American experience.

Can I use wikipedia?
Yes! If you're unsure where to begin, wikipedia can be an excellent source for basic information (important people, places, dates, etc.). Check the references at the bottom of each article to find additional sources, including primary documents.

Foreign Relations of the United States

Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) is the official documentary record of major US foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. FRUS is available for free online from the US Office of the Historian. Documents are organized by presidential administration.

FRUS is also available through the library's subscription to HeinOnline, and includes a more easily searchable interface, as well as additional works related to US foreign policy. For search tips, explore HeinOnline's FRUS research guide.

HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
HeinOnline contains the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, and Code of Federal Regulations, complete coverage of the U.S. Reports back to 1754, and entire databases dedicated to treaties, constitutions, case law, foreign relations, and U.S. Presidents. Additional collections include material on Women and the Law, Slavery in America and the World, Religion and the Law, Civil Rights and Social Justice, and COVID 19: Pandemics Past and Present.

Historical Documents: Foreign Relations of the United States
Organized by presidential administration. Select the administration that intersects with the period you are studying, then view documents related to a specific event or country.

Secondary Sources: Online Resources

Gale in Context: U.S. History This link opens in a new window
Covers both U.S. history, with full-text articles and primary sources, as well as access to the abstracts and citations in the premier U.S. historical bibliography, America: History & Life.
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
HeinOnline contains the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, and Code of Federal Regulations, complete coverage of the U.S. Reports back to 1754, and entire databases dedicated to treaties, constitutions, case law, foreign relations, and U.S. Presidents. Additional collections include material on Women and the Law, Slavery in America and the World, Religion and the Law, Civil Rights and Social Justice, and COVID 19: Pandemics Past and Present.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
This full-text database contains a broad range of scholarly journals in the arts, sciences, humanities, and social sciences. The JSTOR mission is unique in that it creates a permanent, digitized archive of the selected titles.

Congressional Research Service Reports Database
Provides the public with access to research products produced by Congressional Research Service (a legislative branch located in the Library of Congress) for the US Congress.

Academic Search Engines:

Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar is a free search engine that allows users to search for academic content (such academic papers, dissertations, theses, and case law) across the web, including content owned by Bunn Library. Results with full-text access will have a link in the column to the left of the title.
Access Google Scholar using the link provided below to ensure that you will retrieve full-text results from Bunn Library databases, or add The Lawrenceville School to "My Library" section of your user profile. For help or questions regarding Google Scholar, please reach out to Ms. Sinai at asinai@lawrenceville.org.

Primary Source Collections

Newspapers:

America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Search and browse hundreds of U.S. newspapers published from 1690 through the 20th Century, including titles from all 50 present states.
New York Times (ProQuest Historical Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
NYT Historical edition covers the newspaper from 1851-2016. For more recent articles try New York Times (ProQuest Central), which covers June 1, 1980-Present. For today's news, visit the digital New York Times.

Document Collections:

The Avalon Project: 20th Century Documents
From Yale Law School, this resource presents papers relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States series, specifically related to events that occurred from 1900-1999.
Electronic Resources for U.S. Foreign Relations
From the US Office of the Historian.
National Security Archive: Briefing Books
“Briefing Books” are one-stop resources covering a full range of topics in U.S. foreign policy. Containing from 5 to 100+ documents, each briefing book features an introductory essay, individual document descriptions, related photo or video content, plus links for further reading.
International History Declassified: Wilson Center Digital Archive
The Wilson Center Digital Archive is a resource where students, researchers, journalists, and others can access once-secret documents from governments and organizations all over the world. Search the catalog or explore by People, Place, and Topic.