Research Guides: Cases in US History: The United States and the Challenge of Secession: Research Resources

Digital Collections from Bunn Library

The following collections are available through Bunn Library. To explore all of our available resources, view the Online Resources section of our website. When conducting your research, consider the types of artifacts that might best fit your research question.

America's Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Explore a historical timeline for the Prelude to the Civil War (1845-1860), with links to historical newspapers connected to major events during that time frame.
American History, 1493-1945 This link opens in a new window
This unique collection of documents brings to life American History from the times of the earliest settlers until the end of World War II. It is sourced from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the finest archives available for the study of American history. Its quantity and quality offers a wonderful overview of American history alongside some deep research strands. For this project, focus on Module 1 - Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859
American Periodicals This link opens in a new window
Periodicals published between 1740 and 1940, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines, and many other historically-significant periodicals.
Black Life in America (Newsbank) This link opens in a new window
From Black-owned newspapers to mainstream publications, this primary source collection offers an expansive window into centuries of African American history, culture and daily life — as well as the ways the dominant culture has portrayed and perceived people of African descent. Use the Suggested Search feature to search by time period, looking at Antebellum, 1784-1860.
Civil War: Sources in U.S. History Online This link opens in a new window
The collection examines the war in all its complexity; its battles and campaigns, its political and religious aspects, the experiences of its leaders and common soldiers, the home front and the military campground, from its causes to its consequences.
Facts on File: African-American History This link opens in a new window
Exploring more than 500 years of the African-American experience, African-American History Online offers many exciting features, including more than 85 historical videos that bring history to life. The extensively hyperlinked entries in this comprehensive database include subject entries, primary sources, images and videos, general and topic-specific timelines, biographies, maps and charts, and more. Culled from many of Facts On File's critically acclaimed print titles, this database provides students and researchers with a wealth of quality, authoritative content.
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.
Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
Access data on social, behavioral, humanistic, and natural sciences including history, economics, government, finance, sociology, demography, education, law, natural resources, climate, religion, international migration, and trade - quantitative facts of American History.
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.
Nation Archive This link opens in a new window
Founded in 1865, The Nation is America's oldest continuously published weekly magazine. The archive includes the full run of the paper from that time. The Nation is frequently quoted and referred to in works of historical analysis. In the contemporary period, it is characterized by a liberal point of view.

Recommended Collections from the Web

The following suggestions all contained sources curated to address the scope of this project. This is not an exhaustive list! Considering your research question, you can search for collections online that address your specific focus. Larger archival collections such as those housed within the Library of Congress, National Archives, and other museums and cultural institutions may also be useful if you are not successful in finding artifacts within the suggestions below. Reach out to Ms. Sinai if you need help.

Digital History:

Digital History: Slavery
Primary documents related to the issue of slavery in US history.
Digital History: Pre-Civil War Era
Primary sources related to the pre-Civil War Era in US History.

Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) Primary Source Sets, Exhibits, & Topics:
The following curated sets of primary sources from DPLA will be useful to your research. To explore the full extent of DPLA's offerings, use the search window on the home page and search by keyword.

Secession of the South States, Primary Source Set
This primary source set uses documents, illustrations, and maps to explore events and ideas that drove the formation of the Confederate States of America and the United States’ descent into civil war.
Torn in Two: Mapping the American Civil War
View this online exhibit from DPLA, particularly part one: "Before the War - Rising Tensions"
Topic Browse: American Civil War
Explore the sections "Politics of the Union" and "Creating the Confederacy" for primary sources related to the lead up to the conflict.
John Brown's Raid on Harper’s Ferry, Primary Source Set
The primary sources in this set document John Brown’s raid and the broad range of responses it provoked across the country.
The Underground Railroad and the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, Primary Source Set
This primary source set provides teachers and students with resources that reveal the myriad sacrifices enslaved people made in order to gain their freedom, the effects of the Fugitive Slave Law on the lives of free African Americans, and the community that was built among abolitionists and enslaved people.
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Primary Source Set
Uncle Tom’s Cabin caused an uproar when it was published in 1852 and it has sparked controversy ever since. Abraham Lincoln is said to have called the author, Harriet Beecher Stowe, “the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war.” The novel was hugely popular and everyone had an opinion about its depiction of slavery. Many Northern readers saw the novel as revealing the horrors of the “peculiar institution,” and abolitionists characterized it as a gift from God. In the South, Uncle Tom’s Cabin generated outrage; slave owners criticized it as hyperbolic and untruthful.

Library of Congress:

Compromise of 1850: Primary Documents in American History
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of acts that dealt with issues related to slavery and territorial expansion. This guide contains Library of Congress digital materials, external websites, and a print bibliography.
Kansas-Nebraska Act: Primary Documents in American History
https://guides.loc.gov/kansas-nebraska-act
Missouri Compromise: Primary Documents in American History
Resources from the Library of Congress related to the Missouri Compromise

National Archives (US):

Milestone Documents: Expansion and Reform (1801-1861)
The primary source documents on this page highlight pivotal moments in the course of American history or government. They are some of the most-viewed and sought-out documents in the holdings of the National Archives.
Milestone Documents: Civil War and Reconstruction (1850-1877)
The primary source documents on this page highlight pivotal moments in the course of American history or government. They are some of the most-viewed and sought-out documents in the holdings of the National Archives.

Other Recommended Collections:

Uncle Tom's Cabin and American Culture Archive
This archive from UVA explores documents that influenced the creation of the novel, as well as reactions to the novel (reviews, African American reactions, pro-Slavery responses), in a browsable format.