Library Guides: Finding Historical Primary Sources: Primary Sources Online

Primary Sources Online - Overview

The texts of primary sources are available online in two different ways:

freely available on the Internet (example: Library of Congress Digital Collections, or The David Rumsey Map Collection). It is important to carefully consider how you find and evaluate primary sources on the Internet.

available via library databases (example: African American Newspapers, 1827-1998) that may be used from any computer with access to the campus network. Off-campus access is limited to UCB faculty, staff and students; see Connecting from Off Campus for instructions for using the proxy server.

Getting Started:

complete list of UCB library databases for primary sources
selected databases/websites for online primary sources - United States
selected databases/websites for primary source newspaper and journal articles - United States
selected databases/websites for online primary sources- Europe
selected databases/websites for primary source newspaper and journal articles - Europe
databases/websites for primary sources by region

Primary Sources - US History - Getting Started

To find articles, see separate section below.

Digital Public Library of America
Discover 44,463,845 images, texts, videos, and sounds from across the United States
Library of Congress Digital Collections
Primary source and archival materials covering topics such as art and architecture, performing arts, technology and applied sciences

ProQuest History Vault This link opens in a new window
Search across all Proquest History Vault collections here. ProQuest History Vault unlocks a wealth of key archival materials with a single search. Researchers can access digitized letters, papers, photographs, scrapbooks, financial records, diaries, and many more primary source materials taken from the University Publications of America (UPA) Collections.
Online Archive of California (OAC) This link opens in a new window
Access to detailed descriptions of primary resource collections maintained by libraries, special collections, archives, historical societies, and museums throughout California including the 10 UC campuses.
A searchable and browseable resource that brings together historical materials from a variety of California institutions, including museums, historical societies, and archives. Contains over 120,000 images; 50,000 pages of documents, letters, and oral histories; and 8,000 guides to collections. Images are organized into thematic and institutional collections, such as historical topics, nature, places, and technology.
Calisphere This link opens in a new window
Digitized images including photographs, documents, newspaper pages, political cartoons, works of art, diaries, transcribed oral histories, advertising, and other unique cultural artifacts that reveal the diverse history and culture of California and its role in national and world history.
Gateway to digitized images from the libraries and museums of the University of California campuses, cultural heritage organizations in California, and UC-created websites and collections.
Archive of Americana This link opens in a new window
Contains unique primary source material relating to nearly every aspect of United States history from over three centuries. [1639 - 1899]
A family of primary source collections providing references to books, pamphlets, broadsides (Early American Imprints, Series I and Series II), newspapers (Early American Newspapers) and government publications (American State Papers and U.S. Congressional Serial Set).
North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
Includes published letters and diaries by more than 1000 women represented are all age groups and life stages, all ethnicities, many geographical regions. Also includes biographies and an extensive annotated bibliography. [Colonial times - 1950]
Include approximately 150,000 pages of published letters and diaries by more than 1000 women. Represented are all age groups and life stages, all ethnicities, many geographical regions. Also includes biographies and an extensive annotated bibliography.
American Presidency Project This link opens in a new window
Search thousands of documents related to historical and current U.S. presidencies, such as speeches, official papers, executive orders, proclamations, news conferences, and press briefings.
Contains all major publications of the U.S. Office of the President, including: Public Papers of the President, Inaugural Addresses, Executive Orders, Signing Statements, and other information such as radio addresses, party platforms, videos of debates, and popularity polling data. This project was developed by two political science professors at UCSB.
U.S. Congressional Serial Set This link opens in a new window
Access to all the reports, documents, and journals of the US Senate and House of Representatives from 1817 through 1980. [1817 - date varies]
A full-text database of key publications of the United States Congress. Also includes publications of the executive departments relating to important public issues. The Serial Set is a critical resource for the study of all aspects of American history including international relations, explorations, commerce and industrial development, genealogy, and political, social, cultural, military and ethnic history. When complete, the database will offer approximately 13,800 volumes and over 12 million pages in searchable full-text. (Archive of Americana allows cross-searching of several databases: Early American Imprints , Series I and II; Early American Newspapers; American State Papers; US Congressional Serial Set.)

Primary Sources -US History - Articles - Getting Started

Readers' Guide Retrospective This link opens in a new window
Indexes American magazines and journals published between 1890 to 1982.
EBSCOhost (formerly WilsonWeb) (EBSCO)
Periodicals Archive Online (formerly PCI Full Text) This link opens in a new window
Hundreds of full-run scholarly journals in the arts, humanities and social sciences. (Periodicals Contents Index)
An online periodical archive that provides access to over 700 digitized journals in the humanities and social sciences. A sister database, Periodicals Index Online, provides additional indexing for articles in over 4,700 periodicals.
Periodicals Index Online (formerly PCI) This link opens in a new window
Index of thousands of scholarly periodicals in the arts, humanities and social sciences. (Periodicals Contents Index) [1802 - 1995]
Indexes millions of articles published in over 4,700 periodicals in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. A sister database, Periodicals Archive Online, provides a full-text archive of over 700 journals published between 1802 and 2005.
Chronicling America This link opens in a new window
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
To date, over 200,000 pages of California newspapers have been digitized. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress as part of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).
American Periodicals This link opens in a new window
Digitized images of the pages of American magazines and journals published from colonial days to the dawn of the 20th century. (American Periodicals Series Online, 1740-1900 - APS Online) [1740 -1940]
Periodicals published between 1740 and 1940, including general interest magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines and other periodicals. Among the titles include: Massachusetts Magazine, Pennsylvania Magazine, National Era, Southern Literary Messenger, Scribner's, Lippincott's, Ladies' Home Journal and McClure's.
Early American Newspapers, Series 1 (1690-1876) & Series 2 (1758-1900) This link opens in a new window
Historic newspapers as fully text-searchable facsimile images. [1690 - 1900]
Access to hundreds of historic newspapers, providing more than one million pages as fully text-searchable facsimile images. Based largely on Clarence Brigham's "History and Bibliography of American Newspapers,1690-1820." (Archive of Americana allows cross-searching of several databases: Early American Imprints , Series I and II; Early American Newspapers; American State Papers; US Congressional Serial Set.)
HarpWeek This link opens in a new window
Digitized archive of Harper's Weekly from its beginning in 1857 to 1912. A good source for 19th and early 20th century advertising, illustrations, culture, history, literature, and notable figures.
Full-image reproductions of Harper's Weekly from its beginning in 1857 to 1912. Provides access to information about 19th and early 20th century advertising, illustrations, culture, history, literature, and notable figures.
19th Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Images of both full pages and clipped articles for hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers. (Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers)
For each issue, the newspaper is captured from cover-to-cover, providing access to every article, advertisement and illustration.
Nation Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
Full text access to The Nation, a weekly news magazine covering U.S. politics and society since 1865.
U.S. Regional Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
The Arizona Republican‎ (1890 - 2007), The Atlanta Constitution (1868-1984), The Austin American Statesman‎ (1871 - 1978), The Baltimore Sun (1837 - 1992), The Boston Globe (1872-1986), The Christian Science Monitor (1908 - 2004), The Cincinnati Enquirer (1841 - 2009), Dayton Daily News (1898 - 1922), Detroit Free Press (1831 - 1999), Hamilton Spectator (1846-2010), Hartford Courant (1764 - 1992), Indianapolis Star (1903 - 2004), The Kansas City Call (1919-2010), Louisville Courier Journal, Minneapolis Star Tribune‎ (1867 - 2001)
The Nashville Tennessean (1812 - 2002), Newsday (1940 - 1989), New York Tribune / Herald Tribune (1841 - 1962), The Philadelphia Inquirer (1860 - 2001), Pittsburgh Post-Gazete (1786 - 2003), St. Louis American (1949-2010), St. Louis Post Dispatch‎ (1874 - 2003), St. Petersburg Times/Tampa Bay Times (1901–2009).

Primary Sources - European - Getting Started

For articles, see separate section below.

Europeana This link opens in a new window
Digital objects from European institutions.
Provides open access to more than 15 million digital objects, including film material, photos, paintings, sounds, maps, manuscripts, books, newspapers and archival papers from more than 1500 European institutions. Europeana -- the European digital library, museum and archive -- launched in 2008 and is funded by the European Commission and its member states. This current prototype is one of many parallel projects of The European Library.
European Library This link opens in a new window
Holdings, maps, photographs and more from 48 national libraries in Europe.
Provides free international online access to holdings, maps, photographs, music, and digitized materials from 48 national libraries in Europe. Resources can be both digital (books, posters, maps, sound recordings, videos, etc.) and bibliographical. (The European Library)
British Online Archives This link opens in a new window
Includes multiple archival collections relating to the politics and history of Britain and its colonized territories.
These documents include East India Company records, the records of missionaries from the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, Parliamentary Labour Party papers, the Anti-fascist newsletters of the International Transport Workers' Federation, the records of the Communist Party of Great Britain, and The British Union of Fascists' newspapers and secret files. Collections can be browsed or searched individually or collectively.
Early English Books Online (EEBO) This link opens in a new window
Early works printed in England, or in English.
Indexes over 125,000 volumes of early works printed in England or in English. These works constitute a significant portion of items included in the English Short Title Catalogue. It contains most of the works listed in Pollard & Redgrave's Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640), Wing's Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700), the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661) collection and the Early English Books Tract Supplements.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO) This link opens in a new window
Items published in Great Britain and its colonies during the 18th century. (18th Century Collections Online - 18th Century Collection Online - Eighteenth Century Collection Online) [1700-1800]
Contains over 180,000 items published in Great Britain and its colonies, including those in North America, during the 18th Century. This database complements the materials found in Early English Books Online (EEBO), which covers 1475-1700. The resource is thus a rich source of information about the American and French Revolutions and the Age of Reason, scientific and medical advances, literature, law, religion, industry, and all aspects of 18th Century life in Britain and its colonies.
Electronic Enlightenment This link opens in a new window
Correspondence between 18th century thinkers, writers and their friends and families.
Searchable and browseable database offering extensive access to the web of correspondence between the greatest thinkers and writers of the long eighteenth century and their families and friends, bankers and booksellers, patrons and publishers. Coverage includes letters and documents, document sources such as manuscripts and early printed editions, scholarly annotations, and links to biographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, and other online resources.
Empire Online This link opens in a new window
Digitized collection of original manuscript and printed documents from around the world to support research in the field of colonial and empire studies. [1492-1962]
Includes 70,000 images of original manuscript and printed documents to support study and research in the field of colonial and empire studies. Five sections include: Cultural Contacts, 1492-1969; Empire Writing and the Literature of Empire; The Visible Empire; Religion and Empire; and Race, Class, Imperialism and Colonialism, c. 1607-1969. In addition to original documents, this database contains scholarly essays and analysis.
C19: The Nineteenth Century Index This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive coverage of nineteenth-century books, periodicals, official documents, newspapers and archives. (19th Century Index) [1800 - 1899]
C19 Index draws on the Nineteenth Century Short Title Catalogue, The Wellesley Index, Poole's Index and Periodicals Index Online to create integrated bibliographic coverage of over 1.4 million books and official publications, 64,891 archival collections and 15.6 million articles published in over 2,500 journals, magazines and newspapers.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online (NCCO) This link opens in a new window
Primary source material from the nineteenth century and beyond. Particularly strong in British politics and society, European literature, Asia and the West, British popular culture, and photography. (19th Century Collections Online) [19th Century]
Primary source material from the nineteenth century and beyond. Particularly strong in British politics and society, European literature from 1790-1840 (via the Corvey collection), Asia and the West, and British popular culture. Includes more than 1 million images from the "Photography: The World Through the Lens" collection.
UK Parliamentary Papers This link opens in a new window
House of Commons sessional papers from the last 300 years. [1688-2014]
Provides full-text access to thousands of 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st century Parliamentary Papers of Great Britain. Includes all the "sessional papers" of the British Parliament: bills, reports of committees, papers presented by Royal Commissions and government departments, treaties and international agreements, command papers, and statistics.

Primary Sources - European - Articles - Getting Started

British Periodicals (Collection I, II & III) This link opens in a new window
Nearly 500 British periodicals published from the 17th through the early 20th centuries.
Topics covered include literature, philosophy, history, science, the social sciences, music, art, drama, archaeology, and architecture.
International Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
ABC Madrid (1903-2010), Chinese Newspaper Collection (1832 - 1953), The Globe and Mail‎ (1844 - 2019), The Guardian and The Observer‎ (1791 - 2003), Hindustan Times‎ (1924 - 2000), The Irish Times and The Weekly Irish Times‎ (1859 - 2016), The Jerusalem Post‎ (1932 - 2008), The Korea Times‎ (1956 - 2016), London Evening Standard‎ (1827 - current), Observer Magazine (1964-2003), The Scotsman‎ (1817 - 1950), South China Morning Post (1903 - 2001), The Times of India (1838 - 2011), Waterloo Region Record (1893-2010).

Times Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
Online access, fully searchable full text of over 200 years (1785 to 1985, with 1986 to 2003 added later this year) of The London Times, the "world's newspaper of record." [Note: "Sunday Times" is a distinct newspaper with no editorial connection to The Times London, and is not included in this database.] [1785 - 2006]
Gale Cengage Learning
Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Burney Newspapers Collection This link opens in a new window
The largest single collection of 17th and 18th century English news media available from the British Library. (Seventeenth to Eighteenth Century)
Newspapers and news pamphlets gathered by the Reverend Charles Burney (1757-1817). Covers more than 200 years of accounts from newspapers from England, Ireland, Scotland and a handful of papers from British colonies in the Americas and Asia.
British Library Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Digitized archive of selected 19th century newspapers. (Nineteenth Century British Newspapers)
Contains full runs of 49 papers selected by the British Library as representative. It contains regional and national papers in England as well as papers from Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Content comes from penny papers read by the working class and papers advocating political or social movements such as Reform, Chartism and Home Rule.
Eighteenth Century Journals This link opens in a new window
Full text of important and often rare journals printed between the late seventeenth and early nineteenth centuries in Great Britain. (18th Century Journals - Eighteenth Century Journals I Online - Eighteenth Century Journals II Online - Eighteenth Century Journals Portal) [1680-1835]
The collections cover all aspects of British life including history, science, music, society, literature and theater. There is minimal overlap with EEBO, Early English Newspapers and ECCO. Contains material from the Hope Collection at the Bodleian Library which includes 95 rare journals printed between 1693 and 1799. Also contains materials from the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center which houses 17th and 18th century newspapers and periodicals. (18th Century Journals - Eighteenth Century Journals I Online - Eighteenth Century Journals II Online - Eighteenth Century Journals Portal)

Primary Sources - By Region

For primary sources by region, see the following research guides, created by the History librarian:

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