Library Guides: Comparative Ethnic Studies: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

Primary sources were either created during the time period being studied or were created at a later date by a participant in the events being studied (as in the case of memoirs). They reflect the individual viewpoint of a participant or observer. Primary sources enable the researcher to get as close as possible to what actually happened during an historical event or time period.

See the Finding Historical Primary Sources Library Guide for a comprehensive guide to locating primary sources.

See specific pages on Archives (archival collections at local institutions and beyond), Digital Collections (digital archives on Ethnic Studies), and Newspapers (information on how to access historical newspapers).

Primary Sources

Primary sources can be found in a variety of library tools:

UC Library Search
Online book and text collections
Primary Source databases provided by the Library
includes databases for finding newspaper articles, such as Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) or magazine articles, such as Reader's Guide
Vetted sites on the web:

For specific search strategies, see the Library's Guide to Finding Historical Primary Sources

Learn more about your topic in advance:

names of relevant individuals and organizations
dates of events
places
what terminology was used at the time by participants and observers? (ex: negro or colored instead of african american)

Use the bibliographies of secondary sources and reference sources to find citations to specific primary sources; search UC Library Search to locate them on campus, or ask for assistance at the Library.

UC Berkeley Primary Source Databases

African American Communities This link opens in a new window
Focusing predominantly on Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and towns and cities in North Carolina this collection presents multiple aspects of the African American community.
Includes pamphlets, newspapers and periodicals, correspondence, official records and in-depth oral histories, which reveal the prevalent challenges of racism, discrimination and integration, and a unique African American culture and identity. Also featured is a rich selection of visual material, including photographs, maps and ephemera.
American Indians and the American West, 1809-1971 This link opens in a new window
Contains a large variety of collections from the U.S. National Archives, a series of collections from the Chicago History Museum, as well as selected first-hand accounts on Indian Wars and westward migration. [1809-1971]
Also features a number of excellent collections on American Indians in the 19th Century, with a focus on the interaction among white settlers, the U.S. federal government, and Indian tribes.
Archives of Sexuality and Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940 This link opens in a new window
Includes newsletters, organizational papers, government documents, manuscripts, pamphlets, personal correspondence and more related to LGBTQ communities around the world. Topics include the gay rights, lesbian activism, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and more (Formerly titled Archives of Human Sexuality and Identity) [1940-present].
Black Economic Empowerment: The National Negro Business League This link opens in a new window
This collection comprises the National Negro Business League files in Part III of the Booker T. Washington Papers in the possession of the Library of Congress. (15,779 images) [1901-1928]
Booker T. Washington, founder of the National Negro Business League, believed that solutions to the problem of racial discrimination were primarily economic, and that bringing African Americans into the middle class was the key. In 1900, he established the League "to promote the commercial and financial development of the Negro," and headed it until his death.
Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century: Federal Government Records, Supplement This link opens in a new window
Federal Government records from the Ford and Reagan presidencies relating to Civil Rights.
Includes files of officials in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division as well as collections released in response to Freedom of Information Act requests related to affirmative action; Bob Jones University; busing and school desegregation; civil rights; fair housing; Martin Luther King Jr. Day; the Civil Rights Restoration Act, Grove City College, and the Voting Rights Act of 1982.
Black Liberation Army and the Program of Armed Struggle This link opens in a new window
"This collection is drawn from the FBI Surveillance Files on the Black Liberation Army, a black nationalist-Marxist militant organization that operated in the 1970’s.
"[1970-1983]
Composed largely of former Black Panthers, the organization’s stated goal was to “take up arms for the liberation and self-determination of black people in the United States.” (1970 - 1983).
Black Nationalism and the Revolutionary Action Movement: The Papers of Muhammad Ahmad (Max Stanford) This link opens in a new window
Drawn from the personal collection of Dr. Muhammad Ahmad, founder of the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM). [1962-1999]
"RAM was engaged in voter registration and education drives, protesting segregation and police brutality, and demanding Black Studies at colleges and universities.

Although RAM was dissolved in 1968 it influenced the African People’s Party, Black Panther Party, League of Revolutionary Black Workers, and many others. (1962-1999)"
Black Nationalism and the Revolutionary Action Movement: The Papers of Muhammad Ahmad (Max Stanford) This link opens in a new window
Drawn from the personal collection of Dr. Muhammad Ahmad, founder of the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM). [1962-1999]
"RAM was engaged in voter registration and education drives, protesting segregation and police brutality, and demanding Black Studies at colleges and universities.

Although RAM was dissolved in 1968 it influenced the African People’s Party, Black Panther Party, League of Revolutionary Black Workers, and many others. (1962-1999)"
Documenting White Supremacy and its Opponents in the 1920s This link opens in a new window
A growing digital collection of newspapers published by Ku Klux Klan organizations, publishers sympathetic to the KKK, and also some anti-Klan organizations.
FBI Confidential Files and Radical Politics in the U.S., 1945-1972 This link opens in a new window
Contains the records of the FBI and the Subversive Activities Control Board investigating “subversive” activities.
This ProQuest History Vault module contains J. Edgar Hoover's office files; documentation on the FBI's so-called "black bag jobs," as they were called before being renamed "surreptitious entries"; and the "Do Not File" File. The "Do Not File" file consists of records that were originally supposed to be destroyed on FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's order, however large portions of these files survived. Another key collection in this module consists of the records of the Subversive Activities Control Board (SACB). The SACB files is one of the most valuable resources for the study of left-wing radicalism during the 1950s and 1960s. [1945-1972]
Federal Surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984 This link opens in a new window
FBI files on surveillance conducted on Black Americans, civil rights organizations, and other institutions.
Includes FBI files relating to: A. Philip Randolph, Adam Clayton Powell, the Atlanta Child Murders (ATKID), the Black Panther Party (North Carolina), the Committee for Public Justice, Elijah Muhammed, the Highlander Folk School, the Klu Klux Klan Murder of Viola Liuzzo, Malcolm X, MIBURN (Mississippi Burning), the Moorish Science Temple of America, the Murder of Lemuel Penn, the Muslim Mosque, Inc., the NAACP, the National Negro Congress, the Organization of Afro-American Unity, Paul Robeson, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Roy Wilkins, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. Du Bois, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Marcus Garvey
Independent and Revolutionary Mexican Newspapers This link opens in a new window
The Independent and Revolutionary Mexican Newspapers collection, with a preliminary release of 135,000 pages from 477 titles, will ultimately include approximately 1,000 titles from Mexico’s pre-independence, independence and revolutionary periods (1807-1929).
The collection traces the evolution of Mexico during this pivotal period and provides rare documentation of the dramatic events of this era, including coverage of Mexican partisan politics, yellow press, political and social satire, as well as local, regional, national and international news.
National Farm Worker Ministry: Mobilizing Support for Migrant Workers, 1939-1985 This link opens in a new window
This collection reproduces correspondence, reports, speeches, minutes and other materials relating to the farm workers, poverty programs, Public Law 78, Braceros, labor camps, the United Farm Workers Union and the Delano Grape Strike. [1965-1980]
Personal Justice Denied: Public Hearings of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment This link opens in a new window
Testimony and documents from more than 750 individuals involved in the Japanese American Internment during World War II.
"Includes material from more than 750 Japanese-Americans and Aleuts who had lived through the events of World War II, as well as government officials who ran the internment program, public figures, organizations such as the Japanese American Citizens League, interested citizens, historians, and other professionals who had studied the internment. Documents include personal stories, publications, reports, press releases, photographs, newspaper clippings, etc. (1981, principally covers 1942 - 1945)"
Ralph J. Bunche Oral Histories Collection on the Civil Rights Movement This link opens in a new window
Transcripts of close to 700 interviews with individuals who fought for civil rights for African Americans in the 1960's. [1950s through early 70s]
"From the Moorland-Springarn Research Center, Howard University. (1967 - 1973 - covers the 1950’s through early 1970’s)"

Selected Databases for Primary Sources

American Memory Motion Pictures Collections (Library of Congress) This link opens in a new window
A gateway to primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. Includes a sampling of early American films, including works by the Edison Company, recordings of vaudeville and other popular entertainments, early animated films; recordings of early 20th Century presidents, and scenes of American work and leisure.
A gateway to primary source materials relating to the history and culture of the United States. The site offers more than 7 million digital items from more than 100 historical collections. Includes a sampling of early American films, including works by the Edison Company, recordings of vaudeville and other popular entertainments, early animated films; recordings of early 20th Century presidents, and scenes of American work and leisure, 1894-1915.
American Memory: Historical Collections for the National Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Primary source and archival materials covering topics such as art and architecture, performing arts, technology and applied sciences.
Millions of digital items from more than 100 historical Library of Congress collections.
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.
Early Encounters in North America: Peoples, Cultures, and the Environment This link opens in a new window
Digitized archive that documents the relationships among early North American peoples and the environment.
Includes prints, drawings, paintings, maps, bibliographies, letters, photographs, and original facsimile pages documenting the relationships among peoples and with the environment in North America. Focuses on personal accounts and providing unique perspectives from all the protagonists, including traders, slaves, missionaries, explorers, soldiers, Native Americans as well as a wide range of Europeans.
Everyday Life and Women in America This link opens in a new window
Images (alongside transcriptions) of monographs, pamphlets, periodicals and broadsides addressing 19th and early 20th century political, social and gender issues, religion, race, education, employment, marriage, sexuality, home and family life, health, and pastimes. [1800 - 1920]
Providing access to primary source material from the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History, Duke University and The New York Public Library. It comprises thousands of fully searchable images (alongside transcriptions) of monographs, pamphlets, periodicals and broadsides addressing 19th and early 20th century political, social and gender issues, religion, race, education, employment, marriage, sexuality, home and family life, health, and pastimes.
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.

Slavery Collection (New York Historical Society)
The New York Historical Society has placed its fourteen most important manuscript collections relating to slavery online.

Readers' Guide Retrospective This link opens in a new window
Indexes American magazines and journals published between 1890 to 1982.
EBSCOhost (formerly WilsonWeb) (EBSCO)
Sixties: Primary Documents and Personal Narratives This link opens in a new window
Digitized archive of primary documents of key events, trends, and movements in 1960s America. Includes letters, diaries, oral histories, posters, broadsides, pamphlets, advertisements, and rare audio and video materials. [1960 - 1974]
Documents the key events, trends, and movements in 1960s America. Includes 70,000 pages of letters, diaries, and oral histories; more than 30,000 pages of posters, broadsides, pamphlets, advertisements, and rare audio and video materials. Enhanced by dozens of scholarly document projects, featuring annotated primary-source content that is analyzed and contextualized through interpretive essays by historians.
Slavery and Anti-Slavery This link opens in a new window
Full-text of books, serials, manuscript collections as well as court records and reference materials documents related to the antebellum era.
Includes more than 1.5 million pages, 7000+ books, 80+ serials, 15 manuscript collections as well as court records and reference materials documents related to the antebellum era. Published through partnerships with the Amistad Research Center, Oberlin College, Oxford University, & many other institutions.

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Comparative Ethnic Studies

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UC Berkeley Primary Source Databases

Selected Databases for Primary Sources