Library Guides: History: America: Government Documents

Multiple govenment departments

American Politics and Society from Kennedy to Watergate, 1960–1975 (HV)
Contains government and personal papers addressing U.S. politics during the 1960s and 1970s. Topics include civil rights, the Cold War, social movements, and the political scandals that culminated in Watergate.
American Politics in the Early Cold War—Truman and Eisenhower Administrations, 1945-1961 (HV)
Explores U.S. political, social, and economic developments during the Truman and Eisenhower presidencies. Topics include the Marshall Plan, NATO’s formation, McCarthyism, the Korean War, and domestic issues like civil rights and economic policy. The documents provide insights into the U.S. response to Cold War tensions and global challenges.

American State Papers This link opens in a new window
A collection of government publications including congressional and Executive Department materials. [1789-1838]
Search or browse legislative and executive documents of the first 14 U.S. Congresses (1789-1838) illuminating key moments in early American history such as Lewis and Clark's Expedition, Burr's conspiracy and arrest, the Treaty of the Creek Indians made by Andrew Jackson and much more. These papers cover the following broad subject areas: foreign relations, Indian affairs, commerce and navigation, military and naval affairs, the post-office department, and more. (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.)

C-Span Video Library
Digitized archive of more than 160,000 hours of Congressional hearings, White House briefings and more dating back to 1987

Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution This link opens in a new window
Digital edition of a landmark work in historical and legal scholarship that draws upon thousands of sources to trace the Constitution’s progress through each of the thirteen states’ conventions.
The work is the result of an ongoing project to collect, preserve, publish, and encourage the use of primary documentary sources dealing with the debate over the ratification of the United States Consitution and the Bill of Rights between 1787 and 1791. The project has collected copies of over 60,000 documents, including convention and legislative records, private papers, and newspapers, broadsides, and pamphlets.

Joint Chiefs of Staff in the Early Cold War, 1946-1960 (HV)
Contains records detailing the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s role in shaping U.S. military and strategic policy during the early Cold War. Topics include nuclear deterrence, NATO's formation, responses to the Korean War, and planning for military conflicts. The documents offer insights into the military’s strategic thinking and inter-agency collaboration during this period.
New Deal and World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Office Files and Records of Federal Agencies (HV)
Features records from FDR’s presidency, including his office files and federal agency reports. Documents
address the New Deal, economic recovery, and wartime decision-making.

ProQuest Regulatory Insight This link opens in a new window
Contains administrative law histories organized by public law. Provides search capability to facilitate research into U.S. regulatory history. Database is partially built and will be complete in early 2018. [1936-2016]

Executive Branch

Donald Rumsfeld’s Snowflakes, Part I: The Pentagon and U.S. Foreign Policy, 2001–2003 (DNSA)
Presents memos written by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld during the early years of the War on Terror. Topics include military planning after 9/11, operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and internal Pentagon directives. The collection provides a unique perspective on U.S. defense policy under Rumsfeld.
Donald Rumsfeld’s Snowflakes, Part II: The Pentagon and U.S. Foreign Policy, 2004–2006 (DNSA)
Continues Rumsfeld's memos, addressing topics such as the Iraqi insurgency, detainee abuse scandals, and reconstruction efforts. Records reflect Rumsfeld’s management style and the challenges faced by the Pentagon during this contentious period of U.S. military engagement abroad.
Executive Branch Federal Government Web Archive
This collection includes websites from United States executive branch agencies. Collection began in July 2016 and continues to the present (this is an ongoing archive). Many of these websites have older captures as far back as 1996.
The Kissinger Conversations: A Verbatim Record of U.S. Diplomacy, 1969–1977(DNSA)
Features transcripts of Henry Kissinger’s telephone calls and meetings during his tenure as national security advisor and secretary of state. Topics include détente, Middle East peace negotiations, and the Vietnam War. The records provide a rare insider’s perspective on U.S. diplomacy during the Nixon and Ford administrations.
The Kissinger Conversations, Supplement: A Verbatim Record of U.S. Diplomacy, 1969–1977(DNSA)
Provides newly declassified transcripts of Henry Kissinger’s phone calls and meetings. Topics include U.S.-Soviet détente, Middle East peace processes, and the Vietnam War. The records include detailed accounts of interactions with world leaders and offer further insights into Kissinger’s role in shaping U.S. foreign policy during the Nixon and Ford years.
The Kissinger Conversations, Supplement II: A Verbatim Record of U.S. Diplomacy, 1969–1977(DNSA)
Expands the existing body of Kissinger records with additional transcripts of phone calls and meetings. These documents include internal discussions on crisis management, covert operations, and high-level diplomacy. They provide an even deeper understanding of U.S. foreign policy strategies during a pivotal period in global relations.
The Kissinger Transcripts: A Verbatim Record of U.S. Diplomacy, 1969–1977 (DNSA)
Contains memoranda and transcripts of meetings involving Henry Kissinger as national security advisor and secretary of state. Topics include the Vietnam War’s end, U.S.-China rapprochement, Soviet negotiations, and responses to global crises. These records illustrate Kissinger’s influence in shaping U.S. diplomacy and his unique approach to international relations.
Presidential Directives on National Security, Part I: From Truman to Clinton(DNSA)
Presents high-level decisions and orders from U.S. presidents on foreign policy, defense, and intelligence. Topics include Cold War containment, nuclear strategy, and counterterrorism. The collection offers a comprehensive view of how U.S. national security policy evolved from the 1940s to the 1990s.
Presidential Directives on National Security, Part II: From Truman to George W. Bush(DNSA)
Continues the compilation of presidential directives, adding documents from the George W. Bush administration. Topics include post-9/11 security measures, the Iraq War, and arms control policies. The collection provides an in-depth look at presidential decision-making on critical national security issues.
The Secret White House Tapes
This site provides access to audio files and transcripts of once-secret taped conversations of Amercian presidents. From Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose infrequent recordings yielded only 8 hours of taped material, to Richard M. Nixon, whose voice-activated system captured 3,400 hours of discussion, the White House tapes constitute a unique and irreplaceable source for the study of U.S. history and American government.

Judiciary

Caselaw Access Project
The Caselaw Access Project (“CAP”) expands public access to U.S. law., and contains over 360 years (going back to 1658) of published U.S. court decisions, digitized from the collection of the Harvard Law Library.
Federal Courts Web Archive
This collection includes the websites of the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Courts of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, and U.S. Bankruptcy Courts. Collection began April 2014 and is ongoing.

ProQuest Supreme Court Insight This link opens in a new window
Complete collection of full opinions from U.S. Supreme Court argued cases, including decisions, dockets, oral arguments, joint appendices and amicus briefs. Covers 1975-2017 term (database currently being built, so not all dates are covered).
"Complete online collection of full opinions from Supreme Court argued cases, including per decision, dockets, oral arguments, joint appendices and amicus briefs. Content associated with each case is compiled on a dynamic page organized to facilitate understanding of the judicial process, and is also retrievable on a document by document basis. This collection covers 1975-2017 (database currently being built, so not all dates are covered). All content is expected to be added by the end of 2017."

Congress

ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
Indexing and full-text access for publications of the United States Congress such as hearings, committee reports and prints, CRS reports, as well as executive branch documents. (Congressional Publications) [dates vary]
One stop shopping for all U.S. congressional publications. Provides indexing and abstracts of congressional publications back to 1789, including the full-text of published Congressional Hearings (1824-present; unpublished hearings until 1979), Committee Prints (1817-present), Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports (1916-present), Congressional Record and its predecessor titles (1789-present), U.S. Congressional Serial Set and Maps (1789-present), Executive Branch Documents (1789-1932), Presidential Executive Orders and Presidential Proclamations (1789-present), and Legislative Histories (1969-Present; earlier legislative histories are available via ProQuest's Legislative Insight).
ProQuest Legislative Insight This link opens in a new window
Contains legislative histories and links to the related full-text Congressional documents of more than 18,000 federal laws enacted since 1929. The searchable PDFs include text of the law, all versions of related bills, law-specific Congressional Record excerpts, and committee hearings, reports, and prints.
"Provides access to more than 18,000 professionally researched legislative histories of US Law. Histories include the Public Law itself, all versions of related bills, law-specific Congressional Record excerpts, committee hearings, reports and prints, Presidential signing statements, and CRS reports. 1929-present"
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.)

Federal Agencies & Departments

Federal Communications Commission Record
The FCC Record is a comprehensive of decisions, reports, public notices, and other documents of the FCC from 1986 to the present.
FRASER Federal Reserve Archive
Includes historic policy documents and data from the late 1700s to present.
Immigration Records of the INS, 1880-1930 (HV)
Comprises files from the Immigration and Naturalization Service, detailing immigrant processing, exclusion policies, and assimilation efforts during a period of significant immigration to the U.S. It includes case files, reports, and statistical data.
Motion Picture Copyright Descriptions Collection
Consists of forms, abstracts, plot summaries, dialogue and continuity scripts, press kits, publicity and other material, submitted for the purpose of enabling descriptive cataloging for motion pictures registered with the United States Copyright Office.
Public Housing, Racial Policies, and Civil Rights
Directives and memoranda related to the Public Housing Administration's policies and procedures.
Records of the Children’s Bureau, 1912-1969 (HV)
Documents the activities of the U.S. Children’s Bureau, the first federal agency dedicated to children’s welfare. Topics include child labor, public health initiatives, juvenile justice, and social services. These records reflect evolving attitudes toward children’s rights and the government’s role in family welfare.

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History: America: Government Documents

Additional Guides

Multiple govenment departments

Executive Branch

Judiciary

Congress

Federal Agencies & Departments