Research Guides: American Studies Databases: Welcome

American Studies Database

Academic Search Complete
A great database to get started with for your research on any topic. Use it to search for articles from scholarly (peer-reviewed) journals, newspapers, and magazines.
African American Newspapers Series 1: 1827-1998
Provides access to U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African-American experience. This collection includes historically significant papers and features many rare 19th-century titles.
America's Historical Newspapers
Searchable American newspaper collections, including African American Newspapers Series 1, 1827-1998; Caribbean Newspapers, 1718-1876; South Carolina's Historical Newspapers; Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980; and selected historical newspapers.
American Civil War: Letters and Diaries
Provides access to more than 400 sources of diaries, letters, and memoirs from the Civil War era.
American Periodicals
Full text periodicals published between 1740 and 1940.
Black Women in America
Provides coverage of the achievements and contributions of African American women in sports, politics, academia, and business throughout history and highlights their contributions in America today.

Documenting the American South
Primary source materials relating to Southern history.
Free or open source.

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A collection of sources on Southern history, literature and culture from the colonial period through the first decades of the 20th century. Includes: First-Person Narratives of the American South; Library of Southern Literature; North American Slave Narratives; The Southern Homefront, 1861-1865; The Church in the Southern Black Community.

America: History and Life

References to journal articles and other sources on the history of the US and Canada. See Historical Abstracts for world history.
Archives of Sexuality and Gender
A digital collection of historical primary source publications relating to the historical study of sex, sexuality, and gender.
Eight Centuries (formerly 19th Century Masterfile)
Eight Centuries (formerly 19th Century Masterfile) is a database covering primary source materials from 1106 until 1960. Provides access to articles, newspapers, books, U.S. patents, government documents, and images.
Encyclopedia of Religion in America
This resource examines how religious history and practices are woven into the political, social, cultural, and historical landscape of North America. Also discussed are the origins, development, adaptation, influence, and interrelations of the many faiths practiced.
Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages
The Oxford encyclopedia provides 3,000 concise and detailed articles on all aspects of the period from the fifth to the fifteenth century.
Gale Literature Resource Center
Biographical, critical and bibliographical information on authors.
Gender Studies Database
Provides indexing and abstracts covering the full spectrum of gender-related scholarship. Subjects include gender inequality, masculinity, post-feminism and gender identity.
1980s Culture and Society (Adam Matthew)

This collection draws on material from the late 1970s through to the early 1990s, focusing on the voices of under-represented groups, grassroots organizations, and countercultural movements to showcase the key social, cultural, and political concerns of the decade.
Harper's Weekly: 1857-1912
A 19th century illustrated newspaper from 1857-1912. Includes news stories, illustrations, cartoons, editorials, biographies, literature and advertisements.
Historical Statistics of the United States
Source for statistical facts of American history.
iPOLL Databank
The most comprehensive, up-to-date resource for US public opinion poll data.
JSTOR
Provides access to academic journals and books covering a wide range of disciplines; it also includes some limited primary source collections.
Milestone Documents in American History
Combines primary source documents in American and world history with expert analysis and commentary.
MLA International Bibliography
Provides access to scholarly research pertaining to literature, language, linguistics, and folklore.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries
Colonial to 1950 - includes the experiences of 632 women as revealed in diaries and letters.
Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature
This resource surveys American literature, covering literary history from the 1600s to present day. Content includes essays on poets, playwrights, essayists, and novelists, as well as major works and essays on literary movements, periods, and themes.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Children's Literature
Written by an international roster of more than 300 authors, the Encyclopedia comprehensively documents and interprets the books read by children throughout the world.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States
Draws together the diverse historical and contemporary experiences in the United States of Latinos and Latinas from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Articles address such broad topics as identity, art, politics, religion, education, health, and history.
Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World
This encyclopedia delves into the period from 1750 to the present, providing special attention to social, economic, cultural and political topics applicable to the time.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Women in World History
Comprehensively covers the role women have played throughout world history. Contains biographies of influential women and articles covering geography and history, culture and society, organizations, movements, and gender studies.
Project Muse
Scholarly journals and ebooks in the arts and humanities, social sciences and mathematics.
ProQuest Statistical Abstract of the United States (1970-present)
This database continues the Statistical Abstract published annually by the Census Bureau and contains data from 1970-present. In addition, it includes enhancements such as monthly updates of content and line-item access to tables.
Sociological Abstracts
Covers the international literature of sociology, social work, and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences.
US Newsstream
Provides access to newspapers, news websites, and blogs from leading publishers throughout the world.

Streaming Video

Ethnographic Video Online I and II: Foundational Films
A core streaming video collection introducing cultural groups and practices from around the globe. The collection features documentaries, interviews, previously unreleased raw footage, field notes, study guides and more.
Films on Demand
This resource provides high quality streaming videos about a range of subjects. The videos include award winning documentaries plus interviews, training videos, historical speeches and newsreels.
Kanopy Streaming Video
Kanopy is a multi-disciplinary collection of documentary and educational films that have been assigned to courses for in-class instruction and out-of-class assignments.
PBS Video Collection (in Films on Demand)
A collection of high-quality documentary and educational video programs produced for the Public Broadcasting Corporation.