Related Course Guides
Useful for College in the Schools students in HIST 1308 working on their assignments.
Set up your UMN account and Duo
Do you have your UMN email (also called Internet ID or x.500)?
Initiating or claiming your account will give you access to thousands of online journals, magazines, newspapers and eBooks at the University of Minnesota Libraries. Your teacher may need to provide information to complete this step. Ask them.
Setting up Duo
You also need to set up Duo Authentication to get access to things like your UMN email and to use many of the research tools on the UMN Library website. The IT Technology online help can answer questions on this.
Tip: If you are unable to initiate your account you can find scholarly articles with Academic Search Premier, find background information on your topic with Encyclopedia Britannica Academic Edition and find Pro/Con arguments on current issues with Points of View Reference Center.
Find resources:
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America's Historical NewspapersIncludes Early American Newspapers Series 1 (1690-1876), 3 (1783-1922), 6 (1741-1922), 7 (1773-1922), and 18 (1825-1879). Spanning two centuries and 40 states, these archives of selective content from historical newspapers are primary sources for researching crucial conflicts from the Civil War to World War I, movements ranging from early states rights to women's suffrage, noteworthy citizens, local events, natural disasters; political campaigns; and the evolution of American culture.
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America: History and LifeAmerica: history and life provides historical coverage of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present with over 2,000 journals including all key English-language historical journals. Limited to 6 simultaneous users.
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Civil Rights in America: From Reconstruction to the Great Society (FBIS)Coverage spanning the challenges of newly freed slaves, womens suffrage and the achievements of the Civil Rights Movement.
Get help from UMN Libraries - online!
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Peer Research ConsultantsMake an online 30 minute appointment for one-on-one peer assistance with your research. Get help with researching your topic, finding sources, citing sources and more. Peer Research Consultants can also help you get started with faculty-sponsored research.
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Chat 24/7 online with the LibrariesAsk us anything! Chat with a librarian, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with any research or library questions.
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Meet with a librarianSchedule an online consultations for personalized research support primarily for University of Minnesota faculty, instructors, graduate and undergraduate students and staff.
Explore Primary Sources
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American History, 1493-1945Explore primary source documents covering American History from the earliest settlers to the mid-twentieth century. Sources include correspondence, diaries, government documents, business records, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, photographs, artwork and maps
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Southern Life, Slavery, and the Civil WarExplore detailed documentation on the functioning of the slave system in the American South. Includes Ledgers, correspondence, petitions, photographs, diaries, legal documents, and other materials documenting the far-reaching impact of slavery on plantations, the American South, and the nation.
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Civil War: A Newspaper Perspective, TheFull text of articles taken from issues of The New York Herald, The Charleston Mercury, and the Richmond Enquirer, published between November 1, 1860 and April 15, 1865. It includes news articles, eye-witness accounts and official reports of battles and events, editorials, advertisements, and biographies. It also includes articles describing other concerns of the time period, such as travel, arts and leisure, sports, and social events.
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Everyday Life and Women In AmericaOffers primary sources on women in America, from the 1800s to the 1920s. Primary sources include monographs, broadsides, pamphlets, rare books, and periodicals. Themes include domestic life, literature, agriculture, race, religion, fashion, and politics.
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Migration to New WorldsPrimary source material recounting the personal experiences of 350 years of migration. Explore Colonial Office files on emigration, diaries and travel journals, ship logs and plans, printed literature, objects, watercolours, and oral histories supplemented by secondary research aids. Includes access to "Module 1 : The Century of Immigration" & "Module 2 : The Modern Era."
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Gilded Age and Progressive EraThe Gilded Age and Progressive Era is a collection of digitized primary sources documenting United States culture, industry, and politics during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The collection focuses on the first-person perspectives of societal elites, ranging from papers of key industrial corporations, charities, influential families and cultural institutions, to rich visual content in the form of political cartoons, photographs and ephemera.
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First World WarFind primary sources on the personal experiences of men and women in World War I including diaries, newspapers, posters, postcards, photographs and more. Also find including interactive maps, chronology, and image galleries.
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America in World War TwoUncover the stories of American military personnel and civilians during the Second World War through their oral histories, correspondence, diaries, photographs, artifacts, and military records. Covers both the United States home front and those on deployment overseas in Europe, the Mediterranean, the Pacific, China, Burma and India.
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Broadcasting America: The Rise of Mass Media and CommunicationsDiscover how the expansion of radio and television technology, and the rise of mass media empires, accelerated America's transformation into a consumer-based society, through the lens of pioneer David Sarnoff, President of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), and other industry papers.
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Indigenous Newspapers in North AmericaFrom historic pressings to contemporary periodicals, explore nearly 200 years of Indigenous print journalism from the US and Canada. With newspapers representing a huge variety in publisher, audience and era, discover how events were reported by and for Indigenous communities.
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Market Research and American Business, 1935-1965Access to the complete market research reports of Ernest Dichter, the eras foremost consumer analyst, market research pioneer and widely-recognised father of Motivational Research.
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Race Relations in AmericaDocumenting three pivotal decades in the fight for civil rights, this resource showcases the speeches, reports, surveys and analyses produced by the Department’s staff and Institute participants, including Charles S. Johnson and Thurgood Marshall.
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Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975Original primary sources on society, music, politics, fashion and youth culture in the US and UK from 1950 to 1975. Topics include student protests, civil rights, consumerism, the Space Race, and the Vietnam War. The collection includes pamphlets, letters, government files, eye witness accounts, underground magazines, music, press kits, mail order catalogs, advertisements, photos, ephemera, and memorabilia.
Last Updated: Aug 22, 2025 3:34 PM
URL: https://libguides.umn.edu/CIS/HIST/1308