Primary Sources

This strike was a general strike that paralyzed the nation’s railroad traffic and telegraphic communications for about two weeks in the summer of 1877. It was the first major incident of a wave of violent labor unrest that lasted for the next twenty years. Other parts of the website document the history of railroads in the 19th century, including GIS shapefiles and other data visualization resources.

Searchable full text content of major African-American newspapers published during the 1800s with specific emphasis on New York, and East Coast African American history, as well as Canadian history. Covers many aspects of 19th century cultural life and history and contains original source materials written by African-Americans for African-Americans. The more complete microfilm versions of some of these newspapers are held by the UA Libraries.

Provides access to its records from 1838 to 1860 including a great variety of materials such as meeting minutes, register of works of art in the American Art-Union, letters and newspaper clippings.

Electronic version of various New York Counties' history book published during the 18th century. It includes texts, maps and illustrations. The entire contents are full-text searchable.

This collection searches a unique set of primary sources from African Americans actively involved in the movement to end slavery in the United States between 1830 and 1865. The content includes letters, speeches, editorials, articles, sermons, and essays from libraries and archives in England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and the United States. Over 15,000 items written by nearly 300 Black men and women are available for searching.

"It contains the congressional debates of the 23rd through 42nd Congresses (1833-73)"

Archive chronicling the people and organizations of New York City during the 19th century. It is a unique collection of historical directories, member lists, public records, travel guides and other resources. From the New York Historical Society.

A database of primary source collections for the 19th Century, primarily British and American, but includes material from other countries. It consists of monographs, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, photographs, statistics, and other kinds of documents in Western and non-Western languages. NCCO is selective and material thematically grouped into Archives. Our access is to 7 archives: British Politics and Society; Asia & The West; British Theatre and Popular Culture; Corvey Collection of European Literature; Photography: The World Through the Lens; Women: Transnational Networks; and Religion,Spirituality, Reform and Society

Full-text searchable database of primary sources consisting of more than 500 newspapers and 1.8 million pages. Every aspect of society and every region of the nation is found in the archive. Includes major newspapers as well as those published by African Americans, Native Americans, women's rights groups, labor groups, the Confederacy, and other groups and interests.

"This collection on law and order documents the efforts of district attorneys from southern states to uphold federal laws in the states that fought in the Confederacy or were Border States. This publication includes their correspondence with the attorney general as well all other letters received by the attorney general from the states in question during that period, including the correspondence of marshals, judges, convicts, and concerned or aggrieved citizens."

From the National Portrait Gallery, this site is "dedicated to examining the Civil War through the Smithsonian Institution's extensive and manifold collections." The Collections section includes documents, images, and artifacts related to the War. There is also a chronology of the war and a Resources page with suggestions for further reading.

Scanned letters, newspaper articles, images, photographs, diaries, of Michigan soldiers.

Portraits and battleground images, including those of Mathew Brady and Alexander Gardner.

Archive of unique manuscripts chronicling the American Civil War as it was experienced. Providing both Northern and Southern perspectives, it covers all aspects of the war, including reactions and impressions from the home front. Content includes correspondence, diaries from soldiers and civilians, military content, first person accounts and more.

"Comprised of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction." Includes the "War of the Rebellion, a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate armies."

A Documentary History of Emancipation, 1861–1867. This is the leading online resource for the history of emancipation and Reconstruction.

This site documents the efforts of Northern volunteer teachers and the Freedmen’s Bureau to set up schools and economic opportunities for the freed people during the Civil War.

Selections from a multi-volume edition of his letters and speeches from Rice University.

"This collection on law and order documents the efforts of district attorneys from southern states to uphold federal laws in the states that fought in the Confederacy or were Border States. This publication includes their correspondence with the attorney general as well all other letters received by the attorney general from the states in question during that period, including the correspondence of marshals, judges, convicts, and concerned or aggrieved citizens."

From the Virginia Center for Digital History, this site includes primary sources from the period 1859-1870 for 2 counties, one Northern and one Southern. The primary sources include letters and diaries, offical records, battle maps, newspapers, etc.

" map of slavery’s end during the American Civil War. It finds patterns in the collapse of southern slavery, mapping the interactions between federal policies, armies in the field, and the actions of enslaved men and women on countless farms and city blocks. "

"The digital collection consists of 32 volumes of The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, political cartoons, and sheet music from the larger collection. Other materials will be added to the digital collection as processing continues."