LibGuides: Critical Race and Ethnic Studies: Find Primary Sources

About Primary Sources

Primary Sources are original, or “first-hand,” sources of information, created by those who were present for or involved in the event or topic in question. Primary sources can come in many formats, including, but not limited to: diaries, manuscripts, recordings, photographs, newspaper accounts, official documents, and autobiographies.

Foley Library subscribes to a number of databases containing primary sources that represent the experiences and perspectives of people of color. These databases are grouped below by the communities of voices represented within them.

Primary Source Databases

American Politics and Society from JFK to Watergate, 1960–1975
A primary source document collection covering the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon presidencies, as well as records from federal agencies. Issues of the challenging times chronicled span women’s rights, environmental issues, urban renewal, rural development, tax reform, civil rights, space exploration, international trade, War on Poverty, and the Watergate trials. Also searchable in History Vault.
Black Life in America
Comprehensive coverage of the African American experience from 1976 to the present day. Sourced from over 12,000 American and global news sources, including almost 100 Black publications. An easy-to-use online resource—updated daily—for every institution working toward social justice and racial equity.
Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive
Using the Columbia River for thematic coherence, collaborators in this project (2002-04) promote appreciation and use of primary sources in historical study.
Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers
Includes digital facsimile images of articles and full pages for hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers. For each issue, the newspaper is captured from cover-to-cover, providing access to every article, advertisement and illustration. Also searchable in Gale Primary Sources.
Slavery & Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive (Gale)
Documents on the transatlantic slave trade and the global movement for the abolition of slavery from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
Women’s Studies Archives
A digital collection of primary source materials that traces the path of women’s issues from past to present, focusing on the social, political, and professional achievements of women throughout the 19th and 20th century. Also searchable in Gale Primary Sources.

Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive
Using the Columbia River for thematic coherence, collaborators in this project (2002-04) promote appreciation and use of primary sources in historical study.
Japanese American Internment: Records of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library
Primary sources from the FDR Library relating to the internment of Japanese Americans in the United States during WWII. Also searchable in Archives Unbound.
Women’s Studies Archives
A digital collection of primary source materials that traces the path of women’s issues from past to present, focusing on the social, political, and professional achievements of women throughout the 19th and 20th century. Also searchable in Gale Primary Sources.

Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive
Using the Columbia River for thematic coherence, collaborators in this project (2002-04) promote appreciation and use of primary sources in historical study.
Women’s Studies Archives
A digital collection of primary source materials that traces the path of women’s issues from past to present, focusing on the social, political, and professional achievements of women throughout the 19th and 20th century. Also searchable in Gale Primary Sources.

American Indian Correspondence: Presbyterian Historical Society Collection of Missionaries' Letters, 1833-1893
Digital access to over 14,000 letters written by Presbyterian missionaries from 1833 to 1893. Their letters describe native peoples and cultures, tribal factionalism, relations with the U.S. government and the many challenges of their work. Also searchable in Archives Unbound.
American Indian Movement and Native American Radicalism
Primary sources from FBI files that relate to the American Indian Movement (AIM), documenting the evolution of AIM as an organization of social protest and the development of Native American radicalism. Also searchable in Archives Unbound.
American Politics and Society from JFK to Watergate, 1960–1975
A primary source document collection covering the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon presidencies, as well as records from federal agencies. Issues of the challenging times chronicled span women’s rights, environmental issues, urban renewal, rural development, tax reform, civil rights, space exploration, international trade, War on Poverty, and the Watergate trials. Also searchable in History Vault.
Indigenous Peoples: North America (Gale)
Indigenous Peoples (North America) provides primary source materials including manuscripts, monographs, newspapers, photographs, motion pictures, and images of artwork related to indigenous peoples in the U.S. and Canada. Also searchable in Gale Primary Sources.
Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers
Includes digital facsimile images of articles and full pages for hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers. For each issue, the newspaper is captured from cover-to-cover, providing access to every article, advertisement and illustration. Also searchable in Gale Primary Sources.
Overland Journeys: Travels in the West, 1800-1880
A primary source collection covering the American west, from 1800 to 1880. Includes books, memoirs, journals, letters, and other documents. Also searchable in Archives Unbound.
War Department and Indian Affairs, 1800-1824
The rare primary sources in this collection chronicle the unique, often controversial, relationship between the U.S. government and the Native American nations. Also searchable in Archives Unbound.
Women’s Studies Archives
A digital collection of primary source materials that traces the path of women’s issues from past to present, focusing on the social, political, and professional achievements of women throughout the 19th and 20th century. Also searchable in Gale Primary Sources.