History

Key Databases

The best first place to go if you're looking for research materials in this discipline.

America, history and life

Indexing and abstracts covering United States and Canadian history from prehistory to the present. Index goes back to 1964.

Historical abstracts

Provides bibliographical coverage of the history of the world from 1450 to the present (excluding the United States and Canada). Included are article ...

JSTOR

Provides image and full-text online access to back issues of selected scholarly journals in history, economics, political science, demography, mathema...

Medieval Period

Feminae, Medieval women and gender index - Presents the Medieval Feminist Index, which covers journal articles, book reviews, and essays in boo...
International medieval bibliography online - International Medieval Bibliography (IMB) indexes articles, notes, and similar literature on medieva...
Iter, gateway to the Middle Ages and Renaissance - A bibliography of approximately 230,000 articles and reviews drawn from over 400 medieval and renais...
Medieval family life - Only five major letter collections, those of the Paston, Stonor, Plumpton, Armburgh and Cely familie...
Medieval travel writing - Extensive collection medieval manuscripts from archives and libraries around the world, dating from ...

17th century

17th-18th century Burney Collection newspapers - Searchable full-text access to the British Library's collection of the newspapers, pamphlets, and bo...
17th and 18th century Nichols newspapers collection - The Nichols Collection consists of 280 newspaper and periodical titles and approximately 300 monogra...
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) historical periodicals collection - Provides electronic access to a comprehensive collection of American periodicals published from 1684...
American history, 1493-1945 - This resource brings together materials on American history from the time of the earliest settlers u...
American history in video - "American History in Video provides the largest and richest collection of video available online for...
American national biography - "Offers portraits of more than 17,400 men and women, from all eras and walks of life, whose lives ha...
America's historical newspapers - Web-based archive of Americana that features images and full-text content from many historical newsp...
Black studies center - Black Studies Center combines invaluable resources for research and teaching in Black studies: Schom...
Colonial state papers - Colonial State Papers provides access to thousands of papers concerning English activities in the Am...
Early English books online - From the first book published in English through the age of Spenser and Shakespeare, this collection...
Early modern England - This collection of primary sources looks at two centuries of everyday, political, religious, working...
Empire online - Empire Online spans five centuries, charting the rise and fall of empires around the world. It provi...
European views of the Americas, 1493-1750 - This bibliographic database is a valuable index for libraries, scholars and individuals interested i...
Perdita manuscripts - Includes complete facsimile images of over 230 manuscripts written or compiled by women living in th...
Slavery in America and the world - Searchable database which provides links to legal materials on slavery in the United States and the ...
State papers online - "State Papers Online, 1509-1714 is a collection of English government documents originating from the...
Virginia Company archives - This collection provides a rich source for the study of trade between Britain and America. It docume...

18th century

17th-18th century Burney Collection newspapers - Searchable full-text access to the British Library's collection of the newspapers, pamphlets, and bo...
17th and 18th century Nichols newspapers collection - The Nichols Collection consists of 280 newspaper and periodical titles and approximately 300 monogra...
18thConnect - 18thConnect is an aggregator of digital resources that provide a comprehensive research environment ...
America's historical newspapers - Web-based archive of Americana that features images and full-text content from many historical newsp...
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) historical periodicals collection - Provides electronic access to a comprehensive collection of American periodicals published from 1684...
American history, 1493-1945 - This resource brings together materials on American history from the time of the earliest settlers u...
American history in video - "American History in Video provides the largest and richest collection of video available online for...
American national biography - "Offers portraits of more than 17,400 men and women, from all eras and walks of life, whose lives ha...
Black studies center - Black Studies Center combines invaluable resources for research and teaching in Black studies: Schom...
Colonial Caribbean - Digital resource covering three centuries of Caribbean history from 1624 to 1870 drawn from the arch...
Colonial state papers - Colonial State Papers provides access to thousands of papers concerning English activities in the Am...
Early American imprints. Series I, Evans (1639-1800) - Provides full-text and full-page-image access to books, pamphlets and broadsides printed in America ...
Eighteenth Century collections online - A comprehensive digital edition of The Eighteenth Century microfilm set, which has aimed to include ...
Eighteenth century journals. I, Newspapers and periodicals 1693-1793, from the Bodleian Library, Oxford - Electronic collection of material reproduced from newspapers and periodicals published in Britain du...
Empire online - Empire Online spans five centuries, charting the rise and fall of empires around the world. It provi...
Gale newsvault - Gale NewsVault delivers the definitive cross-searching experience for exploring Gale's range of hist...
North American women's letters and diaries - North American Women's Letters and Diaries (NAWLD) is a full-text database of the personal experienc...
Slavery in America and the world - Searchable database which provides links to legal materials on slavery in the United States and the ...

19th century

19th century masterfile. Series I - Coverage: 1786-1922. Contains journal citations published from top indices of the Nineteenth-Century...
Accessible Archives full-text databases - Accessible Archives includes the following collections: African American Newspapers, African America...
Africa and the new imperialism - "Africa and the New Imperialism documents the period of rapid colonial expansion by European powers ...
ALB1876, American libraries before 1876 - This database covers institutional and commercial libraries that existed in what is now the continen...
America's historical newspapers - Web-based archive of Americana that features images and full-text content from many historical newsp...
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) historical periodicals collection - Provides electronic access to a comprehensive collection of American periodicals published from 1684...
American history, 1493-1945 - This resource brings together materials on American history from the time of the earliest settlers u...
American history in video - "American History in Video provides the largest and richest collection of video available online for...
American Indians and the American West, 1809-1971 - "Consists of a large variety of collections from the U.S. National Archives, a series of collections...
Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America - The wide range of material included in Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America presents a...
American national biography - "Offers portraits of more than 17,400 men and women, from all eras and walks of life, whose lives ha...
American West - The Graff Collection, consisting of original manuscripts, maps, ephemeral material (trade cards, wan...
Black studies center - Black Studies Center combines invaluable resources for research and teaching in Black studies: Schom...
British Library newspapers - Sourced from the extensive holdings of the British Library, British Library Newspapers delivers a wi...
Central Asia, Persia and Afghanistan, 1834-1922 - This resource provides digital access to official British government records relating to the region,...
Confidential print. Africa, 1834-1966 - The Confidential Print: Africa, 1834-1966 is Official British government correspondence concerning A...
Confidential print. Latin America, 1833-1969 - The Confidential Print series, issued by the British Government between c. 1820 and 1970, is a funda...
Confidential print. Middle East, 1839-1969 - The collection covers Middle Eastern history from 1839-1969; countries included are: Afghanistan, Eg...
Confidential print. North America, 1824-1961 - The collection covers a broad sweep of history from c.1824-1961, taking in the USA, Canada, the Cari...
Early American imprints. Series II, Shaw-Shoemaker (1801-1819) - Provides full-text and full-page-image access to books, pamphlets, and broadsides published in Ameri...
Empire online - Empire Online spans five centuries, charting the rise and fall of empires around the world. It provi...
Everyday life & women in America - This digital collection provides access to rare primary source material on American social, cultural...
Gale newsvault - Gale NewsVault delivers the definitive cross-searching experience for exploring Gale's range of hist...
Gilded age and progressive era - The period after the Civil War in America became known as the Gilded Age, coined by Mark Twain in hi...
HarpWeek - The database contains all the pages of Harper's weekly, the Civil War Era (1857-1865), Reconstructio...
Historical statistics of the United States - This thoroughly revised five-volume reference work reflects thirty years of new data and scholarship...
Illustrated London news historical archive, 1842-2003 - "The Illustrated London News Historical Archive gives students and researchers unprecedented online ...
Leisure, travel and mass culture : [Material from Brooklyn Historical Society] - Maps, view books and guides provide in-depth case studies for Coney Island, Long Island and Rockaway...
London low life - London Low Life is a full-text searchable electronic resource, containing colour images of rare book...
Making of America (MOA) - Presents a digital library of books and journals related to the development of United States social ...
Medical services and warfare - Medical Services and Warfare tells the story of medical advances during warfare from the mid-ninetee...
Migration to new worlds - Migration to New Worlds: The Modern Era begins with the activities of the New Zealand Company during...
Nineteenth century literary society - Nineteenth Century Literary Society provides access to over 1,400 digitized items from the archive o...
North American women's letters and diaries - North American Women's Letters and Diaries (NAWLD) is a full-text database of the personal experienc...
Popular medicine in America, 1800-1900 - Electronic reproduction of materials documenting the history of popular remedies and treatments in 1...
Poverty, philanthropy and social conditions in Victorian Britain - "This multi-archive collection, comprising collections from the National Archives at Kew, the Britis...
Queen Victoria's journals - "Queen Victoria's Journals was launched on 24 May 2012, the anniversary of Queen Victoria's birth in...
Romanticism - This digital collection, which includes the manuscript collections of the Wordsworth Trust, offers s...
Slavery in America and the world - Searchable database which provides links to legal materials on slavery in the United States and the ...
Smithsonian collections online. World's fairs and expositions - This database includes primary source documents from exhibits between 1840 to 1940. The collection i...
Travel writing, spectacle and world history - This resource brings together hundreds of accounts by women of their travels across the globe from t...
Victorians on film - "Showcasing the British Film Institute's Victorian Film Collection and the Mitchell and Kenyon Colle...
Victorian popular culture - An essential resource for the study of popular entertainment in the nineteenth and early twentieth c...
Waterloo directory of English newspapers and periodicals, 1800-1900 - This is a directory to the largest single body of historical documents arising out of nineteenth cen...
World's Fairs - Contains official records, publicity, artwork, artifacts and other primary source materials for more...

20th century

Advertising America - Documents the history, operation, policies and accomplishments of one of the world's largest and old...
African American communities - Electronic reproduction of materials from the Southern Historical Collection in the Library of the U...
American history, 1493-1945 - This resource brings together materials on American history from the time of the earliest settlers u...
America in World War Two - Uncover the stories of American military personnel and civilians during the Second World War through...
Amnesty International archives - "Amnesty International Archives explore[s] the growth of the human rights movement during the second...
Apartheid South Africa 1948-1980 - Contains British government files and maps related to South Africa under the first thirty years of t...
Archives of sexuality and gender - The Archives of Sexuality and Gender program provides a collection of primary sources for the histor...
Black freedom struggle in the 20th century - Module one (Federal government records) consists of 37 collections of organizational records and per...
British newsreels, 1911-1930 - "Supplied by the British Film Institute and Imperial War Museums, British Newsreels, 1911-1930: Cult...
Broadcasting America - The collections selected for inclusion in the resource allow for the study of twentieth-century broa...
Central Asia, Persia and Afghanistan, 1834-1922 - This resource provides digital access to official British government records relating to the region,...
Confidential print. Africa, 1834-1966 - The Confidential Print: Africa, 1834-1966 is Official British government correspondence concerning A...
Confidential print. Latin America, 1833-1969 - The Confidential Print series, issued by the British Government between c. 1820 and 1970, is a funda...
Confidential print. Middle East, 1839-1969 - The collection covers Middle Eastern history from 1839-1969; countries included are: Afghanistan, Eg...
Confidential print. North America, 1824-1961 - The collection covers a broad sweep of history from c.1824-1961, taking in the USA, Canada, the Cari...
Conflict in Indochina - This collection of Foreign Office Files provides a comprehensive history of key events across Vietna...
Cuban missile crisis, 1962 - Perhaps the most critical and dangerous confrontation of the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis is c...
Cuban Missile Crisis : 50th anniversary update - Marking the 50th anniversary of the most harrowing episode of the nuclear age -- the Cuban Missile C...
Declassified documents reference system - The database provides online access to over 500,000 pages of previously classified government docume...
Digital National Security Archive - Database contains 15 complete collections of declassified documents: Afghanistan, Berlin Crisis 1958...
Documents on British policy overseas -
Everyday life & women in America - This digital collection provides access to rare primary source material on American social, cultural...
First World War - The Visual perspectives and narratives section showcases material from the Imperial War Museum in Lo...
Foreign Office files for China, 1919-1980 - This digital collection makes available all British Foreign Office files dealing with China, Hong Ko...
Foreign Office files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, 1947-1980 - This collection focuses on the political and social history of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Inc...
Foreign Office files for Japan, 1919-1952 - Provides full-text searchable access to formerly restricted top level discussions and correspondence...
Foreign Office files for South East Asia, 1963-1980 - "Published in two parts, this extensive collection of Foreign Office Files explores South East Asia ...
Foreign Office files for the Middle East, 1971-1981 - This resource comprises British Foreign and Commonwealth Office files and selected files from the Pr...
Gender identity and social change - Covers the 19th to 21st centuries, focusing on the United States, Great Britain, Canada, and Austral...
Historical statistics of the United States - This thoroughly revised five-volume reference work reflects thirty years of new data and scholarship...
Illustrated London news historical archive, 1842-2003 - "The Illustrated London News Historical Archive gives students and researchers unprecedented online ...
Interwar culture - Interwar Culture comprises runs of both prominent and lesser-known periodicals published throughout ...
Leisure, travel and mass culture : [Material from Brooklyn Historical Society] - Maps, view books and guides provide in-depth case studies for Coney Island, Long Island and Rockaway...
LGBT magazine archive - Archival runs of 26 of the most influential, longest-running serial publications from 1954-2015 cove...
Liberty magazine, 1924-1950 - This database is a digitization of the entire run of Liberty Magazine, nearly 1,400 issues, and cont...
London low life - London Low Life is a full-text searchable electronic resource, containing colour images of rare book...
Macmillan cabinet papers, 1957-1963 - "Macmillan Cabinet Papers, 1957-1963 provides complete coverage of the Cabinet conclusions (minutes)...
Market research and American business reports, 1935-1965 - This database is a source for American consumption history as well as the history of transnational m...
Mass observation online - This resource includes essays on British social history collected between 1937 and 1972 during a pro...
Mass Observation Project, 1981-2009 - Mass Observation Project 1981-2009 provides digital access to a unique life-writing archive, capturi...
Medical services and warfare - Medical Services and Warfare tells the story of medical advances during warfare from the mid-ninetee...
NAACP Papers - The NAACP Papers collection consists of 6 modules. The NAACP Papers collections contains internal me...
North American women's letters and diaries - North American Women's Letters and Diaries (NAWLD) is a full-text database of the personal experienc...
Oxford dictionary of national biography - Biographies of noteworthy people, no longer living, who inhabited or were connected with the British...
Popular culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975 - This resource contains digitizations of popular culture collections from the U.S. and U.K. between 1...
Punch historical archive, 1841-1992 - From 1841 to 1992 Punch was the world's most celebrated magazine of humour and satire. From its earl...
Race relations in America - Record of speeches, reports, surveys, and analyses produced by Fisk University's Race Relations Depa...
Service newspapers of World War Two - Service Newspapers of World War Two contains an extensive range of both rare and well-known wartime ...
Sex & sexuality - Module 1, sourced solely from the Kinsey Institute, presents correspondence, research papers and rec...
Smithsonian collections online. World's fairs and expositions - This database includes primary source documents from exhibits between 1840 to 1940. The collection i...
Socialism on film - Sourced from the British Film Institute (BFI), this collection of documentary, newsreel and feature ...
Nixon years, 1969-1974 - Top level Anglo-American discussions and briefing papers dominate this project. There is also a weal...
Travel writing, spectacle and world history - This resource brings together hundreds of accounts by women of their travels across the globe from t...
Women in the National Archives - "This collection consists of two distinct elements: A finding aid to women's studies resources in Th...
World's Fairs - Contains official records, publicity, artwork, artifacts and other primary source materials for more...