American Civil War: Primary Sources

Primary source materials in American history. Discover eyewitness accounts of historical events, vivid descriptions of daily life, editorial observations, commerce as seen through advertisements, and genealogical records through electronic versions of historical newspapers and books.

The American Antiquarian Society (AAS), the premier library documenting the life of America's people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction. Digitized images of American magazines and journals from 7,600+ periodicals with 7 million images.

Millions of pages of primary source content from the 15th-21st centuries.

Documents in Law, History, and Diplomacy (ancient through 21st century).

Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves.

A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation consists of a linked set of published congressional records of the United States of America from the Continental Congress through the 43rd Congress, 1774-1875. It includes materials related to the proceedings of the Continental Congress, the federal and state conventions related to the framing and adoption of the Constitution, and the proceedings of the House of Representatives and the Senate. It also includes the Statutes at Large for 1789 to 1875; the American State Papers for 1789 to 1838; and congressional bills and resolutions for selected sessions beginning with the 6th Congress (1799) in the House of Representatives and the 16th Congress (1819) in the Senate.

Contains major articles gleaned from over 2,500 issues of The New York Herald, The Charleston Mercury and the Richmond Enquirer, published between November 1, 1860 and April 15, 1865.

Contains more than 40 million images, texts, sounds, and multimedia objects form libraries, archives and museums in the United States. Copyright status of items vary; however, many items are public domain or available for re-use. Check the "rights" field for each item.

A publishing initiative that provides access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture.

Provides free and open access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience. It is a digital record of American history and creativity. These materials, from the collections of the Library of Congress and other institutions, chronicle historical events, people, places, and ideas that continue to shape America, serving the public as a resource for education and lifelong learning.

Featuring Handwritten Text Recognition. Module 1: 1850-1927.

To identify a pre-1980 New York Times article and obtain it for FREE, please follow these steps:

1. Use the link above to go to the New York Times Index


2. Search for articles using the search box and filters


3. After identifying an article you want, complete the ARTICLE " Request It " form

Please include the following:



1. Article title


2. The title of the publication (New York Times)


3. Date of the article


4. Page(s) of the article (if provided)

Primary resources from multiple archives covering the variety, legacy and continued existence of slavery.

Reports, documents and journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, originally published in approximately 13,800 bound volume.

Search state Supreme Court decisions from Pennsylvania.