LibGuides: HIST 480: Women in the Civil War (Dr. Revels): Finding Primary Sources

Wofford Sources for Primary Documents

All Primary Source Databases
These are all the primary source databases we subscribe to at Wofford, not every database ever.

North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
North American Womens Letters and Diaries provides access to more 300 years of documents about the personal experiences of hundreds of women.
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories This link opens in a new window
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories provides searchable access to more than 100,000 pages of personal narratives, including letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, and oral histories, the collection provides a rich source for scholars in a wide range of disciplines.
Women and Social Movements in Modern Empires since 1820 This link opens in a new window
Women and Social Movements Library takes researchers on new paths to unique content about some of modern historys greatest activists and the movements they shaped.
Black Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Approximately 100,000 pages of non-fiction writings by over 1000 major American black leaders covering 250 years of history. Presents a great deal of previously inaccessible material, including letters, speeches, prefatory essays, political leaflets, interviews, periodicals, and trial transcripts.
Academic Video Online This link opens in a new window
Alexander Street Press' Academic Video Online (AVON) delivers more than 66,000 video titles spanning subject areas including anthropology, history, business, counseling, dance, ethnic studies, gay and lesbian studies, film, opera, religion, theatre, and more. AVON includes: documentaries, interviews, performances, news programs and newsreels, field recordings, commercials, and raw footage. Publishers include A&E, Bullfrog Films, HISTORY, Sony Pictures Classics, BroadwayHD, 60 Minutes, PBS, BBC, Milestone Films and more.
"All films* purchased from Alexander Street, whether streaming or DVD, include limited public performance rights, which includes permission for classroom showings, as well as public screenings, as long as no admission is being charged." // July 2022

Newspapers

Newspaper articles written during the events they describe are primary sources. Wofford has access to the complete run of the New York Times and other historical newspapers through ProQuest Historical Newspapers. The Library of Congress has incomplete runs of local newspapers.

Proquest Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
With ProQuest Historical Newspapers, trace the Revolutionary War rebel cause, Reconstruction after the Civil War, learn about a break-through medical discovery, the inauguration of a world leader, both world wars, the Civil Rights Movement, experiment with a tasty new recipe, laugh at a comic strip and experience the birth of freedomall from one source.

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers
From the Library of Congress, this is a collection of full page images from selected U.S. newspapers 1860-1922. Not all states are included, but South Carolina is well represented.

Digital Collections from other Libraries

Here are a few examples of sites that include a wealth of primary materials. Many of the materials can also be located if you do a Google search, but primary documents are often buried in long lists of results. Some sites (like Project Avalon) provide transcriptions of the documents, while others provide a PDF file or a digital image.

Digital Collections from the Library of Congress
This collection from the Library of Congress includes texts of books, photographs, moving images,manuscripts, musical scores and recordings. Search for a topic of interest, or browse by collection.
Documenting the American South
From the University of North Carolina, this site includes primary sources on the cultural history of the American South from the Southern point of view. Includes diaries, autobiographies, travel accounts, titles about slavery, and regional literature. Emphasis is on the 19th century.
America's Historical Documents
From the National Archives, everything from the Declaration of Independence to the letter from Elvis to President Nixon.
Discovering American Women's History Online
Searchable database of online collections related to the history of American Women.
National Women's History Museum
South Carolina Digital Library
The South Carolina Digital Library provides free access to historic materials, such as photographs, manuscripts, journals, books, oral histories, objects, etc. illustrating the history and culture of South Carolina from over 40 cultural heritage institutions across the state.
Documents from the Women's Liberation Movement
From Special Collections at Duke University.
Sophia Smith Collection
Oral history transcripts and digital archives from Smith College.
Women Working, 1800-1930
Women Working, 1800–1930 is a digital exploration of women's impact on the economic life of the United States between 1800 and the Great Depression. Working conditions, workplace regulations, home life, costs of living, commerce, recreation, health and hygiene, and social issues are among the issues documented in this online research collection from Harvard University.
Internet History Sourcebooks: Women
This collection has sourcebooks for Ancient History, Medieval History, and Modern History. There are also subcategories for topics like Women's History or Jewish History. Many broken links, so be patient.
Avalon Project
Texts and links to texts related to Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government.