Primary Sources: Web Sites with Primary Source Content

A list of 100 milestone documents, compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration, and drawn primarily from its nationwide holdings. The documents chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965.

Historical documents and materials assembled by the Library of Congress. The collections have photographs, maps, government documents and other examples of primary source material.

This project contains a searchable database of tens of thousands of documents from U.S. presidents from 1789 to the present. It covers inaugural addresses, press briefings, signing statements, and debates. Also features data on topics such as popularity and number of public appearances, election results back to 1828, and an archive of audio and video clips.

An index to and growing database of 5000+ full text, audio and video (streaming) versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, other recorded media events, and more.

Compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler, a historically significant, seven volume compilation of U.S. treaties, laws and executive orders pertaining to Native American Indian tribes.

Includes:
Key excerpts from the majority opinion
Key excerpts from the dissenting opinion
Full text of the majority opinion
Summary of the decision

The Cornell University Library Making of America Collection is a digital library of primary sources in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction. The collection is particularly strong in the subject areas of education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, and science and technology. This site provides access to 267 monograph volumes and over 100,000 journal articles with 19th century imprints. The project represents a major collaborative endeavor in preservation and electronic access to historical texts.

The National Archives preserves historically valuable archives of the U.S. government, including documents, photographs, images, maps, audio clips, letters, speeches, and films.

The website contains over 900 articles, speeches, letters and other texts, organized by subject, date and author. It also hosts over 5000 Great Depression era images from the National Archives, the FDR Library and many other sources.

Contains journals, letters, memoirs, reports and images of the American West, assembled for Ken Burn's PBS documentary, "The West."

Search the museum collections and exhibitions for digital images of documents, photographs and other artifacts.

Population data and facts.

Part of the American Memory Project. A collection of digitized books containing first-person accounts from the time of the Gold Rush through the turn of the Century.

Over one million photographs and 5000 works of art, in addition to manuscripts, diaries and public records, documenting California history.

A repository for permanent public records pertaining to the state's political history as well as other materials documenting California History.

The OAC describes the contents of archives, libraries and museum collections, their location, and in some instances, provides access to entire collections in digitized format for viewing online.

The mission of the Pasadena Digital History Collaboration is to assemble, digitize, and make web-accessible historical documents and artifacts that represent Pasadena's heritage for the benefit of both the local community and researchers world-wide.

Includes hours of digitized newsfilm, documentaries, and other programs produced in the Bay Area between 1935 and 2005.

Includes photographs and oral history interviews representing different ethnic histories within the Los Angeles area.

The LA Public Library photo and digital collections cover local history and other historical topics.

An excellent source for all things labor related.

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education.

Over 3,300 advertising items and publications dating from 1850 to 1920, illustrating the rise of consumer culture and the birth of a professionalized advertising industry in the United States.

Reports on a multitude of science topics from the National Science Foundation, an agency of the U.S. government.