Exploring Primary Source Collections
Work with your group members to find the document(s) indicated, using the collections suggested (you can also use any other primary source collection from the research guide that looks relevant). Be prepared to answer the following questions about the resource(s) you used:
- What kinds of primary sources are included?
- Where are the original primary sources?
- What useful search tips, strategies, or features did you discover? If there is an “advanced search” option, what are the benefits of using it?
Group 1
Document(s) to find: Security reports from the National Security Council related to the Gulf War.
Suggested resources:
- Digital National Security ArchivesDeclassified government documents that cover U.S. policy decisions from post World War II through the 21st century.
- U.S. Declassified Documents OnlineCovers the years immediately following World War II to the present. Documents on major foreign and domestic events, including the Cold War, Vietnam, foreign policy shifts, the civil rights movement, and others. Former title: Declassified Documents Reference System. Part of Gale Primary Sources.
Group 2
Document(s) to find: Find information related to Cuba – U.S. relations in the 1930s.
Suggested resource:
- Chatham House Archive, 1920-2008Documents drawn from the archives of the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Includes published and unpublished sources, including journals, speeches, pamphlets, reports, and books.
Group 3
Document(s) to find: Search for magazine articles related to Afghanistan from 1850 – 1900. Name some central themes.
Suggested resources:
- American Periodicals
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1740-1940. Over 1,000 titles. Probably the single most important digital collection of early American periodicals. Includes the sub-collection American Periodicals from the Center for Research Libraries, which is particularly strong in trade and labor periodicals.
Group 4
Document(s) to find: Look for joint House and Senate hearings related to Iraq during the Bill Clinton Administration.
Suggested resource:
- ProQuest CongressionalComprises 14 separate files: Legislative Histories, 1969-Present; Bills and Laws, 1789-Present; Vote Reports, 1987-Present; Committee Prints and Miscellaneous Publications, 1817-Present; Congressional Record Bound Edition and Its Predecessors, 1789-Present; Congressional Record Daily Edition, 1985-Present; Congressional Research Service Reports, 1916-2014; Congressional Hearings, 1824-Present; House and Senate Documents, 1817-Present; House and Senate Reports, 1817-Present; Congressional Serial Set, 1789-2011; Serial Set Maps, 1789-Present; Executive Branch Documents, 1789-1939; and Executive Orders and Presidential Proclamations, 1789-Present.
Group 5
Document(s) to find: Maps documenting the Mexican American War, 1846-1848.
Suggested resources:
- United States Congressional Serial Set MapsAn additional, specialized search module for the Readex U.S. Congressional Serial Set, Serial Set Maps allows users to focus searches on the maps themselves - the geographic areas they depict, the subjects they represent, their titles, and the names associated with the maps either as cartographers, explorers, or in some other capacity. Serial Set Maps will eventually cover the full scope of the Readex U.S. Congressional Serial Set. Please look under Search Hints to see the range of congresses and sessions currently covered.