Library Research Guides: HIST 253: First Peoples: Find Primary Sources

Searching for Sources

One of the best ways to search for primary sources is to use SuperSearch. Type in your search terms, then use the limiters on the left-hand side of the screen to narrow your search to primary documents and by date:

Enter dates below the content type to find materials from the historical period you're interested in:

Ayer Collection, Newberry Library
As a collection of general Americana, the Newberry’s Edward E. Ayer Collection is one of the best in the country and one of the strongest collections on American Indians in the world.
Indians of North America: Library of Congress Resources
This guide is a compilation of many of the resources on the Indians of North America available at the Library of Congress as well as selected resources outside the Library. They are organized by format.

Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America (American Indian Histories and Cultures)

Primary sources from the largest and best collection of materials on Indigenous (Native American) history, including maps, treaties, letters, journals, art, and more.
Dates: 1500-1998 CE
This database will no longer be available after Dec. 31, 2025. If you have questions, please contact askus@wellesley.edu.

Avalon Project: Relations Between the United States and Native Americans
Treaties, addresses, and legal documents on indigenous-settler relations.
Indian Peoples of the Great Northern Plains Digital Collection
Includes photographs, paintings, ledger drawings, documents, serigraphs, and stereographs from 1874 through the 1940's.
Archive of Early American Images
Images filtered by date, place, subject, and searchable. Concentration on images from Spanish sources on Indigenous cultures, particularly Arctic peoples, South American, and Southern present-day US.

Indigenous Newspapers in North America (American Indian Newspapers)

Indigenous newspapers from the US and Canada, with a special focus on the 1970s-present. Mostly English-language, but some Cherokee, Navajo, and Hawaiian-language papers.
Dates: 1828-2016 CE
This database will no longer be available after Dec. 31, 2025. If you have questions, please contact askus@wellesley.edu.

Yale Indian Papers Project
A scholarly critical edition of primary source materials about Native communities from the American Northeast gathered into one robust virtual collection.
Native Northeast Portal
The Native Northeast Portal is a platform for research, scholarly editing, commentary and community sharing of primary source materials from multiple holding institutions.
GEE Lindquist Native American Photographs
These photos depict the people, places, and practices of Native Americans and their communities from at least 34 States, plus Canada and Mexico in the period from 1909-1953.

Early American Indian Documents
10 volumes of treaties and documents relating to Native American history: 1607-1789.

Translated Folk Tales and Texts
The Publications of the American Ethnological Society include some translated indigenous stories. Some of the editors of these collections were indigenous, some not. For example. Jones was an anthropologist of the Fox nation who collected and translated tales from Ojibwe, Fox, and Kickapoo peoples. There is usually little context or expository methodological information.

Browse these titles online or on the shelf for translated folk tales.
Digital Archives Database Project
"View thousands of Métis historical documents, genealogical information, Hudson's Bay Company records, Church missionary records, and personal Métis accounts."

America's Historical Newspapers

Full text of more than 1,000 historical U.S. newspapers. Contains Early American Newspapers, 1690-1922, and African American Newspapers, 1827-1998.
Dates: 1690-1998 CE
Ethnic American Newspapers from the Balch Collection, 1799-1971

More than 130 newspapers published by and for American ethnic groups, with German-American, Irish-American, and Japanese-American papers forming the bulk. English language news is predominant.
Dates: 1799-1971 CE
American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series I, 1760-1900

Full-color, high-resolution images of many pamphlets, fliers, advertisements, and more from the Revolutionary Period through the Spanish-American War.
Dates: 1760-1900 CE

Hathi Trust
HathiTrust is a partnership of academic & research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world.
Chronicling America: Digitized Historical Newspapers
Sort newspapers by ethnicity, date, and state.
Library of Congress Digital Collections
Digitized papers from cultural sources, image collections, political figures, and more. Spans all time periods.
Digital Portals to State History
Congressional Record
Debates & proceedings in the U.S. Congress 1789-present
AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American History

American History, 1493-1945

Primary sources from a library in New York spanning American history. Particular strength in the papers of elite white men, but materials include the papers of others as well.
Dates: 1493-1945 CE
This database will no longer be available after Dec. 31, 2025. If you have questions, please contact askus@wellesley.edu.

David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
The historical map collection has over 87,000 maps and related images online. The collection includes rare 16th through 21st century maps of America, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Pacific, Arctic, Antarctic, and the World.
Perry Castañeda Library Map Collection
Over 44,000 map images of the Library's 250,000 map collection have been scanned. From the University of Texas.

American Journeys
European records of travelers encountering what would become the United States. 1000 AD - 1844 AD
Early Americas Digital Archive
The Early Americas Digital Archive (EADA) is a collection of electronic texts and links to texts originally written in or about the Americas from 1492 to approximately 1820.
Chaco Canyon Research Archive
The Chaco Research Archive is an online resource providing access to a wealth of information documenting the history of archaeological research in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. The archive includes material from dozens of sites excavated in the Chaco Culture National Historical Park and beyond.

Books

Early English Books Online

EEBO is a full text primary source archive of nearly every book published in English in the Early Modern period. It covers all subjects including literature, science, religion, politics, and more.
Dates: 1473-1700 CE
America's Historical Imprints

Documents published in America up to 1819, including books, pamphlets, broadsides, and ephemera, covering topics such as daily life, politics, religion, science, and more.
Dates: 1640-1819 CE

The Jesuit Relations
(From the World History Encyclopedia) The Jesuit Relations, published in France from 1632 to 1673, were a series of annual reports from the Roman Catholic Jesuit missions in the lands claimed by France in North America. The Relations were written as an appeal to French Catholics in hopes of gathering the political and financial support that was essential for the maintenance of the missions.

Archival Materials

American Antiquarian Society Digital Collections
Focus on early New England, but rich resources throughout.
Avalon Project: 17th Century Documents
Legal documents from Yale, with a focus on colony-level charters and agreements.
Colonial North America
Colonial North America at Harvard Library provides access to digitized manuscripts and archives documenting a wide range of topics related to 17th- and 18th-century North America.
Virginia Company Archives
Documents by and about the Virginia Company and their settlement in what is now the state of Virginia.
Colonial Records
A good list of digitized colonial records, listed by colony.
Digital Records at the Massachusetts Archives
Includes some digital records of the first years of the colony, including military records, town records, court documents, and more.
Early Americas Digital Archive
The Early Americas Digital Archive (EADA) is a collection of electronic texts and links to texts originally written in or about the Americas from 1492 to approximately 1820.
New England's Hidden Histories: Colonial-Era Church Records
The records of these congregations document births, deaths, and marriages, but also open a window onto the lives of ordinary people deliberating on matters both sacred and secular.

European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750

An index to printed primary sources about the Americas written in Europe before 1750. Not all full text will be instantly available, use interlibrary loan for what is not.
Dates: 1493-1750 CE

American Journeys
European records of travelers encountering what would become the United States. 1000 AD - 1844 AD
Colonial America
This collection covers the American colonies from the British perspective, utilizing British governmental documents.
Archive of Early American Images
Images filtered by date, place, subject, and searchable. Concentration on images from printed books.

Archival Collections

American Journeys
European records of travelers encountering what would become the United States. 1000 AD - 1844 AD
Avalon Project: 18th-Century Documents
Legal sources, with a focus on revolutionary records.
Ayer Collection, Newberry Library
As a collection of general Americana, the Newberry’s Edward E. Ayer Collection is one of the best in the country and one of the strongest collections on American Indians in the world.
Archive of Early American Images
Images filtered by date, place, subject, and searchable. Concentration on images from printed books.
Documenting the American South
Several collections of materials on the South. Focuses on North Carolina and the 19th century, but other periods and places may be found.
Colonial America
"Consists of the original correspondence between the British government and the governments of the American colonies, making it a uniquely rich resource for all historians of the period." Coverage: 1606-1822.
Early Americas Digital Archive
The Early Americas Digital Archive (EADA) is a collection of electronic texts and links to texts originally written in or about the Americas from 1492 to approximately 1820.
French Colonial, Spanish Colonial, and Nineteenth-Century Louisiana Documents
Louisiana documents from 1655 to 1924 with a strong emphasis on the French colonial, Spanish colonial, and early national periods.
Frontier Life
The material covering North America covers the varied frontier regions from fur trappers in Canada to cowboys in Texas and government in Baja California. It is divided into the frontier regions of the American East, the American Midwest, the American Southwest, California & Mexico and Canada.
Bexar Archives Online
The Bexar Archives are the official Spanish documents that preserve the political, military, economic, and social life of the Spanish province of Texas and the Mexican state of Coahulia y Texas.

European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750

An index to printed primary sources about the Americas written in Europe before 1750. Not all full text will be instantly available, use interlibrary loan for what is not.
Dates: 1493-1750 CE

Books

Early English Books Online

EEBO is a full text primary source archive of nearly every book published in English in the Early Modern period. It covers all subjects including literature, science, religion, politics, and more.
Dates: 1473-1700 CE

Newspapers and Periodicals

America's Historical Newspapers

Full text of more than 1,000 historical U.S. newspapers. Contains Early American Newspapers, 1690-1922, and African American Newspapers, 1827-1998.
Dates: 1690-1998 CE
Eighteenth Century Journals

18th-century social, political, and literary life, as covered in full-text journals published in the United Kingdom and across its empire. Topics covered include life in Britain and its colonies (India, the Caribbean, Canada), the French and American revolutions, reviews of literature and fashion, political debates, gender and society, and London coffee house gossip and discussion.
Dates: 1685-1835 CE
This database will no longer be available after Dec. 31, 2025. If you have questions, please contact askus@wellesley.edu.

The Annotated Newspapers of Harbottle Dorr, Jr.
Revolutionary-era Boston newspapers and pamphlets collected, annotated, and indexed by Harbottle Dorr, Jr., a shopkeeper in Boston.
Adverts 250
Advertisements in Colonial American newspapers from 250 years ago.

The West, Manifest Destiny, and Expansion

American West

Primary sources featuring books, journals, maps and more, documenting westward expansion in America. Includes sources on White American settlers, Indigenous peoples, Black migrants free and enslaved, and more.
Dates: 1718-1968 CE
This database will no longer be available after Dec. 31, 2025. If you have questions, please contact askus@wellesley.edu.

Archives of the West
Documents and photos gathered as a part of research done for a PBS documentary. Some citations robust, some scant.
US West: Photographs, Manuscripts, and Imprints
In general, collecting at the DeGolyer Library emphasizes the American West, the borderlands, exploration, business history and transportation, particularly the railroads.
Mountain West Digital Library
A central search portal for digital collections about the Mountain West region.
Frontier Life
The material covering North America covers the varied frontier regions from fur trappers in Canada to cowboys in Texas and government in Baja California. It is divided into the frontier regions of the American East, the American Midwest, the American Southwest, California & Mexico and Canada.
Ayer Collection, Newberry Library
As a collection of general Americana, the Newberry’s Edward E. Ayer Collection is one of the best in the country and one of the strongest collections on American Indians in the world.
Photographs of the American West
Hundreds of photos of the West from 1867-1900, with a focus on the Kansas Pacific Railroad and the 1898 Indian Congress.
Denver Public Library Digital Photographs Collection: American West
The Denver Public Library’s Western History/Genealogy Department collection of digitized photographs (formerly Photoswest) chronicles the people, places and events that shaped the settlement and growth of the Western United States.
Early Advertising of the West
The Early Advertising of the West collection consists of over 450 print advertisements published in local magazines, city directories, and theater pamphlets from 1867 to 1918.
Calisphere
Digitized materials from institutions in California. Collection strengths include California history, Chinese immigration, and the 19th century.
Graff Collection of Western Americana
Explore more than 130,000 digitized images from the Newberry’s renowned Graff collection, documenting America’s westward expansion. Topics covered include narratives from explorers, pioneers, hunters, traders, and prospectors; accounts of the Mormon treks of 1846 and 1849, the California gold rush, and overland travel during the 19th century; the development of transcontinental railroads; the growth of Western city and town life; and the history and culture of Native Americans.
University of Oklahoma Western History Collections
Includes manuscripts by indigenous people, records of Native-pioneer meetings, Civil War manuscripts, and more.
Bexar Archives Online
The Bexar Archives are the official Spanish documents that preserve the political, military, economic, and social life of the Spanish province of Texas and the Mexican state of Coahulia y Texas.
American Journeys
European records of travelers encountering what would become the United States. 1000 AD - 1844 AD

Newspapers

Ethnic American Newspapers from the Balch Collection, 1799-1971

More than 130 newspapers published by and for American ethnic groups, with German-American, Irish-American, and Japanese-American papers forming the bulk. English language news is predominant.
Dates: 1799-1971 CE

Nineteenth Century in Print
Popular magazines of the era digitized by Cornell

General Sources

American Broadsides and Ephemera, Series I, 1760-1900

Full-color, high-resolution images of many pamphlets, fliers, advertisements, and more from the Revolutionary Period through the Spanish-American War.
Dates: 1760-1900 CE
Early American Imprints, Series II: Shaw-Shoemaker, 1801-1819

An archive of American printed primary sources from pamphlets to children's books from the early republic to the last founding father's presidency. An emphasis on English-language documents.
Dates: 1801-1819 CE
Migration to New Worlds

This source contains letters, journals, images, and more that cover all aspects of the migration experience, from motives and departures (from Europe and Asia) to arrival and permanent settlement (in North and South America as well as Oceania).
Dates: 1800-1924 CE
This database will no longer be available after Dec. 31, 2025. If you have questions, please contact askus@wellesley.edu.

Avalon Project: 19th-Century Documents
Legal sources, focuses on Manifest Destiny and foreign policy.

Legal Documents

Avalon Project: 20th-Century Documents
Focus on international military and economic documents, and major laws and acts.
National Security Archive
Collections of declassified government documents from George Washington University, including some documents on 20th century indigenous movements.

Newspapers and Media

News
by Wellesley College Research & Instruction Staff Last Updated Jan 27, 2025 353 views this year

Library of Congress: Indians of North America
Browse 14 newspapers from indigenous communities. Mostly Oklahoma and Minnesota-based.

Radicalism, and Activism

American Radicalism: MSU Digital Collections
Several digital collections on radicalism, notably on the events at Wounded Knee. Citations are minimal.
American Indian Movement
The official website of AIM, an organization that grew from and with the Red Power movement of the mid-20th Century.
Indigenous Struggles: Freedom Archives
"This collection features materials covering the centuries long struggles of Indigenous Americans to resist European imperialism and maintain their culture and autonomy. Focuses of the collection include Native American political prisoners, documents and recordings from the American Indian Movement (AIM) and the 1992 Tribunal which centered on challenging the 500th anniversary of Columbus "discovering" America."
Declassified Government Documents on AIM
Includes FBI, CIA, White House, and Department of Justice declassified documents on the American Indian Movement.