DocsTeach — National Archives

Thousands of primary-source documents from the U.S. National Archives, including photographs, letters, maps, posters and government records. DocsTeach also includes classroom activities built around historical evidence.

Gilder Lehrman Collection

Historical letters, diaries, maps, photographs, newspapers and documents covering American history from the colonial era to the modern United States.

Library of Congress

Millions of digitized photographs, newspapers, maps, manuscripts, recordings, books, films and other historical materials from the world’s largest library.

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National Archives Primary Sources

Explore founding documents, federal records, photographs, military records, immigration documents, presidential history, maps, films and recordings.

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Smithsonian Learning Lab

Millions of Smithsonian museum resources, including historical artifacts, photographs, artwork, documents and teacher-created collections.

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers

Search digitized historic newspapers from communities across the United States. Excellent for researching how people experienced and reported events at the time.

Digital Public Library of America

Search digitized resources from libraries, archives and museums across the United States through one national discovery platform.

Yale University Primary Sources

Yale’s research gateway to major U.S. and international primary-source collections.

Canadian Letters and Images Project

Letters, photographs and documents telling Canadian military history through the experiences of individual Canadians.

Library and Archives Canada

Canada’s national collection of government records, photographs, maps, manuscripts, military files and immigration resources.

Hemeroteca Nacional Digital de México

Digitized Mexican newspapers and periodicals extending back into the eighteenth century.

Historic Mexican and Mexican American Press — University of Arizona

Historic newspapers documenting Mexican and Mexican American communities, particularly in the American Southwest.

Library of Congress Mexico Research Guide

A guide to Library of Congress materials relating to Mexico, including maps, photographs, books and manuscripts.

Europeana

Search digitized photographs, paintings, newspapers, manuscripts, books, maps, audio, film and museum objects from cultural institutions throughout Europe.

Perseus Digital Library

Classical Greek and Roman texts, translations, art and archaeological resources for studying the ancient Mediterranean world.

Gallica — National Library of France

Millions of digitized French books, newspapers, photographs, manuscripts, maps, prints and recordings.

Modern Latin America — Brown University

Primary documents and historical background covering colonialism, independence, revolution, Indigenous movements and political change in Latin America.

Oberlin College: Latin America Sources and Resources

A long-running directory of digital resources for researching Latin American history.

Ancient Manuscripts from the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu

Historic manuscripts highlighting the intellectual, scientific, commercial and religious traditions of Timbuktu and West Africa.

Historical Maps of Africa — Northwestern University

Maps from the sixteenth through early twentieth centuries useful for studying geography, imperialism and changing political boundaries.

Qatar Digital Library

Digitized maps, manuscripts, photographs, government records and archival documents related to Middle Eastern and Gulf history.

British Library Middle East Collections

Manuscripts, photographs, maps, books and archives relating to the Middle East and Islamic world.

Library of Congress Asian Digital Collections

Rare books, manuscripts, maps, photographs and other digitized materials relating to societies across Asia.

Internet East Asian History Sourcebook

Historical texts and translated documents covering China, Japan, Korea and other parts of East Asia.

Trove — National Library of Australia

Search historic Australian newspapers, government gazettes, photographs, maps, magazines, books, diaries, letters and other digital resources.

National Archives of Australia

Government records documenting immigration, citizenship, military history, government policy and major events in Australian history.

Library of Congress African American History Online

A gateway to photographs, newspapers, manuscripts, government documents, interviews and other materials spanning centuries of African American history.

African American Perspectives — Library of Congress

Rare books and pamphlets documenting African American life and history, particularly during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives

First-person accounts from formerly enslaved Americans collected by the Federal Writers’ Project during the 1930s.

Martin Luther King Jr. Primary Sources — Cornell University

A research guide connecting students with documents concerning Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement.

The Church in the Southern Black Community

Primary texts documenting Black religious institutions and community life in the American South.

Library of Congress Native American Digital Collections

Photographs, recordings, maps, newspapers, documents and other digitized sources relating to Native American history.

Native American Boarding Schools — Library of Congress

Classroom-ready primary sources examining federal boarding-school policy, assimilation and Indigenous experiences.

National Museum of the American Indian

Smithsonian collections preserving objects, images and records relating to Indigenous peoples throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Library of Congress American Women’s History Collections

Letters, diaries, organizational records, speeches, photographs and political papers documenting women’s experiences in U.S. history.

19th Amendment and Women’s Suffrage Collections

Digital collections related to women’s voting rights and the American suffrage movement.

American Women’s History Digital Collections — MTSU

A curated research guide to digital primary-source collections covering American women’s history.

Library of Congress Asian American and Pacific Islander Resources

A broad gateway to primary sources relating to Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and history.

Chinese Exclusion Act Primary Sources

Legislation, newspapers, photographs, government records and related historical materials concerning Chinese exclusion.

Japanese American National Museum Collections

Diaries, photographs, letters, artwork, personal belongings and other materials documenting Japanese American history.

Korean American Digital Archive — USC

Photographs, documents and archival records concerning Korean immigration and Korean American communities.

American Jewish Archives

Personal papers, organizational records, correspondence, photographs and other sources documenting Jewish life in the United States.

Jewish Immigration — Library of Congress

Primary and contextual materials exploring Jewish migration and community life in the United States.

Library of Congress Latinx Studies

Photographs, oral histories, music, manuscripts, newspapers, maps and government records relating to Latinx history and culture.

Bracero History Archive

Oral histories, photographs and documents related to Mexican workers who participated in the Bracero Program.

Library of Congress LGBTQ+ Pride Month Resources

Historical photographs, interviews, correspondence, film and archival materials documenting LGBTQ+ history and activism.

LGBTQ+ Activism and Contributions

Teacher-friendly primary-source materials addressing LGBTQ+ activism, civil rights and social history.

Gallaudet University Digital Collections

Deaf newspapers, rare books, photographs, videos, papers and archival collections documenting Deaf history and culture.