Library databases are a great way to find reliable information. For the historical figures essay, databases containing biographies are a great starting point. This essay requires a minimum of one source per figure. The cause and effect essay requires sources beyond database resources, such as films or journal articles.
The African American Experience (ABC-CLIO) - The widest-ranging and easiest-to-use online collection of African American life ever assembled, The African American Experience is the definitive electronic research tool for African American history and culture from one of the most respected publishers in the field.
American Indian Experience (ABC-CLIO) - Full-text digital resource exploring the histories and contemporary cultures of the indigenous peoples of the United States. American Indian Experience offers full-text access to an online library, featuring more than 150 volumes of reference content, hundreds of primary documents, and thousands of images. From prehistory to the present day, from the Inuit of the north to the Seminoles of Florida.
Biography (Gale in Context) - Online experience for those seeking contextual information on the world's most influential people. The new solution merges Gale's authoritative reference content (including Lives & Perspectives) with periodicals and multimedia organized into a user-friendly portal experience while also allowing users to search for people based on name, occupation, nationality, ethnicity, birth/death dates and places, or gender, as well as keyword and full text.
History Reference Center (EBSCO) - History Reference Center offers full text from more than 750 history reference books & encyclopedias and cover-to-cover full text from nearly 60 history magazines. Further, the database contains 58,000 historical documents; 43,000 biographies of historical figures; more than 12,000 historical photos and maps; and 87 hours of historical film and video.
America: History and Life (EBSCO) - The definitive database of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. With selective indexing for 1,700 journals from 1964 to present, this database is without question the most important bibliographic reference tool for students and scholars of U.S. and Canadian history.
Daily Life Through History (ABC-CLIO) - Provides content from a vast number of reference works, monographs, and primary documents. Based on the landmark Greenwood Encyclopedia of Daily Life, Greenwood Daily Life Online is supported by an active publishing program to ensure an ever-expanding and updated content base.
JSTOR - Access back issues of core journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Over 700 titles available.
Sources in U.S. History Online: Civil War (Gale) - A series of archival digital collections intended for public library patrons as well as high school, community college, and university students. The Civil War digital collection contains nearly 500 significant documents of the time--personal narratives, monographs, regimental histories, collected essays, sermons, songs, legal tracts, and political speeches--enabling students, faculty and patrons to study the key events in American history.
Films on Demand (Infobase Publishing) - Streaming video from large and small production companies covering a wide range of subjects to enhance college courses. These videos include public performance rights that allow them to be used in the educational setting.
Kanopy - Watch thousands of streaming films, documentaries and training videos. Kanopy’s award-winning collection includes PBS, Criterion Collection, New Day, California Newsreel, First Run Features, and hundreds of other leading producers -- on every topic imaginable.
It is important to verify and evaluate information on the Internet. To determine reliability and credibility of a source, ask yourself the following questions:
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Google Scholar helps you find relevant work across the world of scholarly research.
These sites provide reliable and credible information related to historical events and figures.
AmDocs - Primary source documents related to American History. Documents are listed chronologically.
American Foreign Policy - Primary source documents related to American foreign policy prior to 1898.
Chronicling America - American newspapers from 1789-1924
Digital Public Library of America - Digital repository of primary source, online exhibitions, and scholarly research relating to American History.
Gilder Lehrman - Digital repository of primary source, online exhibitions, and scholarly research relating to American History.
History Matters - Digital repository of primary source, online exhibitions, and scholarly research relating to American History.
Library of Congress - Digital repository of primary source, online exhibitions, and scholarly research relating to American History.
Making of America - Social history from antebellum through Reconstruction.
New York Heritage - Digital repository of primary source, online exhibitions, and scholarly research relating to the state of New York.
NY Public Library Digital Collection - Digital repository of primary source, online exhibitions, and scholarly research relating to American History.