Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center

A joint-use facility between Nova Southeastern University and the Broward County Board of County Commissioners

Subject Guide: U.S. History

The subject guide to U.S. History provides information on resources available from the Alvin Sherman Library, both in the library and online. The subject guide covers subject headings, reference sources, books, periodicals, databases, Web sites, and style guides. The Alvin Sherman Library also contains some primary historical sources on microform as well.

Contents

Subject Headings Periodicals Web Sites
Reference Sources Databases Style Guides
Books    

Subject Headings

You can find books and other materials in the library by searching NovaCat, the NSU Libraries online catalog. How to search NovaCat. To locate books and materials at other libraries, see Catalogs.

Suggested Library of Congress (LC) subject headings include:

Civil Rights Movements United States Slavery United States History
Constitutional History United States Foreign Relations
Depressions 1929 United States History
Florida History United States History Civil War
Genealogy United States United States Politics and Government
Historiography United States Vietnam War 1961 1975
Indians of North America History Watergate Affair 1972 1974
Iraq War 2003 World War, 1914-1918
Military History World War, 1939-1945
Note: Often many of the subject headings can be broken down into more refined subject areas. As an example, for some materials on recent U.S. History you might try: United States - History - 21st Century

LC call numbers:

D 501- 680 World War One
D 731- 838 World War Two
DS 557- 559, E 846- 861 Vietnam War
E 18-143 America (General and Early History)
E 175 Historiography
E 186- 309 Colonial Period and American Revolution
E 337- 738 Nineteenth Century
E 441- 453 Slavery and Anti--Slavery Movements
E 456- 655 Civil War, 1861-1865
E 740- 837 Twentieth Century
E 784- 802 The 1920s
E 806- 807 Great Depression and the New Deal
E 185, E 835- 851 Civil Rights Movement
E 838- 889 Late Twentieth Century, 1961-2001
E 860- 861 Watergate Affair
E 885- 889 Clinton Administration
E 902- 905 Bush (George W.) Administration

Selected Reference Sources

Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Title  Location & Call Number
The American Years Sherman Library Reference
E174.5 .G753 2003
Dictionary of American Biography Sherman Library Reference
E176 .D563
Dictionary of American History Sherman Library Reference
E174 .D52 2003
Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History Sherman Library Reference
E185 .E54 1995
Encyclopedia of American Cultural & Intellectual History Sherman Library Reference
E169.1 .E624 2001
Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy Sherman Library Reference
E183.7 .E52 2002
Encyclopedia of Florida Indians: Tribes, nations and people of the woodlands area

Sherman Library Reference
E78.F6 E52 1998

Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: a Political, Social, and Military History Sherman Library Reference
E468 .H47 2000
Encyclopedia of the Great Depression Sherman Library Reference
E806 .E63 2004
Historical Dictionary of the Vietnam War Sherman Library Reference
DS557.7 .M63 2001
The Oxford Companion to United States History Sherman Library Reference
E174 .O94 2001

Books


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E-books

E-books or electronic books may be accessed via NovaCat or from the following databases: Gale Virtual Reference Library, Greenwood eBooks, NetLibrary, Oxford Reference Online or MyiLibrary.

Entries for electronic books in NovaCat will have the eBook icon eBook icon.

Title Author
American Eras Starr-LeBeau, et al. [editors]
American History from a Global Perspective: An Interpretation Russo
The Columbia Guide to America in the 1960s Farber & Bailey
Daily Life in Immigrant America, 1820-1870 Berquist
Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy DeConde, et al. [editors]
Encyclopedia of the Great Depression McElvaine [editor]
A History of the United States Jenkins
Routledge Atlas of American History Gilbert
The United States in World History Davies
The Vietnam War Westheider

 

Circulating Books

Circulating books may be checked out by visiting the library. Distance students may also request books via Document Delivery.

Title Author Location
Abandoning Vietnam: How America Left and South Vietnam Lost its War Willbanks Sherman Library - 3rd floor
DS557.7 .W55 2008
America Goes to War Catton Sherman Library - 3rd floor
E468 .C28 1992
The American Nation: A History of the United States Carnes Sherman Library - 3rd floor
E178.1 .G24 2003
America's First Battles, 1776-1965 Heller & Stofft [editors] Sherman Library - 3rd floor
E181 .A46 1986
Decade of Nightmares: The End of the Sixties and the Making of Eighties America Jenkins Sherman Library - 3rd floor
E839 .J46 2006
Florida: A Short History Gannon Sherman Library - 3rd floor
F311 .G34 2003
The Modern American Presidency Gould Sherman Library - 3rd floor
E176.1 .G68 2003
Occupied America: A History of Chicanos Acuña Sherman Library - 3rd floor
E184 .M5 A63 2000
Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South Chafe [editor] Sherman Library - 3rd floor
E185.61 .R4 2001
The Transplanted: A History of Immigrants in Urban America Bodnar Sherman Library - 3rd floor
E184 .A1 B59 1985

 

Periodicals

Periodicals include journals, magazines, newspapers and other serial publications. Search NovaCat for individual titles and holdings information. Periodicals do not circulate, but may be viewed at the library location listed. NSU distance students may request copies of specific articles via Document Delivery.

Many periodicals are available with full-text (or full image) online in the databases. Search the Journal Finder for specific titles.

Local History Periodicals

Title Location
Florida Historical Quarterly Available in print.
South Florida History Available in print.
Tequesta Available in print. Backfiles available through their website.

History Periodicals

Title Location
American Historical Review Available in print and online.
American Quarterly Available online.
Civil War History Available online.
Ethnohistory Available online.
The Historian; A Journal of History Available online.
Journal of African American History Available online.
Journal of American Ethnic History Available online.
Journal of American History Available in print and online.
Journal of Military History Available online.
Journal of Modern History Available in print and online.
Journal of Southern History Available in print and online.
Past & Present Available online.

 

Databases

The online databases serve as indexes to the literature, primarily periodicals. They include citations, abstracts and sometimes full-text. Click on the Info icon Info icon for a complete description of the database. To access the databases, see Electronic Resources.

Title of Database Type
America: History and Life Indexing and abstracts, with links to some full text in JSTOR.
American Civil War: Letters and Diaries Indexing with text from dairies and letters.
Ancestry Library Database description PDF images from various genealogical materials.
Biography Resource Center Database description Full text.
History Study Center Full text and images.

JSTOR Database description

Full text.

Periodicals Archive Online

Full text.

Project Muse Database description

Full text.

Readers' Guide Retrospective Database description

Indexing and abstracts only

Wilson OmniFile: Full Text Mega Editon Database description

Full text.

Web Sites

There are many useful and interesting web sites about American History on the Internet. Please remember though to evaluate any Web site before using it for research.

General & Florida History

These sites cover a variety of historical topics in terms of both general United States History and some have a focus on local Florida History.

The American Experience (PBS Online)
   http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/amex/index.html
This site allows you to view online various historical documentaries that PBS has done throughout the years.
The Biographies of the Founding Fathers (Colonial Hall)
   http://www.colonialhall.com/biography.php
Biographical sketches for more than 100 of America's Founding Fathers, adapted from the 1829 book Lives of the Signers to the Declaration of Independence, by the Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, and the 1856 book The United States Manual of Biography and History, by James V. Marshall.
Florida Memory Project (State of Florida)
   http://www.floridamemory.com
Provides various online documents, images and other archival materials related to Florida history.
Florida on Florida (Florida Electronic Library)
   http://bibt10f-8.fcla.edu/cgi/b/bib/bib-idx
A searchable catalog of various digital materials for Florida and Florida history.
From Revolution to Reconstruction: A Hypertext on American History from the Colonial Period until Modern Times (University of Groningen, The Netherlands)
   http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/index.htm
A history site providing numerous online summaries, biographies, essays and more about American History.
History of the United States (Mississippi State University)
   http://historicaltextarchive.com
A portal to various history related sources including articles and thousands of links.
OAIster (UIUC & University of Michigan)
   http://www.oaister.org
This search site pulls in all types data for historical digital resources such as images, audio files and much more .
US History.org (Independence Hall Association)
   http://www.ushistory.org
Provides general online information relating to numerous topics in United States history.

Historical Documents

Historical documents are previously published items that have been written by an individual or group of people on a specific topic. Examples are speeches, essays, and government publications.

AMDOCS-Documents for the study of American History (University of Kansas)
   http://www.vlib.us/amdocs
Numerous primary documents beginning with excerpts from Christopher Columbus's 1492 journal.
The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy (Yale Law School)
   http://avalon.law.yale.edu/default.asp
Documents arranged by author, title, subject, time period, major document collections, and includes a searchable database. Large collection of American historical documents.
From Revolution to Reconstruction: Documents (University of Groningen, The Netherlands)
   http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/index.htm
Primary documents, especially from the 16th century through the 19th century.

History and Historiography (Stanford University)
   http://history.eserver.org
Listing includes essays, letters, articles in American History. Includes collections of digitized manuscripts.

Nixon White House Tapes (C-Span)
   http://www.c-span.org/executive/presidential/nixon.asp
Growing collection of C-SPAN Radio's American Political Archives Program that present excerpts of the Nixon White House Tapes recorded between 1971 and 1973.

Presidential Speeches (Miller Center of Public Affairs)
   http://millercenter.virginia.edu/scripps/diglibrary/prezspeeches/index.html
Growing collection of some of the more important presidential speeches of the past 60 years. Available in full audio, and sometimes transcripts. Also includes full text of some of the more important presidential speeches from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Supreme Court Decisions Homepage (FedWorld/FLITE)
   http://www.fedworld.gov/supcourt/index.htm
Contains the full text of 7,407 U.S. Supreme Court Decisions from 1937 to 1975.

Archives and Special Collections

Material in special collections and archives is another source of information to use when conducting research. Examples include unpublished letters, diaries, memoirs, and photographs. Much of this material is available on the Internet through digitization projects.

American Memory Collections (Library of Congress)
   http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse
National Digital Library includes numerous historical collections and online exhibitions ranging from Presidential Papers to sports and the arts.
Books Published by CSI (Center for the Study of Intelligence)
   https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/index.html
Contains full-text books about specific historical incidents and themes on American foreign relations.
English Online Resources (University of Virginia)
   http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/eng-on.html
Modern English Collection of the electronic text center includes historical American documents in the African-American; American Civil War; Thomas Jefferson Collections.
Making of America (University of Michigan and Cornell University)
   http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moagrp/
Digitization project that contains around 10,000 books and 50,000 journal articles published in the nineteenth century.
Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project (Stanford University)
   http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php
Inventory of King's major sermons, speeches, public statements, published writings, manuscripts, and substantial notes and outlines. Includes some full text for many items.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
   http://www.archives.gov/index.html
Archival Research Catalog (ARC) lists and describes almost half of NARA’s nationwide holdings in its Regional Archives, Presidential Libraries, and the Washington, DC area—including more than 124,000 digital items. Site includes links to other sources of historical federal records.
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection (University of Texas)
    http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/historical/index.html
Digital collection of historical maps and atlases.

 

Historical Statistics

Statistics are useful sources of information because they help support facts and conclusions in essays. However, historical statistics are relatively new to the Internet and vary widely in dates covered.

Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System (National Parks Service)
   http://www.civilwar.nps.gov/cwss/
Military records for 5.4 million servicemen who served in the Civil War, a list of regiments in the Union and Confederate Armies, and brief descriptions of 384 significant battles.
Geostat Center: Historical Census Browser (Alderman Library, University of Virginia)
   http://fisher.lib.Virginia.EDU/census
Data about people and the economy for all states and counties from 1790 – 1960.
Slave Movement During the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
   http://dpls.dacc.wisc.edu/slavedata
Eleven databases that contain raw data and documentation on different slave trade topics from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Free online registration required to access databases.
Statistical Resources on the Web (University of Michigan)
   http://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/stats.html
Gateway to public and private sector historical statistics.
U.S. Electoral College: Historical Election Results (National Archives & Records Administration)
   http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/electoral-college/historical.html
Electoral votes, popular votes, and other information from all U.S. presidential elections 1789 – 2004.

 

Directories

Directories are helpful for identifying staff and faculty at college and university history departments. Directories can also help locate course descriptions and syllabi, as well as information on applying for graduate studies/work and teaching as well as finding professional societies and scholarly organizations.

American Historical Association
   http://www.historians.org/
The most prestigious historical society in the United States; lists current issues of interest to historians.

History Departments Around the World (George Mason University)
   http://chnm.gmu.edu/resources/departments/
Online searchable catalog of history departments around the United States and the world.

Organization of American Historians
   http://www.oah.org
Includes information on professional opportunities in American History (employment listings, grants, fellowships, and job resources).

Scholarly Societies Project (University of Waterloo)
   http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/society/history_soc.html
Features links to home pages of more than 150 scholarly societies in history.

 

Gateways and Guides to U.S. History on the Internet

Gateways are Internet sites that list other places that offer further reference information. They provide access to sites that house specific projects, documents or links to diverse sources of information.

The American Civil War Homepage (University of Tennessee)
   http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war
This site includes links to hundreds of online Civil War resources.
Documents Relating to American Foreign Policy: The Cold War (Mount Holyoke College)
   http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/coldwar.htm
Provides links to hundreds of Cold War documents, including some primary sources.
Eighteenth-Century Resources -- History (Jack Lynch, Rutgers University)
   http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/18th/history.html
Portal to numerous sites related to Eighteenth Century History.
Internet Modern History Sourcebook (Fordham University)
   http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/modsbook.html
Includes thematic chapters in American History with many primary and secondary documents.
Pacific Studies WWW Virtual Library (Australian National University)
   http://coombs.anu.edu.au/WWWVL-PacificStudies.html
Collection of thematic discussions, bibliographies, etc. related to Asian and Pacific studies including American involvement.
Repositories of Primary Sources (University of Idaho)
   http://www.uidaho.edu/special-collections/Other.Repositories.html
Lists over 3300 websites that have collections of manuscripts, archives, rare books, historical photographs, etc. Excellent supplement to the National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections, Directory of Archives and Manuscript Repositories in the United States.
RootsWeb.com
   http://www.rootsweb.com
Free searchable family ancestral site that also contains links to many other similar genealogy websites and search engines.
U.S. Army Center of Military History
   http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/
Contains numerous online books, links and information about the United States Army and the wars the U.S. was involved in over the past 200 plus years.
The Wars for Viet Nam: 1945 to 1975 (Vassar College)
   http://vietnam.vassar.edu
Supplies a general overview about the war along with links to other Vietnam War related sites as well as links to documents concerning the war.

(Note: Many of the initial site recommendations and some of the descriptions written for them on this page, were done by Douglas Black.)

Style Guides

See Style Guides.


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