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. |
Contents
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Subject Headings |
Periodicals |
Web Sites |
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Reference Sources |
Databases |
Style Guides |
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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:
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LC call numbers:
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Dewey call numbers: |
Selected Reference Sources
| Title | Location & Call Number |
| Dictionary of American Biography (eleven volumes) | Sherman Library Reference E176 .D563 |
| Dictionary of American Foreign Affairs (three volumes) | Sherman Library Reference E183.7 F58 1993 |
| Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History (five volumes) | Sherman Library Reference E185 E54 1995 |
| Encyclopedia of American political history: studies of the principal movements and ideas (three volumes) | Sherman Library Reference E183 .E5 1984 |
| Encyclopedia of Florida Indians: tribes, nations and people of the woodlands area (two volumes) | Sherman Library Reference |
| Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: a Political, Social, and Military History (five volumes) | Sherman Library Reference E468 .H47 2000 |
| Encyclopedia of the North American colonies (three volumes) | Sherman Library Reference E45 .E53 1993 |
| Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century (three volumes) | Sherman Library Reference E169.1 .E626 2001 |
| Encyclopedia of the United States in the Twentieth Century (four volumes) | Sherman Library Reference E740.7 .E53 1996 |
| Magill's History of North America (twelve volumes) | Sherman Library Reference E18 .M2 1988 |
Books
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, Oxford Scholarship Online, and
Xreferplus.
Entries for electronic books in NovaCat will
have the eBook icon 
.
Circulating Books
Circulating books may be checked out by visiting the library. Distance students may also request books via Document Delivery.
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 | Sherman Library Periodicals |
| South Florida History | Sherman Library Periodicals |
| Tequesta | Sherman Library Periodicals |
Databases
NSU's online databases serve as indexes to the historical literature, primarily
periodicals. They include citations, abstracts, and sometimes full-text, depending
on the database. See Database
Searching for additional information. Click on 
icon for a complete description of the database. To access the databases,
go to the Electronic Resources. To access full-length
books online, see databases listed under E-books section.
| Title of Database | Type |
| America: History and Life | Indexing and abstracts, with links to some full text in JSTOR. |
| Biography Resource Center |
Full text. |
| History Study Center | Full text and images. |
|
JSTOR |
Full text. |
|
Project Muse |
Full text. |
|
Research Library |
Selected full text. |
|
Readers' Guide Retrospective |
Indexing and abstracts only |
|
Wilson OmniFile: Full Text Mega Editon |
Full text. |
Web Sites
Conducting successful research involves using both electronic and print resources. Due to the large amount of print material available, using books, periodicals, maps, etc. is still the traditional method of doing research. However, the Internet is a dynamic medium with a great deal of material in electronic format—often published faster than is possible in print. In addition, many historic documents and ephemera (unpublished items from private collections) are available on the Internet in the form as electronic texts, scanned documents, and images. Below is a sampling of sites that provide an excellent beginning for conducting research in U.S. History. Remember to evaluate any Web site before using it for research.
| The American Experience (PBS Online) http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/amex/index.html |
|
American Studies Web - Historical and Archival Resources (Georgetown
University) |
| History of the United States (Mississippi State University) http://historicaltextarchive.com |
| 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 |
| An Outline of American History (United States Information
Agency) http://usinfo.state.gov/scv/history_geography_and_population.html |
| US History.org (Independence Hall Association) http://www.ushistory.org |
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. These primary documents comprise one aspect of archived material. To see Internet sites that have unpublished items such as photographs, maps, and related historical documents, please go to the Archives and Special Collections section.
| 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://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm 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) |
| 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) |
| 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. |
| Supreme Court Collection (Cornell University) http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/index.html U.S. Supreme Court decisions from 1990 to present |
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. Documents are carefully scanned and then returned to their storage area. For related Internet sites, please refer to the Historical Documents section.
| 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/csi/pubs.html Contains full-text books (with primary material) 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. |
| Lewis & Clark - The Journey of the Corps of Discovery
(PBS Online) http://www.pbs.org/lewisandclark Companion site to Ken Burns’ television documentary. |
| Making of America (University of Michigan and Cornell
University) http://moa.umdl.umich.edu Digitization project that contains over 8,500 books and 50,000 journal articles published in the nineteenth century. |
| Mark Twain in His Times (University of Virginia) http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/railton/index2.html Collection focuses on the author's life but also in a larger context it examines American societal values in the 19th century. |
| Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project (Stanford
University) http://www.stanford.edu/group/King/mlkpapers/ Inventory of King's major sermons, speeches, public statements, published writings, manuscripts, and substantial notes and outlines. Includes 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. |
| Steam Engine Library (University of Rochester) http://www.history.rochester.edu/steam Various full-text books with some American content. |
Bibliographies
A bibliography is a list of primary and secondary sources. For historical research, there are bibliographies of major authors, time periods, and important people. A bibliographic record provides important information (author, title, date of publication, etc.) about an item. That information makes it possible to search NovaCat or other electronic resources to see whether an NSU library has the item.
| Civil War Books (Louisiana State University) http://www.cwc.lsu.edu/cwc/links/books.htm |
|
United States Diplomatic History, 1918-1975 (Richard Immerman,
Temple University) |
| The Urban Past: An International Urban History Bibliography
(University of Guelph) http://www.uoguelph.ca/history/urban/citybiboutline.html Under “V The Early Modern City (1500-1800),” select section 9 (British colonial towns), and under “VI The Modern City,” select section 17 (United States). |
| Vietnam War Bibliography (Edwin E. Moïse, Clemson
University) http://www.clemson.edu/caah/history/FacultyPages/EdMoise/bibliography.html |
Electronic Journals
Electronic journals are prolific on the Internet, and it is often more convenient to read journal articles online rather than go to a library. However, electronic journals do have limitations compared to print journals. One factor is that availability of back issues is usually limited to a few years. Second, the amount of content in electronic journals varies from entire articles to brief summaries—and sometimes, just an issue’s table of contents. Finally, images such as photographs and graphs are not always included, unless the documents are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format. The library has subscriptions to online databases with some full-text articles from selected history journals. Please consult the Databases section to see which databases to use.
| Internet Library of Early Journals 18th & 19th Century http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ilej/ Full-text historic journals. |
| The War Times Journal - WTJ http://www.wtj.com/ Includes primary military material (memoirs, dispatches, reports, correspondence) |
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. This is because data must be painstakingly entered into electronic databases.
| 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. |
|
Population of the 100 Largest Cities...1790-1990 (U.S. Census
Bureau) |
| 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. |
Online Discussion Groups (Listservs)
Online discussion groups or listservs are virtual forums designed to facilitate free exchange of ideas on a given subject. Individuals must subscribe via e-mail (unlike newsgroups) to participate in discussions. Some listservs are moderated, with editors controlling the flow of messages and filtering out inappropriate or irrelevant material.
| H-Net Discussion Networks/Humanities & Social Sciences
Online (Michigan State University) http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/lists A large interdisciplinary collection of discussion groups on a wide range of topics, including various facets of American history. |
|
Reference Guide to Email Newsletters & Discussion Lists |
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. Directories also include listings of professional societies and scholarly organizations.
|
American Historical Association |
| History Departments Around the World (George Mason
University) http://chnm.gmu.edu/resources/departments/ |
|
Organization of American Historians |
| 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. |
Biographical Information
Biographies provide information about an individual's personal and professional life. They can vary in detail and length from brief sketches to essays or books. Shorter biographies are usually more objective and factual, while long essays and books can include subjective material and inferences based upon the author's views. Most biographical sources on the Web are short paragraphs and essays.
| 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. |
| From Revolution to Reconstruction: Biographies (University
of Groningen, The Netherlands) http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/B/index.htm Essays by various authors on selected historical figures, including all U.S. presidents. |
|
Full-Text Listings of Medal of Honor Citations (U.S. Army Center
of Military 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 |
| Cold War Museum http://www.coldwar.org/index.html |
| Documents Relating to American Foreign Policy: The Cold
War (Mount Holyoke College) http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/coldwar.htm |
| Eighteenth-Century Resources -- History (Jack Lynch,
Rutgers University)
http://andromeda.rutgers.edu/~jlynch/18th/history.html |
| History – North America (Rutgers
University) http://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/rul/rr_gateway/research_guides/history_us/ history_us.shtml |
| 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. |
| Links for the History Profession (Indiana University) http://www.oah.org/announce/links.html |
| New American Studies Web (Georgetown University) http://crossroads.georgetown.edu/asw |
| 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/ |
| The Wars for Viet Nam: 1945 to 1975 (Vassar College) http://vietnam.vassar.edu |
Style Guides
| See Style Guides. |
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Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center
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