UTEP Library Research Guides: Primary Sources for History & INSS: Find Primary Sources

A Tip on Searching for Primary Sources

Find Primary Sources for INSS @ UTEP Library

Databases for Primary Sources @ UTEP Library

Declassified Documents Reference System (DDRS) (Gale) This link opens in a new window Digital reference archive developed by Primary Source Media, a division of Gale, that provides indexing, abstracting, and complete full text/full image access to a large selection of United States government documents obtained from presidential libraries. Document sources include the White House, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the State Department, and more. Coverage ranges from the years immediately following World War II, when declassified documents were first made widely available, through the 1970s. Nearly every major foreign and domestic event during these years is represented: the Cold War, Vietnam, foreign policy shifts, the civil rights movement, and others.
https://go.gale.com/ps/start.do?p=USDD&u=txshracd2603
Digital National Security Archive (DNSA) (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Provides complete full text access to several comprehensive sets of declassified government documents dealing with U.S. national security policy. Subjects include Afghanistan, the Berlin and Cuban Missile Crises, China, El Salvador, Iran-Contra Affair, Iraqgate, Japan, Nicaragua, Nuclear Non-Proliferation, Philippines, South Africa, and the U.S. Intelligence Community. Documents indexed include presidential directives, memos, diplomatic dispatches, meeting notes, independent reports, briefing papers, White House communications, e-mail, confidential letters, and other formerly classified materials.
https://www.proquest.com/dnsa/advanced
FBI Case Files This link opens in a new window Provides full-text/full-image access to a digital collection of previously undisclosed historical United States Bureau of Investigation case file records derived from the National Archives. Subject coverage includes reports of World War I espionage, case files for politically-suspect German aliens, opium smuggling, records pertaining to Mexican neutrality violations, and reports dealing with alleged violations of U.S. federal laws. Coverage: 1908 - 1922.
http://www.fold3.com
Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) This link opens in a new window Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Grants and Training and the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS), the Homeland Security Digital Library (HSDL) provides full text access to important U.S. policy documents, presidential directives, and national strategy documents as well as specialized resources such as theses and reports from various universities, organizations, and local and state agencies.
http://www.hsdl.org
ProQuest Congressional Publications (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Provides access to the online version of the CIS Index containing bibliographic citations and abstracts of congressional publications, including the CIS Legislative Histories (1970 - present). Includes full text access to congressional reports and voting records, House and Senate documents, bills, and public laws as well as to committee reports, selected prints, and schedules. Other full text publications include: U.S. Code, Congressional Record, Federal Register, and the Code of Federal Regulations.
https://search.proquest.com/congressional

Primary Sources for Intelligence & National Security Studies On the Open Internet

Congressional Research Service Reports on Terrorism
Bush Administration Documents on Secrecy Policy
FDsys
Searchable database of government documents-- all available online.
Department of State Press Releases
White House Statements & Briefings
Congress.gov
This resource from the Library of Congress allows users to search for: Bills, Resolutions; Activity in Congress; Congressional Record; Schedules, Calendars; Committee Information; Presidential Nominations; and Treaties, some beginning with the 93rd Congress (1973) - present.
The Torture Archive
An online repository of more than 16,000 documents, chronicles United States government policy on the detention and interrogation of individuals in the “global war on terror” since September 11, 2001.
The Wilson Center Digital Archive
The Digital Archive contains once-secret documents from governments all across the globe, uncovering new sources and providing fresh insights into the history of international relations and diplomacy.

FOIA Materials

What is FOIA?

Find Primary Sources for History @ UTEP Library

Databases for Primary Sources @ UTEP Library

18th Century Collections Online (Gale) This link opens in a new window Provides complete full text/full image access to significant English language and foreign language titles printed in Great Britain during the eighteenth century, along with many important works from the Americas. Subject coverage includes history, geography, social science, art, medicine, music, science and technology, language and literature, philosophy and religion, law, and general reference. Materials indexed include books, directories, almanacs, catalogues, bibles, sheet music, sermons, advertisements, and more. Coverage: 1701 - 1800.
https://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/txshracd2603?db=ECCO
NOTE: UTEP's subscribed collections include: ECCO I and ECCO II. This database is funded in its entirety by the Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program (ALCEP) through the General Libraries of the University of Texas at Austin.
19th Century U.S. Newspapers (Gale) This link opens in a new window Provides full-text/full-image access to selected primary source newspaper content published during the 19th century from both urban and rural regions throughout the United States. Subject coverage focuses on the daily life, politics, culture, ethnic groups, and major historical events from 19th century America, including the American Civil War, African-Americans, Native Americans, Western migration, Antebellum-era life, women's rights, labor groups, and more.
https://go.gale.com/ps/start.do?p=NCNP&u=txshracd2603
Access Newspaper Archive This link opens in a new window Provides full-text/full-image access to an online archive of selected historical newspapers from around the world. Countries represented include: United States (U.S.) and the Virgin Islands, the United Kingdom (U.K.), France, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, Jamaica, Canada, Denmark, China, and Japan. Content is composed primarily of historical back issues. Dates of coverage vary by title, ranging from 1759 - present (overall).
Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window Provides access to a wide variety of primary source material in American history. Archival content is organized into subject collections derived from leading historical periodicals and books, newspapers, diaries, and genealogical records. Included are eyewitness accounts of historical events, vivid descriptions of daily life, editorial observations, and commerce as seen through advertisements. Entries include full bibliographic citations and are organized chronologically. NOTE: UTEP's subscribed collections include: African American Newspapers, The Civil War, Part I - A Newspaper Perspective, Civil War, Part II - The Soldiers' Perspective, Civil War, Part III - The Generals' Perspective, Civil War, Part IV - A Midwestern Perspective, Civil War, Part V - Iowa's Perspective, Civil War, Part VI - Northeast Regimental Histories, Quarantine and Disease Control in America.
https://www.accessible.com
African American Newspapers (1827-1998) (NewsBank/Readex) This link opens in a new window Provides complete full text/full image access to a collection of U.S. newspapers that chronicles the African American experience from 1827-1998. Subject coverage spans life in the Antebellum South; the spread of abolitionism; growth of the Black church; the Emancipation Proclamation; the Jim Crow Era; the Great Migration to northern cities, including the West and Midwest in search of greater opportunity; rise of the N.A.A.C.P.; the Harlem Renaissance; the Civil Rights movement; political and economic empowerment, and more. Materials indexed include articles, obituaries, advertisements, editorials, and illustrations.
https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/readex/?p=EANAAA
American Periodicals (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Bibliographic index that provides full text/full image access to a collection of American magazines and journals spanning the development of the United States from colonial times to the advent of U.S. involvement in World War II. Titles include Andrew Bradford's American Magazine, Benjamin Franklin's General Magazine, Medical Repository (America's first scientific journal), early professional journals such as Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and popular magazines such as Vanity Fair and Ladies' Home Journal.
https://search.proquest.com/americanperiodicals?accountid=7121
NOTE: This database is funded in its entirety by the Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program (ALCEP) through the General Libraries of the University of Texas at Austin.
ArchiveGrid This link opens in a new window Fully-integrated open-access content discovery platform that provides indexing for primary source material held in archives, special collections, and manuscript collections around the world. Selected content is derived from collection descriptions found in WorldCat bibliographic records and from finding aids harvested from ArchiveGrid contributors' websites. Materials indexed include historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. ArchiveGrid also helps researchers contact archives to request information, arrange a visit, and order copies of desired materials.
https://beta.worldcat.org/archivegrid/
Archives Unbound (Gale) This link opens in a new window Provides full-text/full image access to 14 individual archival collections on Latin America, the Caribbean, and Latino Studies. Subject coverage includes the Mexican Revolution; Emiliano Zapata; Feminism in Cuba; Foreign Relations between the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean States; and the National Farm Worker Ministry.
https://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/txshracd2603?db=GDSC
British Periodicals (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Derived from the University Microfilms International (UMI) microfilm collections Early British Periodicals, English Literary Periodicals, and British Periodicals in the Creative Arts, this online archive provides full text/full image access to a wide selection of periodicals published in Great Britain from the late seventeenth century to the early twentieth century. Subject coverage includes literature, philosophy, history, science, the fine arts, music, drama, archaeology, architecture, and the social sciences. Publications indexed range from magisterial quarterlies and scholarly and professional organs to coterie art periodicals, penny weeklies, and illustrated family magazines. Coverage ranges from the 1680s through the 1930s.
https://search.proquest.com/britishperiodicals/advanced?accountid=7121
NOTE: Accessible collections include British Periodicals Collection I and British Periodicals Collection II. This database is funded in its entirety by the Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program (ALCEP) through the General Libraries of the University of Texas at Austin.
Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers This link opens in a new window Jointly sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Library of Congress (LOC) and developed through the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP), this fully-integrated content delivery platform provides full-text/full image access to a selected collection of America's historic newspapers from 1836-1922. Includes the U.S. Newspaper Directory that provides information about American newspapers published between 1690-present.
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/
Early American Newspapers (1690-1876), Series I (NewsBank/Readex) This link opens in a new window Provides complete full text/full image access to over 700 historical American newspapers from 23 states and the District of Columbia printed between 1690 and 1876. The bulk of the collection is from the 18th century and is based on Clarence S. Brigham's History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820 as well as other authoritative bibliographies.
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/?db=EANX
Early Encounters in North America: Peoples, Cultures, and the Environment (Alexander Street Press) This link opens in a new window Provides full text/full image access to a broad collection of primary source materials dealing with the relationships among peoples and cultures in early North America. The collection presents unique perspectives from traders, slaves, missionaries, explorers, soldiers, officials, and others. It includes works by American Indians, Canadian First Peoples, and many European groups, capturing first impressions, observations of flora and fauna, descriptions of encounters with indigenous peoples, and new language elements as they evolved. Subject coverage includes American history, Canadian history, natural history, environmental studies, and American Indian and Native American studies. Materials indexed range from published and unpublished personal accounts derived from narratives, letters, diaries, memoirs, and journals to prints, drawings, paintings, photographs, bibliographies, original facsimile pages, and maps. Coverage: 1534 - 1860
https://eena.alexanderstreet.com
NOTE: This database is funded in its entirety by the Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program (ALCEP) through the General Libraries of the University of Texas at Austin.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online (Gale) This link opens in a new window Provides complete full text/full image access to significant English language and foreign language titles printed in Great Britain during the eighteenth century, along with many important works from the Americas. Subject coverage includes history, geography, social science, art, medicine, music, science and technology, language and literature, philosophy and religion, law, and general reference. Materials indexed include books, directories, almanacs, catalogues, bibles, sheet music, sermons, advertisements, and more.
https://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/txshracd2603?db=ECCO
HarpWeek (Harper's Weekly) This link opens in a new window
A full text/full image resource for examining nineteenth century American life from the Civil War Era to the Gilded Age through the pages of Harper's Weekly. Overall full text coverage is from 1857 to 1912.
https://app.harpweek.com/
Indigenous Peoples: North America (Gale) This link opens in a new window Provides full-text/full image access to a diverse collection of archival research materials pertaining to the experiences, cultural traditions and innovations, and political status of Indigenous Peoples in the United States and Canada. Includes primary sources derived from a wide variety of manuscript collections, monographs, newspapers, photographs, motion pictures, images of artwork, and more.
https://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/txshracd2603?db=INDP
Latin American Newspapers - Series 1, 1805-1922 (NewsBank/Readex) This link opens in a new window Published in partnership with the Center for Research Libraries (CRL), this collection provides complete full-text/full-image access to selected 19th and 20th century historical newspapers printed in various Latin American countries, including: Mexico, Argentina, Cuba, Chile, Brazil, Peru, Trinidad, and Guyana. Most titles are printed in either Spanish or Portuguese while some are printed in the English language. The bulk of the collection is from the 19th century; dates of coverage range from 1805-1922 (overall).
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/?db=WHNPX&d_collections=WHNPLAN1
Making of America (Cornell University) This link opens in a new window Provides full text/full image access to a collection of primary source materials in American social history from the antebellum period through reconstruction drawn from the Cornell University Library. Subject coverage includes education, psychology, American history, sociology, religion, science, and technology. Materials indexed include books and journals published in the 19th century. Coverage: 1850 - 1877.
https://collections.library.cornell.edu/moa_new/index.html
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories (Alexander Street Press) This link opens in a new window Provides full text/full image access to a select collection of North American immigrant correspondence, diaries, and oral histories. Subject coverage includes American and Canadian history, European history, labor history, ethnic and diversity studies, sociology, language and literature, women's studies, and genealogy. Materials indexed include both published as well as previously unpublished items derived from letters, books, diaries, pamphlets, journal articles, photographs, scrapbooks, cartoons, autobiographies, and interview transcripts.
https://imld.alexanderstreet.com
North American Women's Letters and Diaries: Colonial to 1950 (Alexander Street Press) This link opens in a new window Provides full text/full image access to a large, select collection of North American women's correspondence and diaries from Colonial times to 1950. Subject coverage includes American history, Canadian history, women's studies, gender and diversity studies, biographies, language and literature, sociology, and genealogy. Materials indexed include both previously unpublished as well as published items drawn from journal articles, pamphlets, newsletters, monographs, and conference proceedings. The majority of the collection includes materials that illustrate the role and status of women, personal attitudes and reactions to specific historical or personal events or individuals, and descriptions that convey the life and times of the past.
https://nwld.alexanderstreet.com
Palmer's Full Text Online (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Provides bibliographic indexing as well as full-text/full-image access to The Times newspaper of London, England. Resources include: Palmer's Index to the Times (October 1790-December 1905) and Palmer's Full Text Online (1800-1870). Subject coverage includes all aspects of British life and world affairs in the 19th and 20th centuries including history, politics, economics, business, the arts, entertainment, and sport.
http://history.chadwyck.co.uk
NOTE: This database is funded in its entirety by the Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program (ALCEP) through the General Libraries of the University of Texas at Austin.
ProQuest Congressional Publications (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Provides access to the online version of the CIS Index containing bibliographic citations and abstracts of congressional publications, including the CIS Legislative Histories (1970 - present). Includes full text access to congressional reports and voting records, House and Senate documents, bills, and public laws as well as to committee reports, selected prints, and schedules. Other full text publications include: U.S. Code, Congressional Record, Federal Register, and the Code of Federal Regulations.
https://search.proquest.com/congressional
ProQuest Historical Newspapers - Los Angeles Times (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Provides full-text/full-image access to the Los Angeles Times newspaper from the first issue published in 1881 up through 25 years from the current date. Content includes news stories, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, photographs, cartoons, maps, advertisements, and more. Updated annually. For online access to current issues of the Los Angeles Times, see LexisNexis Academic.
https://search.proquest.com/hnplatimes/advanced?accountid=7121
ProQuest Historical Newspapers - The New York Times (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Provides full-text/full-image access to The New York Times newspaper from the first issue published in 1851 up through five years from the current date. Content includes news stories, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, photographs, cartoons, maps, advertisements, and more. Updated annually. For online access to current issues of The New York Times, see Nexis Uni. To locate printed or microfilm copies of The New York Times, check MinerQuest, the UTEP Library Catalog. NOTE: UTEP students, faculty, and staff have unlimited access to New York Times Digital Edition subscription.
https://search.proquest.com/hnpnewyorktimes/advanced?accountid=7121
NOTE: This database is partially funded by the Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program (ALCEP) through the General Libraries of the University of Texas at Austin.
ProQuest History Vault: American Politics and Society: Immigration Records of the INS, 1880-1930 (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Provides full-text/full-image access to the archival case file records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). Subject coverage includes Asian immigration and exclusion, especially Japanese and Chinese migration, to California, Hawaii, and other U.S. states; Mexican immigration to the U.S. from 1906-1930; Ellis Island reports and correspondence (1900-1933); and European immigration. Also includes extensive case files on INS regulation of prostitution, white slavery, and on suppression of radical aliens. Coverage: 1880 to 1930 (overall).
https://hv.proquest.com/historyvault/hv.jsp?pageid=advanced_ui&module=48990
ProQuest History Vault: Civil Rights Movement and the Black Freedom Struggle: The NAACP Papers (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Broad subject coverage includes history, African-American Studies, Women's Studies, political science, social sciences, sociology, and international studies. Documents indexed include correspondence, internal memos, legal briefings, and direct action summaries from NAACP national, legal, and branch offices throughout the United States. Coverage: 1909 to 1974 (overall). Provides full-text/full-image access to a digitized historical manuscript collection derived from the complete Papers of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) housed in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress (LoC). Subscribed content includes the following six modules within the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Freedom Struggle subject area: 1) Board of Directors, Annual Conferences, Major Speeches, and National Staff Files; 2) Branch Department, Branch Files, and Youth Department Files; 3) Special Subjects; 4) The NAACP's Major Campaigns: Education, Voting, Housing, Employment, Armed Forces; 5) The NAACP's Major Campaigns: Legal Department Files; and 6) The NAACP's Major Campaigns: Scottsboro, Anti-Lynching, Criminal Justice, Peonage, Labor, and Segregation and Discrimination Complaints and Responses.
https://hv.proquest.com/historyvault/hv.jsp?pageid=advanced_ui&module=22789&module=47846&module=92064&module=14309&module=91549&module=85489
NOTE: This database is funded in its entirety by the Academic Library Collection Enhancement Program (ALCEP) through the General Libraries of the University of Texas at Austin.

UTEP Library Special Collections Department (C. L. Sonnichsen Special Collections Department)

Special Collections contains rare books as well as thematic book collections such as the Southwest, Chicano, Judaica, Art, Marshall Military, and McCord Poetry collections.

Contact the Special Collections Department

Primary Sources for History on the Open Internet

Library of Congress Primary Source Sets
Primary source documents relating to major US History topics-- completely available online.
US National Archives- America's Historical Documents
The National Archives preserves and provides access to the records of the Federal Government. This page has a sample of these records, from the country's most celebrated milestones to little-known surprises.
Primary Source Sets from the Digital Public Library of America
The sets use letters, photographs, posters, oral histories, video clips, sheet music, and more. Each set includes a topic overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources. Fully available online.
Selected Library of Congress Resources for Texas
Sources on this page are freely available online.
The Portal to Texas History
"A gateway to rare, historical, and primary source materials from or about Texas."