Subject Research, Course Guides, Documentation: Slavery in the United States: Databases for Primary Sources

Databases for Primary Sources

Civil War: Letters and Diaries
Unpublished, primary source material focused on the war and dating from its period.
American State Papers, 1789-1838
Digitized legislative and executive documents from the early American republic, some of which pertained to slavery.

Black Abolitionist Papers
Details the extensive work of African Americans to abolish slavery in the United States prior to the Civil War. Covering the period 1830-1865, the collection presents the massive, international impact of African American activism against slavery, in the writings and publications of the activists themselves. The approximately 15,000 articles, documents, correspondence, proceedings, manuscripts, and literary works of almost 300 Black abolitionists show the full range of their activities.

Black Thought and Culture: African Americans from Colonial Times to the Present
Non-fiction works published by hundreds of African American writers over the stated time period.

Congressional Publications
Covers hearings, reports, documents and committee prints. The subscription also covers bill tracking & profiles, bill text, members and committee coverage, the Daily Congressional Record and the Code of Federal Regulations and Federal Register, and political news.

For a better understanding of what is covered, here is a link to a Content Coverage Chart

Early American Newspaper Series, 1690-1922 and African American Newspapers, 1827-1998
A geographically diverse collection of digitized newspaper articles from slavery and later eras.

HathiTrust Digital Library
HathiTrust is a partnership of academic and research institutions, offering a collection of titles digitized from libraries around the world.

North American Women's Letters and Diaries - Colonial to 1950
The personal writings of over 1,000 women dating from colonial times to the mid-20th Century.
Slavery, Abolition and Social Justice
Pamphlets, documents, essays, maps, narratives, and more.

Slavery And Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive
Includes collections on the transatlantic slave trade, the global movement for the abolition of slavery, the legal, personal, and economic aspects of the slavery system, and the dynamics of emancipation.
History Vault: Slavery and the Law
Features petitions on race, slavery, and free blacks that were submitted to state legislatures and county courthouses between 1775 and 1867. Includes Judicial Cases Concerning American Slavery and the Negro; Law of Freedom and Bondage in the United States; Race, Slavery, and Free Blacks, Series I & II; and State Slavery Statutes.

Women and Social Movements in the U.S.
Contains documents and images relating to women's contributions to social movements since 1600.