The Controversial Life of Andrew Jackson

| Background Sources | Secondary Sources: Books | Secondary Sources: Journal Articles |
| Finding Published Primary Sources | Selected Web Sites |

This webpage provides resources to help you find more information on the themes and topics of the course.

Most of the databases on this page are restricted to UW students, staff and faculty. These are marked with a lock . To connect to these databases from home you will need to first click on the Off-Campus Access link in the upper-right hand corner and login.

Have questions or need research help? Please contact Theresa Mudrock, the history librarian via email at mudrock@u.washington.edu or im me at ta mudrock (AOL) or t_mudrock (Yahoo) .

Background Sources

Encyclopedias and dictionaries provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms when searching research databases and catalogs. More importantly, because encyclopedias often cover the major issues surrounding the subject, they can help you narrow your research from a broad “who, what, where, when” topic to a “how or why” question. In addition many encyclopedia articles include short bibliographies that will lead you to the major works on the topic.

Dictionary of American History      Suzzallo Reference -- E174 .D52 2003 Encyclopedia of the antebellum South       Suzzallo Reference -- F213 .V65 2000 Encyclopedia of American social history      Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference -- HN57 .E58 1993 Encyclopedia of the United States in the nineteenth century      Suzzallo Reference -- E169.1 .E626 2001

Finding Books

Use the following catalogs to locate books in the UW Libraries and in other libraries around the region, nation and world. Books unavailable at the UW can be requested through Summit (if available at one of the member libraries) or through Interlibrary Loan.

UW Libraries Catalog A listing of the books, journal subscriptions and other material available at the University of Washington Libraries. Summit Joint catalog of more than 25 academic libraries in Oregon and Washington. Books can be requested and shipped to the UW for pick-up. Especially useful when the book you need is checked-out. OCLC WorldCat Joint catalog of thousands of major libraries in the U.S. and abroad.

Finding Articles

Use research databases to find articles on a topic. Since most databases cover a specific subject area, choose those that best fit your research topic. For a complete list of databases see Research Databases on the UW Libraries Homepage.

To find a copy of the article, use the Check for UW Holdings button available on most databases to locate a copy in the library. If there is no button, search the UW Libraries Catalog for the title of the journal to locate a copy. Be sure to have the complete citation (author, title, journal name, volume, pages and year) of your article.

Articles from journals which the UW does not own can be requested via Interlibrary loan.

America History & Life This is the best database to find articles dealing with all aspects of American and Canadian history. Also includes citations to selected books, dissertations and reviews. Expanded Academic Index This is a good general beginning database to find articles on all subjects. Includes some fulltext. For another similar database see Research Library. JSTOR JSTOR is a collection of more than 40 full-text history-related journals. For another collection of searchable electronic journals related to history see Project Muse.

Finding Published Primary Sources

Using Secondary Sources to Find Primary Sources

Secondary sources, scholarly journal articles and books, are a great source for identifying potential primary sources. Find a few articles, books or dissertations related to your topic and then mine the footnotes and bibliography. You will have the best luck finding published primary sources such as books, government reports, newspapers and magazines within the UW Libraries. Use the UW Libraries Catalog to determine if we have the primary source.

Finding Primary Sources -- Books

The UW Libraries has a strong collection of books that can be considered primary sources for history. These include books written during the period for your topic (i.e., during the 1890s), books written by participants, published collections of correspondence and other personal writings, memoirs and reprints of collections of primary source material. Use the UW Libraries Catalog to search for these materials.

Limit your search by publication date. Search for books written by key participants and organizations. Use special subject terms that designate primary sources: sources, personal narratives, diaries, correspondence, interviews Example: cherokee and sources clay henry and correspondence

Finding Primary Sources -- Articles

Magazines and Journals 19th Century Masterfile Electronic version of Poole's Index, indexes articles from 19th century American and British magazines. Not full-text. American Periodicals Series Online Use APS Online to find full-text articles from American magazines written in the 18th and 19th centuries such as Niles' Weekly Register. Jacksonian period newspapers This is a selective list of newspapers covering most of the years between 1829 and 1836. They are located in the Newspapers and Microforms Collection (mcnews) on the ground floor of Suzzallo. For other papers from the period, check the newspapers by date drawer in the card catalog in mcnews. There are no indexes to these papers so you will need to browse through issues to find articles of interest. African American Newspapers: The 19th Century Full-text of 7 African American newspapers from the 19th century including Freedom's Journal and The National Era. Daily National Intelligencer (Washington, D.C.) A999 Free Enquirer (New York) M-277 New York Post A3574 Kentucky Gazette A3443 Missouri Republican A1833 Pittsburgh Gazette A1803 Liberator (Boston) A2107 Boston Evening Transcript A1551 Times Digital Archive (London) 1785-1985

Finding Primary Sources -- Government Reports

The UW Libraries has a strong collection of U.S. government documents including federal agency publications, congressional hearings and reports and other material. For more information about locating government documents check with the librarians in the Government Publications section located on the ground floor of Suzzallo.

American State Papers US Congressional material dating from 1789 to 1838. A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation American Memory collection that "brings together online the records and acts of Congress from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention through the 43rd Congress," including the American State Papers, selected US Serial Set documents and congressional debates. US Congressional Serial Set Full-text Senate and House reports, documents, and journals for the period 1817-1901. Congressional Universe Full-text debates, bills, reports dating back to approximately 1989 and indexing of congressional reports and hearings dating back to 1789.

Finding Web Sites

The World Wide Web is a growing source for primary sources dealing with U.S. history. The sites listed here have substantial collections of primary sources dealing with 19th century history. For additional websites dealing with American history see American History to 1865.

American Memory The premier site for American history. The Library of Congress has digitized more than 100 collections ranging from presidential papers to baseball cards. Materials on Andrew Jackson are scattered throughout many collections. Papers of Andrew Jackson Selection of transcribed documents of Andrew Jackson from Yale's Avalon Project. Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection Digitized collection of thousands of anti-slavery and abolitionist material from Cornell University. Southeastern Native American Documents, 1730-1842 This collection, part of the Digital Library of Georgia, contains over 1,000 documents and images relating to the Native American population of the Southeastern United States including "letters, legal proceedings, military orders, financial papers, and archaeological images." Also see Georgia Historic Newspapers. Tennessee Documentary History Collection Collection includes letters from Andrew Jackson.

---

Image: Detail of a 1834 political cartoon, "Set to between Old Hickory and Bully Nick" that satirizes " the public conflict between Andrew Jackson and Nicholas Biddle over the future of the Bank of the United States. Courtesy of the American cartoon prints collection at the Library of Congress.