Race & Power in America

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

Most of the databases linked from this page are restricted to UW students, staff and faculty. To connect to these databases from home you will need to first click on the Off-Campus Access button 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.

Finding Background Sources

Encyclopedias and dictionaries can provide background information and can be used to identify key people, events and dates which can then be used as search terms for finding additional information. 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. Many also provide a jumpstart on your research by listing related readings. Two searchable collections of encyclopedias are Gale Virtual Reference and Oxford Reference Online. Asian American encyclopedia Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference -- E184.O6 A827 1995 Dictionary of American History Encyclopedia of African-American culture and history Encyclopedia of American immigration Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference -- JV6465 .E53 2000 Encyclopedia of American Indian history Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference -- E77 .E48 2008 Encyclopedia of North American Indians Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America Encyclopedia of race and racism Suzzallo Reference, Undergraduate Reference -- E184.A1 E584 2008 HistoryLink (Washington State history encyclopedia) Oxford African American Studies Center Oxford Encyclopedia of Latinos and Latinas in the United States

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 Use the catalog to find books in the UW Library system as well as to find out if the library has a subscription to a magazine or journal. Summit Use Summit to request books that are not available, or are checked out, from other Northwest academic libraries. Beta Catalog/WorldCat Local Beta version of the catalog that simultaneously searches the UW Libraries Catalog, Summit and libraries worldwide plus an article database. Best used for topical searches; facilitates requesting books from other libraries.

Finding Articles

Academic articles, those published in scholarly journals, are the bedrock of most academic disciplines. In the field of historical research, they are considered secondary sources. They provide an indepth analysis of narrow topics. Prior to publishing, articles are vetted through a process called peer-review. Most articles include footnotes which can lead you to other material on a topic. Use the following databases to identify articles on your topic. To find the actual article (either in print or electronic), 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. Academic Search Complete This is a good general beginning database to find articles on all subjects. JSTOR JSTOR is a collection of backissues of 100s of academic journals including more than 40 full-text history-related journals. (Can be also used to find articles published early in the 20th century.) For another collection of searchable electronic journals related to history see Project Muse.

Finding Published Primary Sources

Using Secondary Sources to Find Primary Sources

One of the quickest ways to identify primary sources (as well as additional secondary sources) on a topic is to scan the footnotes and bibliography of a secondary source such as a book or article. 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, e.g, books by Ida B. Wells or Use special subject terms that designate primary sources: sources, personal narratives, diaries, correspondence, interviews Example: african americans and civil rights and interviews chinese american* and sources

Finding Primary Sources -- Newspaper & Magazine Articles

The UW Libraries has a strong collection of magazines, journals and newspapers from the late 19th and 20th century. Newspapers Newspapers are a primary source providing a first rough draft of events. Newspapers with their advertising, illustrations and editorials are especially useful in getting a feel for life of the time. Since most newspapers are local in scope, there is good coverage of local issues. The UW Libraries has a strong collection of local newspapers. Most of the older newspapers in the UW Libraries are on microfilm with little indexing. Usually you will need to browse through issues of a newspaper to discover it's content. Newspapers can be found in the Microform and Newspaper Collections (mcnews) on the ground of Suzzallo. The best way to check and see if we have a specific newspaper is to use the card catalog located in mcnews. In addition to microfilmed newspapers, we have digitized versions of some major newspapers going back to the 19th century. For more current newspaper coverage (generally from the 1990s onward) use the databases linked from the News subject page. Early American Newspapers, Series II Collection of more than hundred mostly 19th century newspapers. New York Times Digitized version from 1851 to 2003. Los Angeles Times Digitized version from 1881 to 1996. Chicago Defender Digitized version from 1905 to 1975. Pacific Northwest Regional Newspaper and Periodical Index Card index available in the Special Collections located in the basement of Allen South. Use this index to find articles published in local newspapers, magazines, and other materialfrom the 1850s to the present. Current years are available online. Magazines Magazines are similar to newspapers. Popular magazines (news, fashion, sports, etc.) provide a good feel for the period. Unlike newspapers, there is indexing to identify specific articles on topics. Since most magazines are national in scope, there is limited coverage of local topics. Most magazines are kept in Suzzallo Periodicals on the 3rd floor of Suzzallo Library. American Periodical Series Online The best database for finding 19th century magazine articles. Fulltext. Includes some early 20th century magazines. Ethnic Newswatch Fulltext database to articles from ethnic newspapers and magazines with some coverage back to 1960. Humanities & Social Sciences Retrospective Index, 1907-1984 Index to older American and European journals in the humanities and social science fields. PAIS Index to political/economic journals and selected books and government reports from 1915 to the present. Reader's Guide Retrospective The best database for identifying 20th century American magazines articles. No fulltext.

Finding Primary Sources -- Government Reports

The UW Libraries has an extensive collection of federal, state and local government documents. These documents are usually primary sources and can include census material, annual reports from governmental agencies and congressional hearings. Most government material is housed in the Government Publications section on the ground floor of Suzzallo Library. Librarians there can help you find material you need. Some material can be found through the UW Libraries Catalog, for other material use the sources listed below. Also check under the website section for links to presidential libraries with digitized documents. For more information about locating government documents check with the Government Publications section is on the ground floor of Suzzallo. Congressional Universe Full-text debates, bills, reports dating back to approximately 1989 and indexing of congressional reports and hearings dating back to 1789. MarciveWeb Docs Catalog to U.S. government documents published since 1976. For earlier documents see the Monthly Catalog to United States Government Publications (GovPub. 328.73 Un37m) and its predecessors. US Congressional Serial Set Full-text Senate and House reports, documents, and journals for the period 1817-1945. Archival Research Catalog (ARC) The National Archives has digitized a hodge-podge selection of their massive collection including more than 400 documents related to the Chinese Exclusion Act and thousands of photographs of relocation camps.

Finding Primary Sources -- Microfilm Collections

Microfilmed manuscript collections provide a rich and comprehensive set of primary sources from a particular organization or on a specific topic. The collections below are those that are most relevant for this class. For a more complete list see selected list of microfilm sets. Microfilm collections and their guides are housed in the Microform and Newspaper Collections on the ground floor of Suzzallo.

Association of Southern Women for the Prevention of Lynching papers, 1930-1942 [8 reels] - 10382 The East St. Louis race riot of 1917 [8 reels] - A9922 Japanese American evacuation and resettlement records, 1930-1974 [160 reels] - A10096 Letters received by the Office of Indian Affairs, 1824-1881 [86 reels] - A1783 Papers of the NAACP [383 reels] - A8473 Papers of the U.S. Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians [35 reels] - A7378 Records of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, 1895-1992 [50 reels] - A9702 Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Central Classified Files, 1907-1939 [77 reels] - A9601 Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service [72 reels] - A8555 Records of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, 1895-1992 [41 reels] - A9701 U.S. Military Intelligence Reports: Surveillance of Radicals in the U.S., 1917-1941 [34 reels] - A8286

Finding Web Sites

The web is a growing source for primary sources dealing with U.S. history. For additional links to primary source collections see History on the Web. For information on evaluating primary source websites see Using Primary Sources on the Web.

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. Collections that may be useful for this class include: African American Experience in Ohio African American Perspectives: Pamphlets from the Daniel A.P. Murray Collection Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 Chinese in California, 1850-1925

Photographs from American Memory.