LibGuides: Primary Sources: Government

Primary Government Sources

Government Sources

100 Milestone Documents
This collection is a list of 100 milestone documents, compiled by the National Archives and Records Administration, and drawn primarily from its nationwide holdings. The documents chronicle United States history from 1776 to 1965

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A government’s documents are direct evidence of its activities, functions, and policies. For any research that relates to the workings of government, government documents are indispensible primary sources.

A wide range of primary sources are found in government documents: the hearings and debates of legislative bodies; the official text of laws, regulations and treaties; records of government expenditures and finances; statistical compilations such as census data; investigative reports; scientific data; and many other sources that touch virtually all aspects of society and human endeavor. This information comes in a similarly wide variety of formats, including books, periodicals, maps, CD-ROMs, microfiche, and online databases

American Memory
Browse by topic, time period, type of material, place.
EDSITEment: The Best of the Humanities on the Web
Browse by subject area.
GPO
Covers all types of U.S. government documents, including Congressional reports, hearings, debates, and records; judiciary materials; and documents issued by executive departments (Defense, State, Labor, Office of the President, etc.). This database provided by the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library.
Library of Congress Primary Sources by State
The extensive collections at the Library of Congress contain historic artifacts and cultural materials from across the U.S. Click on the map below to see select items from your state.
National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is America’s record keeper. NARA is the Government agency that not only preserves documents and materials related to the United States but also makes sure people can access the information.
Picturing America
Picturing America gives participants the opportunity to learn about our nation’s history and culture in a fresh and engaging way

Web Searching Strategies

Document the Source Most writing styles require certain information for citing Web sites. When keeping notes write the URL, the date you accessed and the description of the site. If the URL changes you may need to search for it later.

Evaluate the Web site Don't believe everything you read!

Google Scholar If you need to use the Internet for research use limits under <More> on Google home page or try the Google Scholar link in the box on this page.

Web search engines Not all search engines (Google, Yahoo!, Bing, Ask.com, etc.) are the same. Each has strengths and weaknesses. Search engines do not search all of the Internet.

Wikipedia is not a scholarly Web site but it may be a starting point for definitions or to help identify names when you haven't a clue where to begin.