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American History II - HIST 2020

Primary Sources Available Online

Finding Primary Sources

You will need to choose primary sources that are relevant to people and events that are within the time frame and place of this course.

  • Place: North America
  • Time: 1877 - 2001

Search the library catalog and databases with the following phrases:

  • primary sources
  • autobiography
  • diary
  • letters
  • "a brief history with documents"

Digital Primary Sources

Apollo Pilot : The Memoir of Astronaut Donn Eisele Eisele, Donn, et al
Attu Boy : A Young Alaskan’s WWII Memoir Golodoff, Nick and Rachel Mason
Caissons Go Rolling Along : A Memoir of America in Post-World War I Germany Hagood, Johnson  and Larry A. Grant
A Civilian in Lawton’s 1899 Philippine Campaign : The Letters of Robert D. Carter  Shay, Michael E.
Diary of an Undocumented Immigrant. Pérez, Ramón
Dr. Sam, Soldier, Educator, Advocate, Friend : An Autobiography Kelly, Samuel E and Quintard, with Taylor. Dr. Sam
Emily, the Diary of a Hard-Worked Woman French, Emily, and Janet Lecompte
Fiat Flux : The Writings of Wilson R. Bachelor, Nineteenth-Century Country Doctor and Philosopher Lindsey, William D.
Fighting the Cold War : A Soldier’s Memoir Galvin, John R
Foo, a Japanese-American Prisoner of the Rising Sun : The Secret Prison Diary of Frank “Foo” Fujita Fujita, Frank
Forward with Patton : The World War II Diary of Colonel Robert S. Allen Allen, Robert S. and John Nelson Rickard
From Willard Straight to Wall Street: A Memoir Jones, Thomas W
Hero of the Angry Sky : The World War I Diary and Letters of David S. Ingalls, America’s First Naval Ace Ingalls, David S.  and Geoffrey L. Rossano
Holy Prayers in a Horse’s Ear : A Japanese American Memoir Robinson, Greg, et al
Howard Zinn’s Southern Diary : Sit-Ins, Civil Rights, and Black Women’s Student Activism Cohen, Robert 
Immigrant Girl, Radical Woman : A Memoir From the Early Twentieth Century Rabinowitz, Matilda 
In the Company of Generals : The World War I Diary of Pierpont L. Stackpole Ferrell, Robert H. 
Keeping Heart : A Memoir of Family Struggle, Race, and Medicine Trotter, Otis
A Lawyer in Indian Country : A Memoir Ziontz, Alvin J., and Charles Wilkinson
Left Handed, Son of Old Man Hat, Bison Classic Edition : A Navajo Autobiography Dyk, Walter, Recorded by
Long Walk through War : A Combat Doctor’s Diary Huebner, Klaus H
Memoir of a Visionary : Antonia Pantoja Pantoja, Antonia
Meuse-Argonne Diary : A Division Commander in World War I Wright, William M.  and Robert H. Ferrell
My Diary : August 30th to November 5th, 1874 Adair, Cornelia
Nels Anderson’s World War I Diary Powell, Allan Kent 
No Ordinary Lives.  : Four 19th Century Teenage Diaries Seguin, Marilyn
Pansy's History : The Autobiography of Margaret E. P. Gordon, 1866-1966 Gordon, Margaret E. P., and Claudia L
Physician Soldier : The South Pacific Letters of Captain Fred Gabriel From the 39th Station Hospital Michael P. Gabriel
Plains Woman : The Diary of Martha Farnsworth, 1882-1922 Farnsworth, Martha, et al
Pogue’s War.  : Diaries of a WWII Combat Historian Pogue, Forrest C
Ponary Diary, 1941-1943 : A Bystander's Account of a Mass Murder Kazimierz Sakowicz
Prisoner of the Rising Sun : The Lost Diary of Brig. Gen. Lewis Beebe Beebe, John M. 
Prosperity Far Distant : The Journal of an American Farmer, 1933–1934 Wiltse, Charles M. and Michael J. Birkner
Selling Black History for Carter G. Woodson : A Diary, 1930-1933 Strickland, Arvarh E. 
Song of My Life.  : A Memoir Petrakis, Harry Mark
The Diaries of John Gregory Bourke John Gregory Bourke
The Star Creek Papers Horace Mann Bond, et al
The Tao of Raven.  : An Alaska Native Memoir Hayes, Ernestine
Time in the Barrel : A Marine’s Account of the Battle for Con Thien Coan, James P. 
To Bataan and Back : The World War II Diary of Major Thomas Dooley Dethloff, Henry C., et al
Truman in the White House : The Diary of Eben A. Ayers Ayers, Eben A., and Robert H. Ferrell
Waiting On The Bounty : Dust Bowl Diary Mary Dyck Riney-Kehrberg, Pamela 
Washington merry-go-round.  : the Drew Pearson diaries, 1960-1969 Pearson, Drew, and Peter Hannaford
Where the Evidence Leads : An Autobiography Thornburgh, Dick
Where the Wild Animals Is Plentiful : Diary of an Alabama Fur Trader’s Daughter, 1912-1914 Jordan MM, Baldwin EM

 

Print Primary Sources

Abuse of Power : The New Nixon Tapes Kutler, Stanley I. E860 .A26 1998 View Book in Catalog
All the gallant men : an American sailor's first hand account of Pearl Harbor Stratton, Donald D767.92 .S77 2016 View Book in Catalog
American spy : my secret history in the CIA, Watergate, and beyond Hunt, E. Howard E840.8 .H86 A3 2007 View Book in Catalog
Angela Davis--an autobiography. Davis, Angela Y. E185.97 .D23 A3 1988 View Book in Catalog
Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt Roosevelt, Eleanor E807.1 .R36 1961 View Book in Catalog
Autobiography of Harry S. Truman Truman, Harry S  E814 .A32 2002 View Book in Catalog
Autobiography of Malcolm X  X, Malcolm E185.97 .L5 A3 2015 View Book in Catalog
Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. King, Martin Luther, Jr.,  E185.97 .K5 A52 1998 View Book in Catalog
Autobiography of Theodore Roosevelt Roosevelt, Theodore E757 .A3 2011 View Book in Catalog
Big Sea : An Autobiography Hughes, Langston PS3515 .U274 Z5 1993 View Book in Catalog
Black Women in Nineteenth-Century American Life: their words, their thoughts, their feelings Loewenberg, Bert James E185.96 .B54 1976 View Book in Catalog
Cajun Girl's Sharecropping Years Fontenot, Viola HD1478 .U6 F66 2018 View Book in Catalog
Chickenhawk Mason, Robert DS559.5 .M37 2005 View Book in Catalog
The Chinese Exclusion Act and Angel Island: A Brief History with Documents Judy Yung E184 .C5 Y859 2019 View Book in Catalog
Coretta: My life, My Love, My Legacy King, Coretta Scott E185.97 .K47 A3 2017 View Book in Catalog
Crusade for justice : the autobiography of Ida B. Wells Wells-Barnett, Ida B E185.97 .B26 A3 1970 View Book in Catalog
Crusade in Europe Eisenhower, Dwight D.  D743 .E35 1952 View Book in Catalog
Dear Neil Armstrong: Letters to the First Man from All Mankind James R. Hansen (editor) TL789.85 .A75 A4 2020 View Book in Catalog
Dispatches Herr, Michae DS559.5 .H47 1991 View Book in Catalog
Every Man a King : the Autobiography of Huey P. Long Long, Huey Pierce E748 .L86 A3 1996 View Book in Catalog
Eyes on the prize : civil rights reader : documents, speeches, and firsthand accounts from the Black freedom struggle, 1954-1990  Carson, Clayborne E185.615 .E95 1991 View Book in Catalog
Frost among the Eskimos : memoirs of Helen Frost, missionary nurse on the Seward Peninsula, 1926-1961. Frost, Helen E99 .E7 F78 2001 View Book in Catalog
Hard times: an oral history of the great depression Terkel, Studs E806 .T45 1970 View Book in Catalog
Helmet for my pillow : from Parris Island to the Pacific  Leckie, Robert D811 .L3547 A3 2010 View Book in Catalog
Hunters and shooters : an oral history of the U.S. Navy Seals in Vietnam Fawcett, Bill DS558 .H86 1995 View Book in Catalog

Print Primary Sources 2

It seemed important at the time : a romance memoir Vanderbilt, Gloria, CT275 .V234 A3 2004 View Book in Catalog
Let the Word go Forth: the speeches, statements, and writings of John F. Kennedy, 1947-1963 Kennedy, John F. E838.5 .K42 1991 View Book in Catalog
Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement Janet Dewart Bell E185.61 .B375 2018 View Book in Catalog
Memphis diary of Ida B. Wells Wells-Barnett, Ida B  E185.97 .W55 A3 1995 View Book in Catalog
My life on the road Steinem, Gloria HQ1413 .S675 A3 2016 View Book in Catalog
My Memoir Wilson, Edith Bolling Galt E767.3 .W55 1939 View Book in Catalog
Nixon tapes : 1971-1972 Brinkley, Douglas E856 .N59 2015 View Book in Catalog
Nixon tapes : 1973 Brinkley, Douglas E856 .N59 2016 View Book in Catalog
Not in Vain: a Rifleman Remembers World War II Standifer, Leon C., D811 .S763 1992 View Book in Catalog
Off the Record: the Private Papers of Harry S. Truman Truman, Harry S E742.5 .T6 1980 View Book in Catalog
Only what we could carry : the Japanese American internment experience Inada, Lawson Fusao. D769.8 .A6 O55 2000 View Book in Catalog
Ordeal of Power: A Political Memoir of the Eisenhower Years Hughes, Emmet John E835 .H8 1963 View Book in Catalog
Primary source accounts of the Vietnam War O'Connell, Kim A. DS557.4 .O25 2006 View Book in Catalog
Ralph J. Bunche : selected speeches and writings Bunche, Ralph J. (Ralph Johnson) E748 .B885 A25 1995 View Book in Catalog
Reagan diaries Reagan, Ronald. E877 .A3 2007 View Book in Catalog
RECONDO: LRRPs in the 101st Chambers, Larry  DS559.8 .R43 C48 1992 View Book in Catalog
RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon. Nixon, Richard M. E856 .A35 1978 View Book in Catalog
Rumor of War Caputo, Philip. DS559.5 .C36 1977 View Book in Catalog
Secrets : A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon Papers Ellsberg, Daniel DS558 .E44 2002 View Book in Catalog
Seize the time : the story of the Black Panther party and Huey P. Newton Seale, Bobby, E185.615 .S37 1991 View Book in Catalog
Soul on Ice Cleaver, Eldridge E185.97 .C6 A6 1991 View Book in Catalog
Thirteen Days : a Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis Kennedy, Robert F E183.8 .R9 K42 1968 View Book in Catalog

Print Primary Sources 3

Up from slavery Washington, Booker T. E185.97 .W4 A3 2008 View Book in Catalog
Voices of freedom : an oral history of the civil rights movement from the 1950s through the 1980s  Hampton, Henry E185.61 .H224 1990 View Book in Catalog
We were in the big one : experiences of the World War II generation Parillo, Mark P. D769 .A2 W4 2002 View Book in Catalog
What it is Like to go to War Marlantes, Karl DS559.5 .M358 2011 View Book in Catalog
Where the buck stops : the personal and private writings of Harry S. Truman Truman, Harry S E742.5 .T62 1989 View Book in Catalog
Where White Men Fear to Tread : The Autobiography of Russell Means Means, Russell E99.O3 M386 1996 View Book in Catalog
White House Diary Carter, Jimmy E873 .A31 2011 View Book in Catalog
With No Apologies: The Personal and Political Memoirs of United States Senator Barry M. Goldwater. Goldwater, Barry M  E748 .G64 A37 1979 View Book in Catalog
With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa Sledge, E. B.  D767.99 .P4 S55 2010 View Book in Catalog
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