U.S. History

A unique collection of ephemera, published materials, and artifacts from U.S. national political campaigns (1800-1976).

From the historical collections of the Library of Congress. Find primary documents about military history, presidential letters and speeches, films, photographs and posters. Also see what happened on any day in history.

The collection includes approximately 1,800 books and pamphlets, 6,000 photographs, 200 maps, and 13,000 pages from manuscript and archival collections, incorporating diaries, biographies, and other writings capturing diverse experiences.

Photos taken between 1860 and present. Photos available for personal and non-commercial use. Search by keyword, person, place, event, etc.

"Searches across archival descriptions, digitized and electronic records, authority records, and web pages from Archives.gov and the Presidential Libraries."

Free and open online access to thousands of images from the original and rare holdings of the NYPL, offers digital images of drawings, illuminated manuscripts, maps, photographs, posters, prints, rare illustrated books, and more.

Ulmann's photographs represent important primary source material for historical and ethnographic studies of Appalachian and Gullah culture as well the subject of folk arts and craft traditions.

"You might wonder why the Wisconsin Historical Society owns this collection of nearly four hundred photographs that document Native American agencies, schools, and reservations, none of which are in Wisconsin. It makes more sense when you know that the images were acquired by William Arthur Jones, a resident of Mineral Point, Wisconsin, from 1851 until his death in 1912."

Images and audio clips excerpted from the book, Remembering Jim Crow (New York: New Press/Lyndhurst Books of the Center for Documentary Studies of Duke University : Distributed by W.W. Norton & Co., c2001).

Digitized Boston city directories between 1865-1955 as the foundation for contextual information about the city including images.

The Civil Rights Digital Library promotes an enhanced understanding of the Movement by helping users discover primary sources and other educational materials from libraries, archives, museums, public broadcasters, and others on a national scale.

Digital collection of over 6,000 cylinder records from 1895-1920s with downloadable and streaming audio held by the Department of Special Collection, University of California, Santa Barbara. Collection includes recordings made by Edison, Columbia, etc.

Folkstreams.net collects, preserves, and makes available free streaming video of hard-to-find documentary films about American folk or roots culture.

Contains historical memorabilia reflecting Fred Waring’s nearly seventy-year career as a choral conductor and entertainer. Waring entertained audiences throughout the world on stage, radio, television, records, and in motion pictures.

Digital library of internet sites, moving images, live music recording, audio, texts, and other cultural artifacts in digital form.

A compact but highly complex, multi-layered compilation of documents, sound recordings, and visual images.

A curated website of multimedia materials relevant to Africana history and culture. The site is dedicated to the era of President M. Lee Pelton, Emerson's first African American President from 2011-2021. It hosts writings, videos, and live performances by Emerson students, faculty, and guests. Among the materials archived are documents of policies of racial inclusion initiated under the Pelton Administration. It also includes student reports on Police Use of Excessive Force, Hunger in Boston, Marijuana Legalization in Massachusetts, and the 2018 National Midterm Elections. The website was updated periodically until the closing edition in January 2022. Reports and video clips were produced by the students of HI203 – Social Movements, HI211 – African American History, and JR300 – History of the Alternative Press. The video archive contains live performances in commemoration of the 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education case and the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Among the performers were spoken word artists Janae Johnson and Professor Lyrical; humorist Jimmy Tingle; singers Alexi Paraschos and Thea Hopkins. The archive contains the works of faculty on topics in Africana history. Victory Stride was published in 2014 by Emerson College Associate Professor of American Studies Roger House.

Links to Open Vault, which provides online access to unique and historically important content produced by WGBH for individual and classroom learning. The ever-expanding site contains video excerpts, original interviews, and searchable transcripts.

Stereoscopic views, or stereographs, were as varied and popular in the 19th century as television continues to be in our time.

Several hundred photomechanical reproductions from the pages of motor vehicle (automobiles and some trucks) manufacturers' catalogs from 1909, in the first decade of the automobile industry.

Over 1,000 original prints, drawings, and maps, selected primarily from The Phelps Stokes Collection, as well as from several other Library collections, featuring views of American towns and cities and representations of historical events, scenes, etc.

Over 30,000 images from books, magazines and newspapers as well as original photographs, prints and postcards, created mostly before 1923 and selected from the over 1,000,000 images in the Mid-Manhattan Library's Picture Collection.

More than 750 images from public relations materials, principally black and white photographs and accompanying press releases, for the automotive and truck lines of General Motors, during the years 1902-1938.

Several thousand original and copy photographs; albumen, platinum and silver gelatin prints; 1860s-1920s.

Several thousand original prints, drawings, watercolors, and printed book illustrations relating to early American history, primarily from the period leading to the American Revolution through the early years of the nation.

Thousands of menus beginning with the oldest items in the collection from 1851. The collection is strongest for the period between 1890 and 1910. Organization is primarily chronological by date or range of dates.

More than 500 silver gelatin photographic prints depicting American social conditions and labor, including immigrants at Ellis Island and construction of the Empire State Building, Hine's principal subjects.

Photographs (gelatin silver prints) relating to Ellis Island and immigration into the United States in the early 20th century, ranging from portraits of individual immigrants by Augustus Francis Sherman to views of the Ellis Island facility.

Over 200 large albumen prints from the 1860s and 1870s of American Western landscape.

Several thousand items ranging from historical documents and rare visual materials to contemporary photo-journalism, relating to the entirety of African American history from the 16th century to the present.