LibGuides: U.S. History: Letters, Diaries and Papers

Recommended Databases

Letters & Diaries
Papers

American Civil War: Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
1855 - 1875. Includes approximately 100,000 pages of published memoirs, letters and diaries from individuals plus 4,000 pages of previously unpublished materials.
Updated regularly (until completed). Includes approximately 100,000 pages of published memoirs, letters and diaries from individuals plus 4,000 pages of previously unpublished materials. Drawn from more than 1,000 sources, the collection provides in-depth coverage of all aspects of the war. More than 1,000 biographies will enhance the use of the database.
Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection: Series 1 This link opens in a new window
Colonial times - 1960. Includes historical newspapers, religious pamphlets, broadsides, books, letters, short stories, poems, advertisements, and more.
Provides access to a digital collection of historical content pertaining to U.S. Hispanic history, literature and culture. Includes historical articles, newspapers, religious pamphlets, broadsides, historical books, letters, short stories, poems, advertisements, and more. The content is in Spanish (80%) and English (20%), and is searchable in both languages. Materials are drawn from the Recovering the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Project.
Bexar Archives: Colonial Archives of Texas during the Spanish and Mexican Periods, 1717-1836 This link opens in a new window
1717-1836. Unlimited users.
From 1717 through 1836 the governments of Spain and Mexico collected in San Antonio de Bexar (when that city was the capital of Texas under Spanish and Mexican rule) an amazing series of official documents detailing the military, civilian, and political life of the Spanish province of Texas and the Mexican state of Coahuila y Texas. These records, which have become known as the Bexar Archives, constitute the most complete and detailed primary source in existence for the study of colonial Texas. The Archives, housed at the University of Texas at Austin, consist of 250,000 pages of manuscript documentation and more than 4,000 pages of printed material on colonial and regional history. The collection includes:

Bexar Archives: Publications and General Manuscript Series, 1717-1836
Bexar Archives: Translations [1699-1812]
Early Encounters in North America This link opens in a new window
1534 - 1850. Contains early accounts of exploration, discovery, travel, environment, peoples, and cultures in North America. Focuses on letters, diaries, memoirs and accounts of early encounters.
Updated quarterly (until completed). Contains early accounts of exploration, discovery, travel, environment, peoples, and cultures in North America. Currently contains 1,076 authors and approximately 83,000 pages of material. When complete the product will include more than 100,000 pages of letters, diaries, memoirs and accounts of early encounters. Particular care has been taken to index the material so that it can be used in new ways. For example, you can identify all encounters between the French and the Huron between 1650 and 1700. The collection is centered on present-day Canada and the United States with some limited coverage of Mexico.
Electronic Enlightenment This link opens in a new window
18th century. Provides the most wide-ranging online collection of edited correspondence of the early modern period, linking people across Europe, the Americas and Asia from the early 17th to the mid-19th century. Includes letters in English, French, German and Italian from families and friends, bankers and booksellers, patrons and publishers, etc. Also includes primary source letters from more than 6,000 writers and numerous presses
Updated twice annually. Provides the most wide-ranging online collection of edited correspondence of the early modern period, linking people across Europe, the Americas and Asia from the early 17th to the mid-19th century. Includes letters in English, French, German and Italian from families and friends, bankers and booksellers, patrons and publishers, etc. Also includes primary source letters from more than 6,000 writers and numerous presses, as well as document sources such as manuscripts and early printed editions, scholarly annotations, and links to biographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, newspapers, and other online resources. Explore the writer's views on history, literature, language, arts, philosophy, science, medicine, and personal, social and political relations.
An ongoing scholarly research project of the University of Oxford and other universities and organizations.
Frontier Life This link opens in a new window
1650 - 1920. Unlimited. Users can discover documents like pamphlets, diaries, letters, and images that reveal the plight of colonizers and indigenous peoples.
This online collection brings together documents from 16 archives and libraries from around the world and the geographical spread of material allows scholars to take either a comparative approach or focus on a particular region. The collection deals with some of the major themes of frontier existence including: Settlement development, law and order, violence, expeditions and exploration, relations with indigenous peoples, trade and commerce, death and disease, missionaries and religion, women’s history, military matters, mining, gold rushes, settler governance, contested boundaries, agriculture and livestock.
Search across Adam Matthew primary source databases using AM Explorer
LGBT Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Late 19th century - present. This online primary source database hosting the key works and archival documentation of LGBT political and social movements throughout the 20th century and into the present day. The collection contains seminal texts, letters, periodicals, speeches, interviews, and ephemera.
LGBT Thought and Culture is an online primary source database hosting the key works and archival documentation of LGBT political and social movements throughout the 20th century and into the present day. The collection contains seminal texts, letters, periodicals, speeches, interviews, and ephemera.
The resource provides a look into LGBT life from the late 19th to the early 21st centuries, covering topics such as bars and saloons, gay communities, clubs and social organizations, gay activism and activists, gay rights, AIDS, films, politics, books, medical treatments and procedures, gender identity, discrimination, and more.
Includes material from the Kinsey Institute Archive and Library, the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, the Jeanne Cordova Papers, the Magnus Hirschfeld Collection, and more.
North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories
1840 - 1950. When completed, will include more than 100,000 pages of personal narratives including letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, and oral histories. Currently contains 342 authors and ~37,500 pages of info.
Updated quarterly (until completed). Provides a view of what it meant to immigrate to America and Canada between 1800 and 1950. When completed, will include more than 100,000 pages of personal narratives including letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, and oral histories. Currently contains 342 authors and approximately 37,500 pages of information.
North American Indian Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
1677 - present. A collection of biographical material of American Indians in their own words and through the words of others. Includes personal narratives, speeches, diaries, letters, manuscripts, among other primary sources
A collection of biographical material of American Indians and Canadian First Peoples in their own words and through the words of others. Includes biographies, autobiographies, personal narratives, speeches, diaries, letters, oral histories, reference works, manuscripts, photographs and audio files.Sources include rare books and biographies from more than 100 Indian publications, such as The Arrow, the Cherokee Phoenix, and the Chickasaw Intelligencer. The collection includes 2,000 oral histories presented in audio and transcript form and at least 20,000 photographs from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Edward Curtis, and many rare collections.
North American Women's Letters and Diaries This link opens in a new window
1700 - 1950. Includes diaries, journals, and letters written by women visiting or living in North America between the years 1700 and 1950.
Updated quarterly (until completed). Includes diaries, journals, and letters written by women visiting or living in North America between the years 1700 and 1950. When complete, the database will be the largest collection of women's diaries and correspondence ever assembled and include the personal experiences of 1,500 women from all classes and walks of life.

American Founding Era This link opens in a new window
1734 - 1888. Digital editions of the papers of many major figures of the early republic are presented in a fully searchable online environment. Includes The Papers of Alexander Hamilton, Dolley Madison, George Washington, et al.
A gateway into one of the great conversations in history. These newly prepared digital editions of the papers of many of the major figures of the early republic are presented in a fully searchable and interoperable online environment.
Collections include:
- The Adams Papers
- The Papers of Alexander Hamilton
- The Papers of Andrew Jackson
- The Selected Papers of John Jay
- The Papers of Thomas Jefferson
- The Dolley Madison Digital Edition
- The Papers of James Madison
- The Papers of John Marshall
- The Papers of George Washington
- The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution
- Founders Early Access
ArchiveGrid This link opens in a new window
ArchiveGrid includes over four million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,000 different archival institutions represented, it helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.
ArchiveGrid includes over four million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,000 different archival institutions represented, it helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.
Confederate Military Manuscripts and Records of Union Generals and the Union Army This link opens in a new window
1861 - 1865. Highlights include papers of spies, scouts, guides and detectives, including a series on Allan Pinkerton; records on military discipline from courts-martial, courts of inquiry and investigations by military commissions; and records of the U.S. Colored Troops.
The collections in the Confederate Military Manuscripts cover the perspective of an army commander or an administrative department down to the level of the private soldier, covering all aspects of their military service and experience, while also offering glimpses of life on the home front. Several previously unpublished collections of records of the Union Army are also integral to this module. Highlights include papers of spies, scouts, guides and detectives, including a series on Allan Pinkerton; records on military discipline from courts-martial, courts of inquiry and investigations by military commissions; and records of the U.S. Colored Troops.
Virginia Company Archives This link opens in a new window
1590 - 1790. This collection of the Ferrar Papers, 1590-1790, from Magdalene College, Cambridge, is an essential source for the study of the Atlantic World and Early Colonial Period. It documents the founding and economic development of Virginia as seen through the papers of the Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624
This collection of the Ferrar Papers, 1590-1790, from Magdalene College, Cambridge, is an essential source for the study of the Atlantic World and Early Colonial Period. It documents the founding and economic development of Virginia as seen through the papers of the Virginia Company of London, 1606-1624; the continuing interest of the Ferrar family in the settlement of North America from Jamestown to the Bermudas; trade between Britain and America; the ethnic and gender composition of early Virginia; and tensions among the colonists and of early relations with Native Americans. It is also a crucial source for London's economic history in the Early Modern era, and will be of interest to social and religious historians.
Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century: Organizational Records and Personal Papers, Part One This link opens in a new window
The Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century consists of 73 collections of primary source documents from the records of federal government agencies, the personal papers of African Americans and the records of civil rights organizations.
The Organizational Records and Personal Papers bring a new perspective to the Black Freedom Struggle via the records of major civil rights organizations and personal papers of leaders and observers of the 20th century Black freedom struggle. The three major civil rights organizations are the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs.

Through records of Claude A. Barnett's Associated Negro Press, this module also branches out to cover other aspects of African American life in the 20th century, like religion, sports, education, fraternal organizations, and even the field of entertainment.
Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century: Organizational Records and Personal Papers, Part Two This link opens in a new window
Dates of coverage vary. Unlimited users.
This Black Freedom module is highlighted by the records of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Africa-related papers of Claude Barnett, and the Robert F. Williams Papers. Rounding out this module are the papers of Chicago Congressman Arthur W. Mitchell, the Chicago chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality, and records pertaining to the Mississippi Freedom Summer.

Click here to see a list of more open access digital collections featuring letters, diaries and papers as listed by UC Berkeley Libraries.

Featured: NAACP Papers

NAACP Papers: Branch Department, Branch Files and Youth Department Files This link opens in a new window
1913 - 1972. Unlimited users. Chronicles the local heroes of the civil rights revolution via NAACP branches throughout the United States. The contributions of scores of local leaders—attorneys, community organizers, financial benefactors, students, mothers, school teachers, and other participants—are revealed in these records.
The NAACP branch files in this module chronicle the local heroes of the civil rights revolution via NAACP branches throughout the United States, from 1913-1972. The contributions of scores of local leaders—attorneys, community organizers, financial benefactors, students, mothers, school teachers, and other participants—are revealed in these records. The Branch Department, Branch Files, and Youth Department Files in this module of NAACP Papers will allow researchers at all levels new opportunities to explore the contributions of NAACP local leaders. The branch files also indicate how effectively the NAACP national office used the branch network to advance the NAACP national program. The Youth Department Files document how the NAACP tapped the energy and talent of college students and other young people at the state and local levels.
Additional information is available on the History Vault LibGuides site.
NAACP Papers: Special Subjects This link opens in a new window
1909 - 1972. Unlimited users. The NAACP was involved in several subjects that did not rise to the level of major campaigns but were still vital to the organization.
The NAACP was involved in several subjects that did not rise to the level of major campaigns but were still vital to the organization. This module contains records on those subjects, and in so doing, reveals the wide scope of NAACP activism and interest.These files cover subjects and episodes that are crucial to the NAACP's history, such as civil rights complaints and legislation, the Klan, Birth of a Nation, the Walter White-W. E. B. Du Bois controversy of 1933-1934, communism and anticommunism during the years of the "red scare," the congressional prosecution of Hollywood personalities, the prosecution of conscientious objectors during World War II, NAACP’s relations with African colonial liberation movements, NAACP fundraising and membership recruitment, urban riots, the War on Poverty, and the emergence of the Black Power Movement.
Additional information is available on the History Vault LibGuides site.
NAACP Papers—Board of Directors, Annual Conferences, Major Speeches, and National Staff files This link opens in a new window
1909 - 1970. Unlimited users. Contains internal memos, legal briefings, and direct action summaries from national, legal, and branch offices throughout the country on lynching, school desegregation, and discrimination in the military, the criminal justice system, employment, and housing, among others.
Contains internal memos, legal briefings, and direct action summaries from national, legal, and branch offices throughout the country. It charts the NAACP's work and delivers a first-hand view into crucial issues: lynching, school desegregation, and discrimination in the military, the criminal justice system, employment, and housing, among others. It provides a comprehensive view of the NAACP’s evolution, policies, and achievements from 1909–1970.
Additional information is available on the History Vault LibGuides site.
NAACP Papers—The NAACP's Major Campaigns: Education, Voting, Housing, Employment, Armed Forces This link opens in a new window
1909 - 1972. Unlimited users. Major campaigns for equal access to education, voting, employment, housing and the military are covered in this module.
Major campaigns for equal access to education, voting, employment, housing and the military are covered in this module. The education files in this module document the NAACP’s systematic assault on segregated education that culminated in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Files from 1955 –1965 focus on the NAACP’s efforts to implementthe Brown decision as well as to combat de facto segregation outside of the South.
Additional information is available on the History Vault LibGuides site.
NAACP Papers—The NAACP's Major Campaigns: Legal Department Files This link opens in a new window
1956 - 1972. Unlimited users. Papers of the NAACP Legal Department. Among the topics covered in these cases are school desegregation, abuses of police procedure, freedom of speech, desegregation of public facilities, voting rights, housing discrimination, and employment discrimination.
This module consists of Papers of the NAACP Legal Department from 1956-1972. For the period from 1956-1965, this includes the working case files of the NAACP’s general counsel, Robert Carter. Among the topics covered in these cases are school desegregation, abuses of police procedure, freedom of speech, desegregation of public facilities, voting rights, housing discrimination, and employment discrimination. A small sampling of the important cases in this module include NAACP v. Alabama (freedom of association), Gomillion v. Lightfoot (voting rights), Allen v. County School Board and Griffin v. County School Board (school desegregation in Virginia), Ogletree v. McNamara (employment discrimination), and Powell v. McCormack (seating of Congressman Adam Clayton Powell in the U.S. House of Representatives).
Additional information is available on the History Vault LibGuides site.
NAACP Papers—The NAACP's Major Campaigns: Scottsboro, Anti-Lynching, Criminal Justice, Peonage, Labor, and Segregation and Discrimination Complaints and Response This link opens in a new window
1909 - 1972. Unlimited users. This NAACP module focuses on the NAACP’s efforts regarding anti-lynching, peonage, and discrimination in employment and the criminal justice system. A rich set of records in this module is the NAACP file on the case of the Scottsboro boys.
This NAACP module focuses on the NAACP’s efforts regarding anti-lynching, peonage, and discrimination in employment and the criminal justice system. A rich set of records in this module is the NAACP file on one of the most celebrated criminal trials of the 20th century – the case of the Scottsboro boys. In this case, nine young black men were accused of raping two white women on a train in northern Alabama. Sixteen days after their arrest, eight of the nine teenagers were sentenced to death in the electric chair. All eight escaped execution when the Supreme Court, in the landmark case of Powell v. Alabama, ruled that the defendants had been inadequately represented by counsel.
Additional information is available on the History Vault LibGuides site.