United States History
The 20th Century (1900-1999)
Featured Books & eBooks
Scroll through the books or click on covers to learn more and/or get access.
Primary Sources
The alphabetical list of links below go to different websites where you can find both secondary and primary sources on a variety of different topics pertaining to people, places, and events important to U.S. History at this time.
*Note: There is another "American Wars" tab in this guide that contains additional resources covering the wars of this century
- AMDOCS: Documents for the Study of American HistoryThis database provides links to full-text, primary documents in American history from 1000 AD to the present. United States documents are organized by presidential administration.
- American Notes: Travels in America, 1750 to 1920From the Library of Congress, this collection is comprised of "253 published narratives by Americans and foreign visitors recounting their travels in the colonies and the United States and their observations and opinions about American peoples, places, and society from about 1750 to 1920. "
- The American Presidency ProjectSearch through media archives, statics, documents to learn more about the United States' Presidents. The website includes images, speeches, and other primary documents.
- The American Presidency ProjectSearch through media archives, statics, documents to learn more about the United States' Presidents. The website includes images, speeches, and other primary documents.
- American Presidents: Life PortraitsThis collection of video and articles is about the past and present American Presidents, the First Ladies, and more. Includes original television footage.
- Civil Rights from SmithsonianIntended to supplement the curricula, textbooks, and materials you currently use for lessons on the civil rights struggle. The teacher-developed resources in the section will enhance the classroom experience for both you and your students.
- Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital ArchiveThis site contains information on the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi, where it was particularly active. There are also links to other sites on the Civil Rights Movement. Created by the McCain Library and Archives, University of Southern Mississippi.
- Documents from the Women’s Liberation MovementThese documents posted online regarding the Women’s Rights Movement are an excellent resource provided by Duke University Special Collections.
- Foreign-Born Population (1850-2010) - Interactive MapUse this map to compare demographic information of foreign born populations in the US from a historical perspective. From the American Panorama website
- The Great Depression - Digital Collection @ University of CASearch through essays, articles, and six different online exhibitions that cover topics such as the Dust Bowl Migration, The New Deal, the San Francisco General Strike, and a look into Everyday Life in Hard Times.
- Hearth: Home Economics Archive"HEARTH is a core electronic collection of books and journals in Home Economics and related disciplines. Titles published between 1850 and 1950 were selected and ranked by teams of scholars for their great historical importance. "
- History of Medicine - U.S. National Library of MedicineSearch through films, prints and photographs, rare books and journals, lectures, featured collections and more
- Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal AmericaClick on Tacoma or Seattle on this interactive map that shows housing and population information from the 1930s and 1940s from the American Panorama website
- National JukeboxHistoric musical recordings from the Library of Congress.
- Smithsonian's History ExplorerThis is a great website that offers information on a variety of history topics, as well as images of primary source materials such as physical artifacts. Enter a simple keyword into the search box at the top right of the website. Search example: Revolutionary War, Vietnam War, or Suffrage.
- United States Holocaust Memorial MuseumSearch through secondary and primary sources on this museum's website. Learn more about the impact of the Holocaust in the United States by reading selected articles or searching Holocaust Encyclopedia.
- The Vietnam Center and ArchiveTexas Tech University, archive of Vietnam war materials from a U.S. perspective
- The Vietnam Veterans Oral History and Folklore ProjectDirected out of Buffalo State College, "The Vietnam Veterans Oral History and Folklore Project is engaged in an ongoing undertaking to collect, preserve and make better known the folklore, especially the folksongs, of Americans in war." What distinguishes this site is its focus on " ... the songs made by the American men and women, civilian and military, who served ... (in Vietnam), for themselves."
- Vietnam War Ephemera CollectionUniversity of Washington Digital Collection of ephemera that circulated on the the University of Washington Campus in the 1960's and 1970's. It includes leaflets and newspapers, and is divided by subject to make searching easier.
- Vietnam War webcasts from the Library of CongressSearching for the Vietnam War, you will find webcasts that include autobiography, poetry, a talk by Tim O'Brien, and a number of other presentations by historians, writers, commentators, and political figures. The Library of Congress webcasts are not limited to history; however, but also include the sciences, the arts, religion, technology and a wide variety of other fields.
- Voices of Civil RightsCreated by AARP and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) this site is divided into several sections. Particularly interesting is the section titled "The Voices" which features stories written and told by people who experienced the Civil Rights Movement first hand. The History Section includes an interactive timeline, a photo gallery and more.
- Yale University Avalon Project Documents--20th Century (1900-1999)Includes primary source documents in law, history, and diplomacy.
- Ad*Access at Duke University"The Ad*Access Project, funded by the Duke Endowment "Library 2000" Fund, presents images and information for over 7,000 advertisements printed in U.S. and Canadian newspapers and magazines between 1911 and 1955."
- Internet Archive's Moving Image ArchiveSearch this Moving Image Archive collection to find primary source films on a topic. Connecting to the larger Archive.org collection is easy as well, and the larger website has collections of books and other documents that might be useful for history topics.
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