Research Guides: Civics Literacy Study &amp; Resource Guide: Foundations of American Political System

Foundations of the American Political System

American History Resources

America: History and Life
Index of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada, from prehistory to the present. Covers over 2,000 journals published worldwide. Strong English-language journal coverage is balanced by an international perspective on topics and events, including abstracts in English of articles published in more than 40 languages.
Gale In Context: U.S. History This link opens in a new window
Media-rich database containing reference content, millions of news and periodical articles, and more than 5,500 rare and vital primary source documents that range from slave journals to presidential papers for those seeking contextual information on hundreds of the most significant people, events and topics in U.S. history.
Gale OneFile: U.S. History This link opens in a new window
Providing access to scholarly journals and magazines useful to both novice historians as well as advanced academic researchers, this library resource offers coverage of events in U.S. history and scholarly work being established in the field. Search by subject keyword, publication, or choose advanced search.
Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
Electronic version of Historical Statistics of the United States: Earliest Times to Present; Millennial Edition presents thousands of annual time series of quantitative historical information covering virtually every quantifiable dimension of American history: population, work and welfare, economic structure and performance, governance, and international relations. Chapters are preceded by essays that introduce the quantitative history of their subject, and provide a guide to the sources. Enables searching, combining, and downloading of data using Excel or CSV spreadsheets.
Statistical Abstract of the U.S.
Annual compendium of statistics from government and nongovernmental sources produced by the Census Bureau from 1878-2012 and ProQuest from 2013-present.

Government Archives

Government Primary Source Archives

National Archives of the United States
The National Archives was established in 1934 by President Franklin Roosevelt is the nation's record keeper. Holdings date back to 1775 and include approximately 13.28 billion pages of textual records; 10 million maps, charts, and architectural and engineering drawings; 44.4 million still photographs, digital images, filmstrips, and graphics; 40 million aerial photographs; 563,000 reels of motion picture film; 992,000 video and sound recordings; and 1,323 terabytes of electronic data.
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, newspapers, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office.
Presidential Libraries and Museums
Presidential Libraries and Museums promote understanding of the presidency and the American experience. They preserve and provide access to historical materials, support research, and create interactive programs and exhibits that educate and inspire.

U.S. Founding Documents

America's Historical Documents (National Archives)
Collection of historical documents provided by the National Archives. Includes the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, Bill of Rights, and more.
Primary Documents in American History (LOC)
List of primary documents in American History, compiled by the Library of Congress.
U.S. History and Historical Documents (USA.gov)
Highlights from American history, including founding documents.
Founders Online (National Archives)
Through this National Archives website, you can read and search through thousands of records from George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison and see firsthand the growth of democracy and the birth of the Republic.

Selected Documents

Declaration of Independence
Independence Day, also known as "the Fourth of July," celebrates our Declaration of Independence from the British Empire in 1776.
The Constitution of the United States
Written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, the U.S. Constitution is the world's longest surviving written charter of government.
Federalist Papers
"Written in favour of the New Constitution" (in 1787 and 1788), the Federalist Papers explores how the American government might operate.
The Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights which guarantee essential rights and liberties, were ratified in 1791.

<< Back to Introduction

Civics Literacy Study & Resource Guide

Other Relevant Guides

Foundations of the American Political System

American History Resources

Government Archives

Government Primary Source Archives

U.S. Founding Documents

U.S. Founding Documents

Selected Documents