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History of Women in the United States - HIST250 - Braun-Strumfels

Research Sources

This list of library resources is broken down into two parts, based on the way you may approach your research.

To begin, browse or search in one of the Research Starter databases to explore and help focus your topic. In these Research Starter databases, you can search with broad terms rather than worrying about the specific, targeted search. You will use this first step to find those additional, specific terms!

You may also choose to browse an online collection from a trusted institution like the National Archives. These resources can be used to explore your topic, or to find primary and secondary sources for your analysis.

Then, select from one of the databases that contains primary sources, and use the specific keywords you developed to locate relevant primary sources. Some databases, like JSTOR and HeinOnline, can also provide you with scholarly secondary sources to help with your analysis.

You may also want to use a book or eBook, which you can search for in the Library Catalog, linked from the bottom of the page.

Research starters

These databases can help you refine your topic or find additional keywords. Other research starters can be found on the Library's databases page by selecting "Research starters" from the top left.

African American History Online This link opens in a new window
This is a great place to review topics within African-American history by using the Topics Centers or browsing topics A-Z. This database contains encyclopedia articles, biographies, and primary source documents.
It also contains maps, statistics on slavery and the underground railroad, videos and slideshows of famous figures, plus links to many primary sources such as landmark laws and significant Supreme Court cases, famous speeches, civil rights documents, slavery and abolition documents and segregation and integration documents.
American Indian History Online This link opens in a new window
This is a great database to review topics within American Indian history by cultural area or era or by using the Topics Centers.
This database provides biographies on war leaders, warriors, soldiers, spiritual and religious leaders, and activists plus timelines, maps, graphs, videos and slideshows with links to many primary sources such as treaties, key court cases, landmark legislation and legends.
American Women's History Online This link opens in a new window
This is a Topic Center included within the American History Online database.
It provides biographies on key women in politics, influential writers, leading suffragists, modern feminists, and notable scientists plus descriptions of women through different periods of American history with links to many primary sources such as documents on abortion, women’s liberation movement, women’s suffrage and landmark legislation and Supreme Court cases. This is a good resource to review women’s history topics by browsing suggested readings, suggested research topics, key people or reviewing all topics A-Z. To locate this information within the American History Online database, select American Women's History under Topic Centers
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
This is an online collection of over 950 titles with particular emphasis on subject encyclopedias, dictionaries, atlases, and reference handbooks as well as short reference videos, art images, and additional images across all subject areas. As subject coverage is diverse, this is a good place to begin a topic search before formal research.
If you receive a "Connection refused by search.credoreference.com, please try again later" error message, please refresh your browswer to continue to Credo Reference.To avoid seeing this error, it is best to clear your browser's cache.
US History In Context This link opens in a new window
A Gale resource that provides an overview of our nation’s past that covers the most-studied events, decades, conflicts, wars, political and cultural movements and people.
This site places an emphasis on images and video with access to more than 5,000 primary source documents as well as reference materials such as the Dictionary of American Biography, the Dictionary of American History, Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, U*X*L Encyclopedia of U.S. Economic History and U*X*L Encyclopedia of U.S. History. It contains full-text articles drawn from top periodicals and newspapers and audio selections from NPR, The History Channel and Associated Press.

Primary source online collections

Discovering American Women's History Online
This resource from Middle Tennessee State University provides access to digital collections of primary sources (photos, letters, diaries, artifacts, etc.) that document the history of women in the United States. These diverse collections range from Ancestral Pueblo pottery to interviews with women engineers from the 1970s.
Library of Congress: Women's History
Digital collections from the Library of Congress that focus on the history of women in the United States.
Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
A resource out of Harvard, here you can search or browse through over 1 million pages of digitized material spanning two centuries of women's history.

Primary source databases

These databases contain primary (and secondary) sources that you can use in your analysis. Some of the research starter databases listed above may also be useful for this step.

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
A multidisciplinary, scholarly database containing digitized back issues of academic journals, books, primary sources, and current issues of journals.
It provides full-text searches of almost 2,000 journals on a variety of subjects including history, science, literature, music, philosophy, world culture and business.
New York Times Digital This link opens in a new window
Access the New York Times online for 24/7 individual mobile access to nytimes.com, including the historical archives back to 1851. Individual accounts are available for all faculty, students, and staff at Raritan Valley Community College.
Instructional Resources for Faculty- In addition to campus-wide access to nytimes.com,RVCC has campus-wide access to the value-added InEducation academic resources available at www.nytimesineducation.com Please create your account and log in to access the features available from NYTimes In Education.
Hein Online This link opens in a new window
This database contains information from historical and government documents including the entire Congressional Record, Federal Register, and Code of Federal Regulations, complete coverage of the U.S. Reports back to 1754, and entire databases dedicated to treaties, constitutions, case law, world trials, classic treatises, international trade, foreign relations, U.S. Presidents, and much more.
HeinOnline is a premier online database containing more than 160 million pages and 200,000 titles of historical and government documents in a fully searchable, image-based format. HeinOnline bridges an important research gap by providing comprehensive coverage from inception of more than 2,600 law-related periodicals.
ArtStor This link opens in a new window
An image database with images from some of the world’s leading museums, photo archives, scholars and artists including many rare and important collections. (Please be aware Artstor will be retired on August 1, 2024. All content will be moved to JSTOR.)
All images have comprehensive metadata and all content is rights-cleared for educational use. Images can be found for topics such as anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art history, fashion & costume, literature, religion, theater, and world history.

Secondary source databases

These databases contain additional secondary source articles to help you analyze your primary sources.

Gender Studies Collection This link opens in a new window
This Gale database offers access to scholarly journals and magazines covering topics including gender studies, family and marital issues as well as covering topics such as health coverage, relationships, religion, political issues and social issues within the LGBTQ community.
GenderWatch This link opens in a new window
A ProQuest database that includes important historical perspectives on the evolution of the women's movement, men's studies, the transgendered community and the changes in gender roles over the years.
It indexes over 300 titles, with more than 250 in full-text, from an array of academic, radical, community and independent presses dating back to 1970 that include scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, regional publications, books and NGO, government and special reports. A good source for topics like gender, family, ethnic, and societal studies as well as sexuality, religion, societal roles, feminism, masculinity, eating disorders, healthcare, and the workplace.
RVOneSearch This link opens in a new window
RVOneSearch provides access to most of the information contained in many of the library's databases plus the RVCC library catalog.
It is a great place to begin your research with select key words to obtain a list of articles available throughout multiple databases as well as books, ebooks and websites accessible through RVCC’s library. Many limiters are available to modify your search such as full-text only, peer reviewed (scholarly), specific date ranges, or a specific database or source type.

Primary source books and eBooks

RVCC Library Catalog This link opens in a new window
Search for primary source books and eBooks in the Books & Media Catalog. This is the best place to use Library of Congress subject headings!
Materials can be searched by keyword, title, author, or subject. To search for articles, please use RVOneSearch or a specific database.