Research Guides: HIST 203: The Age of Jefferson and Jackson, 1789-1850 (HC): Primary Sources

Primary Sources Recommended by Professor Saler - Online Copies

Autobiography of Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak or Black Hawk. By Black Hawk. First published in 1833.
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This 1842 edition (linked here for Haverford) carries this subtitle: "embracing the tradition of his nation, Indian wars in which he has been engaged, cause of joining the British in their late war with America, and its history, description of the Rock-River village, manners and customs, encroachments by the Whites, contrary to treaty, removal from his village in 1831 : with an account of the cause and general history of the late war, his surrender and confinement at Jefferson Barracks, and travels through the United States. Also in print copies: HC and BMC
Letters against the Immediate Abolition of Slavery; Addressed to the Free Blacks of the Non-Slave Holding States. By T. R. Sullivan. First published in 1835.
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Sullivan published this anti-abolition text in Boston. He argued that slavery would go away on its own and that non-slave holding states had nothing to do with it.
Letters on Slavery; Addressed to the Cumberland Congregation, Virginia. By J. D. Paxton. First published in 1833.
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Reverend John Paxton opposed slavery and was a member of the American Colonization Society. When his wife inherited a group of slaves, Paxton prepared them for freedom and life in Liberia. He explained his actions and convictions to parishioners in this book.
Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Woman, Addressed to Mary S. Parker, President of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society. By Sarah Moore Grimké. First published in 1838.
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Sarah Grimké and her sister, Angelina, were well-known advocates of abolition and stirred up opposition to women speaking in public. Sarah wrote this text in response, affirming their commitment to women's rights.
Life and Adventures of Joaquin Murieta, the Celebrated California Bandit. By John Rollin Ridge. First published in 1854.
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This is the first novel to feature a Mexican American hero: an adventure tale about Mexicans rising up against U.S. rule in California, based on a real-life bandit. This book blends folk tale, romance, epic, and myth in the story of Joaquín Murieta, a Gold Rush-era Mexican immigrant whose efforts to find fortune and happiness are thwarted by white settlers who murder his family .
Meditations from the Pen of Maria Stewart. By Maria W. Stewart. First published in 1832.
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This influential early black female activist (1803-1879) was a forerunner to Frederick Douglass and Sojourner Truth and the first black American to lecture in defense of women’s rights. This copy was published in 1879. See the first edition in Women Writers Online.
Memoirs of Elleanor Eldridge. By Elleanor Eldridge. First published in 1838.
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Elleanor Eldridge, born of African and indigenous parents in 1794, operated a lucrative domestic services business in Rhode Island. In the 1830s, Eldridge was defrauded of her property by a white lender. In a series of law cases she managed to recover it. In order to raise funds to carry out this litigation, she wrote her memoir in 1838. Frances Harriet Whipple, an aspiring white writer, narrated and co-authored Eldridge’s story, expressing a proto-feminist outrage at the male “extortioners” who caused Eldridge’s loss. Professor Saler has a PDF copy she can send you.
Narrative of Sojourner Truth a Northern Slave, Emancipated from Bodily Servitude by the State of New York, in 1828 : with a Portrait. By Sojourner Truth. First published in 1850.
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Sojourner Truth (ca. 1799-1883) is renowned for her work as an itinerant preacher and public speaker. Truth is remembered today for a rhetorical question she asked at a convention of women's rights advocates in 1850. Suggesting that the feminist movement had marginalized African American women, Truth asked the convention of suffragists, "Ar'n't I a woman?"
The Other Side, or, Notes for the History of the War between Mexico and the United States. By Ramón Alcaraz, .Alejo Barreiro, José María Castillo, and others. First published in 1850.
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Alcaraz and 14 other Mexican intellectuals wrote a critical history of the conflict between the two countries. They argued that the United States intended to dominate the continent as far south as Panama. U. S. claims for peaceful relations were proven false by their armed aggression.
Settlement in the West: Sketches of Rochester with Incidental Notices of Western New-York. By Henry O'Reilly. First published in 1838.
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Henry O'Reilly was born in Ulster, Ireland and emigrated In 1816 to New York. He worked in the printing trade and became editor of the Rochester, NY, Daily Advertiser. Within a year, O'Reilly gained notice in the anti-Masonic uproar that followed the kidnapping and murder of William Morgan. O'Reilly published numerous circulars and pamphlets on current events and issues, and in 1838 Sketches of Rochester.
Six Months in a Convent, or, The Narrative of Rebecca Theresa Reed : who was under the Influence of the Roman Catholics about Two Years, and an Inmate of the Ursuline Convent on Mount Benedict, Charlestown, Mass.,.. First published in 1835.
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Reed escaped from a convent in Massachusetts and provoked a riot with her story of abuse. The angry mob burned the convent to the ground. Subsequently Reed's lurid book was a bestseller. The author's falsehoods were speedily denounced in this pamphlet, "An Answer to Six Months in a Convent Exposing its Falsehoods and Manifold Absurdities," that is available through the Tripod catalog.
Slavery in the United States: A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Charles Ball, a Black Man, Who Lived Forty Years in Maryland, South Carolina and Georgia, as a Slave. By Charles Ball.. First published in 1836.
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In this narrative, Ball describes his experiences as a slave, including the uncertainty of slave life and the ways in which the slaves are forced to suffer inhumane conditions. He recounts the qualities of his various masters and the ways in which his fortune depended on their temperament.
A Son of the Forest: The Experience of William Apes, a Native of the Forest : Comprising a Notice of the Pequod Tribe of Indians. By William Apess. First published in 1829.
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This Native American author served as a soldier in the War of 1812 (with American and Canadian troops), preached as a Methodist minister to indigenous, African American and white audiences, and led the Mashpee tribe's fight to abolish state guardianship over their lands on Cape Cod.
Ten Nights in a Bar-room, and What I Saw There. By T. S. Arthur. First published in 1854.
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Arthur was a prolific writer and social reformer. He crusaded against smoking, gambling and predatory business practices in addition to alcohol. At the same time he advocated for women's suffrage and their right to divorce as well as card playing and dancing.
Walks of Usefulness, or, Reminiscences of Mrs. Margaret Prior. By Margaret Prior. First published in 1843.
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Margaret Prior devoted much of her energy and resources to the care of the poor, particularly children. When her own children died, she became "a mother to the motherless", and adopted some of the New York City orphans whose care she supported. Informed by her religious faith, she became the first woman missionary for the New Yrok Female Moral Reform Society.
Selections from the Writings and Speeches of William Lloyd Garrison: with an Appendix. By William Lloyd Garrison. First published in 1852.
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Garrison was the leader of the American Anti-Slavery Society and editor of the influential abolitionist newspaper, the Liberator. In 1837 public rejection of abolitionism pushed Garrison to embrace "a militant blend of religious perfectionism, political anarchism, anticlericalism, and woman’s rights as necessary extensions of his abolitionist creed."(James Brewer Stewart, "Garrison, William Lloyd," American National Biography.) .

Online Primary Sources

American Broadsides & Ephemera: Series I
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Offers fully searchable facsimile images of approximately 15,000 broadsides (1820-1900) and 15,000 pieces of ephemera (1760 -1900) from the American Antiquarian Society collection. Subjects range from contemporary accounts of the Civil War, unusual occurrences and natural disasters to official government proclamations, tax bills and town meeting reports. Material types include clipper ship sailing cards, early trade cards, bill heads, theater and music programs, stock certificates, menus and invitations documenting civic, political and private celebrations.
American Memory This link opens in a new window
Provides information on, and access to, digitized versions of primary-source collections on American history and culture, including photographs, documents, sound recordings, and motion pictures.

Documenting the American South
A digital publishing initiative that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture. Includes sixteen thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs.

Early American Imprints: Series I, Evans (1639-1800)
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Covers American history and literature from the colonial period to the eighteenth century. Provides full-text digitization of the Early American Imprints microform set, Series I (1639-1800).
Early American Imprints: Series II, Shaw-Shoemaker (1801-1819)
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Covers American history and literature from the colonial period to the eighteenth century. Provides full-text digitization of the Early American Imprints microform set, Series II (1801-1819). Covering every aspect of American life during the early decades of the United States.
Eighteenth Century Collections Online
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Offers full-text access to English-language titles and editions published between 1701 and 1800 including books, pamphlets, almanacs, Bibles and treatises. Subjects covered include history, geography, fine arts, medicine, science, literature, language, religion, philosophy and law. Significant collections of women writers, collections on the French Revolution, and numerous eighteenth-century editions of the works of Shakespeare are also included.

Electronic Enlightenment
An 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.
Foundations of US History: American Revolution and Early Republic (George Mason University)
A collection of digital resources related to the American Revolution and Early Republic periods from the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.
Founders Online (National Archives)
Selected digital versions of the papers of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and George Washington. Over 120,000 searchable documents.

Making of America (Cornell University) This link opens in a new window
Provides access to approximately 10,000 books and over 50,000 journal articles in the University of Michigan and Cornell University Libraries from the antebellum through reconstruction periods. Covers American social history focusing especially on education, psychology, religion, science, and technology.
Making of America (University of Michigan) This link opens in a new window
Provides access to approximately 10,000 books and over 50,000 journal articles in the University of Michigan and Cornell University Libraries from the antebellum through reconstruction periods. Covers American social history focusing especially on education, psychology, religion, science, and technology.

Papers of the War Department
Digitized and searchable documents from the War Department between 1784 and 1800. The documents include material related to the history of the Early Republic, the handling of Indian affairs, pensions and procurement, and the nature of the first American citizens’ relationship with their new Federal government.
The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, (University of Virginia)
A fully searchable digital collection of the papers of Thomas Jefferson.
American Notes: Travel in America, 1750-1920
From the Library of Congress " 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."
Picturing America
"Prints, Maps, and Drawings bearing on the New World Discoveries and on the Development of the Territory that is now the United States" from 1497 to 1899. From the New York Public Library.
Library Company of Philadelphia Digital Collections
Excellent collections related to American history, with an emphasis on African American and Philadelphia history.
American Philosophical Society digital collections
Includes early American materials related to Native Americans, Westward expansion, and science.
Digital Public Library of America primary source sets
Primary source sets from the 1750s to the 1820s, which can be either searched or browsed.
Early American Manuscripts Project
Digitized early American manuscripts from the New York Public Library, including a number of important political leaders.
Boston Public Library digital collections
Includes a variety of materials including manuscripts, prints, and maps from the Revolutionary era, digitized newspapers, and relevant manuscript collections.

Newspapers and Periodicals

Accessible Archives
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Contains full-text primary resource materials in American history including newspapers, magazines, and genealogical records originally only offered on microfilm. Covers 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
America's Historical Newspapers
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Search through 2,000+ historical newspapers published in the United States between 1690-1922. Includes publications from all 50 states, large cities and small towns, and a mix of major newspapers and titles with smaller circulations.
American Periodicals Series Online
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Search through 1,800 magazines and journals published in the United States between 1740-1940. Includes early scientific publications, trade journals, popular magazines such as Ladies' Home Journal, and journals such as Puck, The Dial, and McClure's.