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Other BU Databases Containing Primary Source Material
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Periodicals Archive Online A full text archive of millions of articles published in more 700 magazines, and journals in the humanities and social sciences, in English and other Western European languages. Date coverage: 1802 to 2001. (Varies by publication)
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American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Digitized images of American magazines published between 1684 and 1912. Covers history of slavery, literature, women's and religious issues, politics, culture, the arts and foreign language journals published in the U.S. Rights for use by Boston University community supported by the Boston University Humanities Library Endowed Fund.
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Hathi Trust Digital Library Hathi Trust is a collection of millions of volumes of searchable books, journals, and government documents, including many public domain materials available as full-text online. To take advantage of BU's membership in Hathi Trust which allows full volume download of public domain items, go directly to the HathiTrust website. Click the Login button. Select Boston University from the drop-down list. Then enter your BU username and password in the next screen.
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Vanderbilt Television News Archive Streaming video of news and commercials from NBC and CNN plus searchable archive of abstracts of news broadcasts from ABC, CBS, Fox News, and other channels . Date coverage: NBC video 1968 - present; CNN video 1995 - present.
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Immigration Records of the INS, 1880-1930 (ProQuest History Vault) Covers the investigations made by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) during the massive immigration wave of 1880-1930, especially among Japanese and Chinese.
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North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries and Oral Histories Letters, diaries, pamphlets, autobiographies, and oral histories; much material was unpublished. Date coverage:1840-, focusing heavily on the period from 1890 to 1920.
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HistoryMakers: African American Video Oral History Collection HistoryMakers is a collection of video oral history interviews with historically significant African Americans. Transcripts are included with the interviews.
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NAACP Papers (ProQuest History Vault) The NAACP Papers collections contains internal memos, legal briefings, and direct action summaries from national, legal, and branch offices throughout the country. It charts the work of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and delivers a first-hand view into crucial issues of the struggle for civil rights.
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Slavery and the Law (ProQuest History Vault) Features petitions on race, slavery, and free blacks that were submitted to state legislatures and county courthouses between 1775 and 1867. Also includes the State Slavery Statutes collection, a comprehensive record of the laws governing American slavery from 1789-1865.
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Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database Contains records of trans-Atlantic slave ship voyages made between 1595 and 1866. Format allows users to track information by time period and geographic region, and includes interactive maps that allow viewers to chart the trans-Atlantic connections. The accompanying data contains materials about people on board, owners and captains, ships' characteristics, and the geographic trajectory of each voyage.
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Pentagon Papers A comprehensive resource to access this major Vietnam War study initially commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in 1967.
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Law and Society since the Civil War (ProQuest History Vault) A collection of documents from the Harvard Law School Library featuring the papers of three Supreme Court Justices, the first Black federal judge, and the Sacco and Vanzetti case.
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FBI Confidential Files: Radical Politics in the US 1945-1972 (ProQuest History Vault) This collection covers investigations and tracking of the activities of Communist groups, Communist-front groups, and other left-wing organizations in the U.S. by the FBI and the Subversive Activities Control Board from 1945-1972. It includes files from the office of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, many of which were originally intended to be destroyed but were preserved through both intended and inadvertent exceptions to Hoover’s orders.
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New Deal and World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Office Files and Records of Federal Agencies (ProQuest History Vault) FDR’s office files highlight the domestic and foreign concerns of the President and his administration. Major topics include the Great Depression, the New Deal, U.S. involvement in World War II, the internal workings of the Roosevelt administration, and FDR’s personal leadership style. Additional material includes FBI reports of the Roosevelt White House; Civilian Conservation Corps press teleases; records of the Committee on Economic Security; and Department of Treasury records.
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Records of the Children's Bureau. 1912-1969 (ProQuest History Vault) This collection consists of reports, speeches, correspondence, court hearings, and research materials from the Children's Bureau, the first federal agency dedicated entirely to protecting the welfare of children and families. Documents span the years from the creation of the Children’s Bureau in 1912 through 1969.
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Struggle for Women's Rights, Organizational Records, 1880-1990 (ProQuest History Vault) This database includes records of the National Woman's Party, the League of Women Voters, and the Women's Action Alliance. The NWP was founded in 1913 when Alice Paul and colleagues broke away from the National American Woman Suffrage Association in dissent over strategy and tactics. The WAA, established in 1971, concerned itself with issues such as employment, childcare, health care, and education. The LWV collection covers women's involvement in U.S. politics from 1920 to 1974.
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Black Abolitionist Papers This collection searches a unique set of primary sources from African Americans actively involved in the movement to end slavery in the United States between 1830 and 1865. The content includes letters, speeches, editorials, articles, sermons, and essays from libraries and archives in England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and the United States. Supported by the Boston University Humanities Library Endowed Fund.
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Holocaust and the Concentration Camp Trials: Prosecution of Nazi War Crimes Documents on the investigation and prosecution of war crimes committed by Nazi concentration camp commandants and camp personnel. Documents include: correspondence; trial records and transcripts; investigatory material, such as interrogation reports and trial exhibits; clemency petitions and reviews; photographs of atrocities; newspaper clippings; and pamphlets. Many concentration (and later extermination) camps and sub-camps are represented in this collection, including Mauthausen, Dachau, Belsen-Bergen, Buchenwald, Treblinka, Sobibor, sub-camp Gros-Raming, sub-camp Gusen I, sub-camp Ebensee, and others.
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Nazi Looted Art and Assets: Records on the Post-World War II Restitution Process (1942-1998) Focuses on the diplomatic, legal and political maneuvering during and after World War II regarding German art looting in Europe, recovery of cultural objects dispersed during World War II, efforts by the U.S. and other Allied Powers to prevent the secreting of Axis assets, claims from victims for financial or property restitution from the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), other claims cases, and meeting minutes and background materials regarding the Tripartite Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold. On the topic of looted art, the documents primarily relate to negotiations and litigation for return of items to legitimate owners. Many missing art treasures surfaced in the U.S., usually when individuals attempted to sell items. Notable cases included paintings by Albrecht Durer, rare postage stamps, gold medals, and historic coins.
Open Access Websites Containing Primary Source Material
