Research Guides: AMS : American Studies: Articles/Databases

Core Databases

This section includes some Best Bets, or databases that have been deemed most relevant for initial or beginning research of American Studies.

Academic Search Ultimate [EBSCO] This link opens in a new window Full text for 10,000+ scholarly publications in the social sciences, humanities, arts, and sciences from around the world.
America: History & Life with Full Text [EBSCO] 1953+ This link opens in a new window Extensive index to 1,700 journals, books, and dissertations on American and Canadian history, popular culture, anthropology, sociology, economics, education, and politics.
Ethnic NewsWatch [ProQuest] 1960+ This link opens in a new window Full text newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window Complete full text articles (excluding latest 2-5 years) for more than 1,000 scholarly journals in the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences. Now includes current coverage for several hundred journal titles, plus eBooks. JSTOR’s image search (formerly Artstor) contains more than 2+ million images. It includes Smith College collections developed to meet teaching needs in the arts, humanities, and sciences, as well as images of works from the Smith College Museum.
MLA International Bibliography [EBSCO] 1919+ This link opens in a new window Extensive index to literature, language, linguistics and folklore in journal articles, books, dissertations, proceedings, and more. From the Modern Language Association of America.

Databases by Subject

Archives of Sexuality & Gender: LGBTQ History & Culture Since 1940 [Gale] This link opens in a new window Primary source collections on social, political, health & legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities in the U.S. and internationally. Includes the collections Community and Identity in North America, International Perspectives on LGBTQ Activism and Culture, LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940 Parts I and II, and L'Enfer de la Bibliothèque nationale de France, a collection of French works from the 1800s that were considered to be contrary to the morals of the time.
Everyday Life and Women in America [AM Digital] c. 1800-1920 This link opens in a new window Rare books, pamphlets & periodicals relating to US social & cultural history; strong on conduct & household management; contrasts urban & rural cultures.
LGBTQ History & Culture Since 1940 [Gale] This link opens in a new window Primary source collection on social, political, health & legal issues impacting LGBTQ communities internationally: covers the gay rights movement, activism, the HIV/AIDS crisis, etc.
Queer Pasts This link opens in a new window A collection of primary source exhibits for students and scholars of queer history and culture.
Women's Studies Archive [Gale] This link opens in a new window Primary sources from the 19th & 20th centuries, including diaries, letters, photographs, news clippings, organizational records & journals; documents the issues that have affected women's societal contributions & social status and the women's movement.
Women and Social Movements in Modern Empires Since 1820 [Alexander Street] This link opens in a new window Supplements Women and Social Movements, International, exploring prominent themes such as conquest, colonization, settlement, resistance, and post-coloniality, as told through women’s voices.

American Periodicals [ProQuest] 18th-early 20th Century This link opens in a new window Combines American Periodical Series (APS) and American Periodicals from the Center for Research Libraries, offering full text access to 18th-early 20th century American magazines and journals.
Confidential Print: North America, 1824-1961 [AM Digital] This link opens in a new window Letters, telegrams, reports, treaties, etc. generated by the British Foreign and Colonial offices. US materials: Prohibition, World War II, Lend Lease, Communism, the Ku Klux Klan, desegration, etc. Canadian materials: Railroads, fisheries, border disputes, the Hudson’s Bay Company, Native Americans, etc. Caribbean materials: Slavery, trade, agiculture, boundary disputes, health & disease, etc.
Smithsonian I: Worlds Fairs and Expositions [Gale] 1840-1940 This link opens in a new window Primary source documents on major expositions. Covers architecture, fine & decorative arts, technology, industrial design, science, entertainment, urban planning, manufacturing, cultural history, etc.

African American Newspapers: The 19th Century (Coverage varies by title) This link opens in a new window Full text articles from The Christian Recorder, The Colored American/Weekly Advocate, Frederick Douglass Paper, Freedom's Journal, The National Era, The North Star, Provincial Freeman, and Douglass Monthly.
Chicago Defender Historical [ProQuest] 1905-1975 This link opens in a new window Online archive of articles, editorial cartoons, photographs, advertisements, etc. from this important African-American newspaper.
Documenting White Supremacy and its Opponents This link opens in a new window Full-text collection of local, regional & national newspapers published by Ku Klux Klan organizations and sympathetic publishers across the U.S. during the 1920's; also includes several anti-Klan newspapers. Formerly called Understanding Hate in America.
HAPI : Hispanic American Periodicals Index 1970+ This link opens in a new window Citations to articles and other materials from 400+ journals, on Central & South America, Mexico, the Caribbean, U.S.-Mexico border & U.S. Hispanics.
History Vault: Civil Rights and the Black Freedom Struggle This link opens in a new window Primary source documents focused on the Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century. Includes records from the NAACP, SCLC, SNCC, CORE, as well as federal records on the Black Freedom Struggle.
Independent Voices: A Collection of an Alternative Press This link opens in a new window Alternative press newspapers, magazines & journals from the latter half of the 20th century, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries.
Indigenous Peoples: North America [Gale] This link opens in a new window Primary source materials (manuscripts, books, newspapers, photos & images) documenting the historical experience, cultural traditions, and political status of indigenous peoples of North America.
Native American Indians, 1645-1819 This link opens in a new window "Every Major Book Printed in North America about Native Peoples" - More than 1,600 publications about the relationship between Native Americans and European settlers, featuring text exploration tools, author biographies, and suggested search paths for easy browsing and discovery.
Slavery & Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive [Gale] This link opens in a new window Contains primary source documents from the United States & Europe, as well as other parts of the world; formats include antebellum books, pamphlets, newspapers, periodicals, images, and extensive archival material.
Tribal Treaties Database This link opens in a new window This database includes agreements between tribal nations and the United States (1778-1886) published in the 1904 work “Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties” (Volume II), compiled and edited by Charles J. Kappler. As you view the treaties in this database, editorial margin notes are included. Links to Kappler’s original text and digitized treaties held at the National Archives can also be found throughout the site. Finally, a recently updated, comprehensive index complements this work.

Notable Journals

Below you will find a short list of journals that may be relevant to the study of American Studies.

African American Review African American Review is a scholarly aggregation of insightful essays on African American literature, theatre, film, the visual arts, and culture; interviews; poetry; fiction; and book reviews.
AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples AlterNative publishes scholarly research on Indigenous worldviews and experiences of decolonization from Indigenous perspectives from around the world.
American Indian Culture and Research Journal The premier journal in Native American and Indigenous studies, it publishes original scholarly papers and book reviews on a wide range of issues in fields ranging from history to anthropology to cultural studies to education and more.
American Quarterly American Quarterly has been the preeminent guide to American studies since 1949. With a broad, humanistic understanding of American culture, the journal encourages cross-disciplinary work.
Journal of American Studies Journal of American Studies seeks to critique and interrogate the notion of "America", pursuing this through international perspectives on the history, literature, politics and culture of the United States.
Journal of Black Studies The Journal of Black Studies is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal that publishes papers in the fields of social sciences and ethnic studies concerning African and African diaspora culture, with particular interest in African-American culture.
Latino Studies This journal explores the local, national, transnational, and hemispheric realities that influence the Latina and Latino presence in the United States.
Studies in Popular Culture Studies in Popular Culture publishes articles on popular culture however mediated: through film, literature, radio, television, music, graphics, print, practices, associations, events--any of the material or conceptual conditions of life.