Research Guides: HST383: Research in United States Women's History: Domestic Worker Organizing: Primary Sources

Smith College Special Collections

Smith College Special Collections - Research & Collections Special Collections contains rich resources for historical and archival research.
Sophia Smith Collection (SSC) The mission of the Sophia Smith Collection of Women’s History is to collect, preserve, and make accessible records documenting the history of women and other gender minorities.

Five College Library Catalog This link opens in a new window
Remember to search people (e.g. Margaret Sanger) and organizations (e.g. National Congress of Neighborhood Women) as both author and subject. Searching by author will retrieve additional primary source material; searching by subject will retrieve both secondary literature and possibly additional primary sources.

Primary Source Collections

African American Communities [AM Explorer] Focusing predominantly on Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and towns and cities in North Carolina this resource presents multiple aspects of the African American community through pamphlets, newspapers and periodicals, correspondence, official records, reports and in-depth oral histories, revealing the prevalent challenges of racism, discrimination and integration, and a unique African American culture and identity.
African American Digital Collections (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." Led by Librarian Carla Hayden, the LOC seeks to make American cultural heritage more accessible through digitization.
Black Freedom Struggle in the U.S. [ProQuest] Historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence and more from specific time periods in U.S. history marked by the opposition African Americans have faced on the road to freedom.
John Hope Franklin & Sally Bingham Collections (Duke University) The John Hope Franklin Research Center "collects, preserves and promotes the use of published and unpublished primary sources for the exploration, understanding and advancement of scholarship of the history and culture of Africa and people of the African Diaspora in the Americas."

HistoryMakers This link opens in a new window Streaming oral history archive, documenting African American contributions to American life, culture, social movements & organizations. Subject coverage includes the arts, business, civics, education, entertainment, law, media, medicine, the military, politics, religion, science, sports & style.

Robert W. Woodruff Library (Atlanta University Center) "The Archives Research Center’s collections primarily document the African American experience through civil rights, race relations, education, literature, visual and performing arts, religion, politics, and social work."
Race Relations in America [AM Explorer] Based at Fisk University from 1943-1970, the Race Relations Department and its annual Institute were set up by the American Missionary Association to investigate problem areas in race relations and develop methods for educating communities and preventing conflict.

Sabin Americana [Gale] 1500-1926 This link opens in a new window Based on Sabin's Bibliotheca Americana: A Dictionary of Books Relating to America from Its Discovery to the Present Time. Full text books, pamphlets, broadsides & documents, from sermons & tracts to legislation & literature. Covers all the Americas.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture Part of the New York Public Library, the Schomburg is a national research library devoted to collecting, preserving and providing access to resources documenting the experiences of peoples of African descent throughout the world.

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.

American Indian Histories and Cultures [AM Explorer] Explore manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books dating from the earliest contact with European settlers right up to photographs and newspapers from the mid-twentieth century. Browse through a wide range of rare and original documents from treaties, speeches and diaries, to historic maps and travel journals.
American Indian Newspapers [AM Explorer] From historic pressings to contemporary periodicals, explore nearly 200 years of Indigenous print journalism from the US and Canada. With newspapers representing a huge variety in publisher, audience and era, discover how events were reported by and for Indigenous communities.

Ethnographic Video Online: Indigenous Voices [Alexander Street] This link opens in a new window Classic & contemporary documentaries, including previously unpublished footage from working anthropologists & ethnographers in the field; videos include accompanying field notes, liner notes, filmmaker biographies, related articles, study guides, etc., when possible.
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.
North American Indian Thought and Culture [ProQuest] This link opens in a new window Personal narratives, speeches, diaries, letters, and oral histories of indigenous peoples from all areas of North America. Full-length reference works also included to give background and context to the narratives.
Sabin Americana [Gale] 1500-1926 This link opens in a new window Based on Sabin's Bibliotheca Americana: A Dictionary of Books Relating to America from Its Discovery to the Present Time. Full text books, pamphlets, broadsides & documents, from sermons & tracts to legislation & literature. Covers all the Americas.

National Farm Worker Ministry: Mobilizing Support for Migrant Workers, 1939-1985 [Archives Unbound]
The Quest for Labor Equality in Household Work: National Domestic Workers Union, 1965-1979 [Archives Unbound]
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Documents the Union's origins and includes correspondence with both Georgia and national political figures; subject files illustrate the Union’s involvement with the Black community organizations and various federal agencies.
Union Label and the Needle Trades: Records of the United Garment Workers of America [Archives Unbound]

Race Relations in America [AM Explorer] Based at Fisk University from 1943-1970, the Race Relations Department and its annual Institute were set up by the American Missionary Association to investigate problem areas in race relations and develop methods for educating communities and preventing conflict.

Sabin Americana [Gale] 1500-1926 This link opens in a new window Based on Sabin's Bibliotheca Americana: A Dictionary of Books Relating to America from Its Discovery to the Present Time. Full text books, pamphlets, broadsides & documents, from sermons & tracts to legislation & literature. Covers all the Americas.

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.
Gerritsen Collection 1543 -1945 This link opens in a new window An international collection of books, pamphlets and periodicals on feminism & the women's rights movement worldwide.
Struggle for Women's Rights [ProQuest History Vault] 1880-1990 This link opens in a new window Digitized records of the National Women's Party, the League of Women Voters, and the Women's Action Alliance.
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.
Women and Social Movements International [Alexander Street] 1840+ This link opens in a new window Digital primary sources, including conference proceedings, reports of international women's organizations, publications & web pages of women's organizations, plus letters, diaries & memoirs of women active internationally since the mid-19th century.
Women and Social Movements in the U.S.,Scholar's Edition [Alexander Street] This link opens in a new window Primary documents, books, images, scholarly essays, book reviews & teaching tools relating to US history, as seen through women's eyes.
Women at Work during World War II [ProQuest] This link opens in a new window Contains records of the Women’s Bureau (U.S. Department of Labor) and correspondence of the Director of the Women’s Army Corps. Documents women’s work in war industries, equal pay, childcare & race, and service in the Women’s Army Corps.

Women Organizing Transnationally Archives: The Committee of Correspondence, 1952-1969 [Archives Unbound] Based on materials in the Sophia Smith Collection.
Schlesinger Library (Harvard University) One of the largest collections of women's history, featuring notable African American women such as June Jordan, Pauli Murray, Florynce Kennedy, Ana Livia Cordero, and the Black Women's Oral History Project.

Ancestry (Library Edition) This link opens in a new window Census, vital, church, court & immigration records for the US & UK, plus material on other areas. Major components: US federal census 1790-1940 (incl. manuscript returns); historical maps; Social Security Death Index; etc.
Archive Grid This link opens in a new window Detailed archival collection descriptions & finding aids from libraries, museums, historical societies & archives in the US.
Archives Unbound [Gale] This link opens in a new window Digital primary source collections on a wide variety of topics, countries, and time periods, from women's history and feminism, to civil rights, foreign policy, missionary societies, the Federal Writers' Project, etc.

Digital News Sources

Atlanta Constitution [Proquest], 1868-1985 This link opens in a new window Covers the political, economic, cultural & social life of the southeastern US from Reconstruction through the late 20th century.
Boston Globe [ProQuest] 1872+ MLIN This link opens in a new window Full text of all staff-written news stories, features, columns, and editorials with images.
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.
Chicago Tribune Historical [ProQuest] 1849+ (lacks current 14 years) This link opens in a new window Full text newspaper, with images.
Los Angeles Times Historical [ProQuest] 1881+ (lacks current 14 years) This link opens in a new window Full text, including images of the Los Angeles Daily Times (1881-1886) and the Los Angeles Times (1886-1986).
New York Amsterdam News Historical [Proquest] 1922-1993 This link opens in a new window A leading African American newspaper of the 20th century. Full page and article images with searchable full text from the New York Amsterdam news (1922-1938), New York Amsterdam news (1938-1941 : City ed.), New York Amsterdam news (1943-1961 : City ed.), New York Amsterdam news (1962-1993), New York Amsterdam star-news (1941-1943), and the New York star & Amsterdam news (1941-1941). The collection includes digital reproductions of every page from every issue in PDF format.
New York Herald Tribune [ProQuest] 1841-1962 This link opens in a new window Full text, including images, of this influential paper founded by Horace Greeley. Important for 19th century US social history and 20th century literature & arts coverage.
New York Times Historical [ProQuest] 1851+ (lacks current 4 years) This link opens in a new window Full text, including images, of the New York Times, excluding the most recent 4 years.
Washington Post Historical [ProQuest] 1877+ (lacks current 17 years) This link opens in a new window Full text including images.

Access World News [NewsBank] (Coverage varies by title) This link opens in a new window Current and archived news content including local, state, national and international newspapers, broadcast transcripts, news wires, news blogs, video, 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.

American Indian Newspapers [AM Explorer] From historic pressings to contemporary periodicals, explore nearly 200 years of Indigenous print journalism from the US and Canada. With newspapers representing a huge variety in publisher, audience and era, discover how events were reported by and for Indigenous communities.

America's Historical Newspapers 1690-1922 This link opens in a new window Cover-to-cover reproductions of hundreds of historic newspapers, based on the Brigham's History and Bibliography of American Newspapers series.

Brooklyn Newsstand (coverage from the late 19th c. to mid-20th c.)

Hispanic American Newspapers 1808-1980 This link opens in a new window Full text compilation of Spanish-language newspapers printed in the US during the 19th & 20th centuries; includes many newspapers published bilingually in Spanish & English.

International Women's Periodicals, 1786-1933: Social and Political Issues [Archives Unbound]

Latin American Newspapers, Series 1 & 2, 1805-1922 This link opens in a new window Online access to hundreds of newspapers published in the 19th & early 20th centuries; featuring titles from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela and twelve other countries. Includes eyewitness reporting, editorials, legislative information, letters, poetry, advertisements, obituaries, etc.
Nexis Uni (Coverage varies by title) This link opens in a new window New Lexis-Nexis interface, with a single search box, plus filters to refine searches; users are encouraged to register for an ID & password, to take advantage of personalization features. Covers a wide range of news, business, legal & reference information; includes federal & state laws & cases.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers (Coverage varies by title) This link opens in a new window Full text articles from the Boston Globe, Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, New York Times, New York Herald Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Atlanta Constitution, Jerusalem Post, New York Amsterdam News, and Times of India.
Women's Magazine Archive [Proquest] This link opens in a new window Contains (each from their start to 2005): Better Homes & Gardens, Chatelaine, Cosmopolitan, Essence, Good Housekeeping, Ladies’ Home Journal, Parents; Redbook; Seventeen, Town and Country, Woman’s Day, and Women’s International Network News.

Alt-PressWatch [ProQuest] 1995+ This link opens in a new window Full text database for 130+ newspapers, magazines and journals from alternative and independent presses.
Alternative Press Index and Archive [EBSCO] 1969+ This link opens in a new window Indexes hundreds of alternative, radical and left periodicals, newspapers and magazines covering cultural, economic, political & social change.
Ethnic NewsWatch [ProQuest] 1960+ This link opens in a new window Full text newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press.
GenderWatch [ProQuest] 1970+ This link opens in a new window Full text publications on the impact of gender across a broad spectrum of subject areas.

Politics, Social Activism and Community Support: Selected Gay and Lesbian Periodicals and Newsletters [Archives Unbound]