History

This page is designed to help you find primary and secondary sources for research projects related to the Antebellum South, the Civil War (1861-1865), and Reconstruction. This page is not exhaustive and more sources may be available through the library and Internet. Please email the Reference Desk at refdesk@nova.edu for help finding sources about a specific topic.

Due to the causes and aftermath of the Civil War, it is impossible to write a single paper about "the Civil War." Narrow your research topic to a specific interest about the war. For example:

• Causes of Secession
• The Abolition Movement
• Prison Camps
• Emancipation

To brainstorm more suggested topics, visit the Judith J. Carrier Library website. 

• Abraham Lincoln Papers at the Library of Congress
  • Documents, images, and transcriptions of the Lincoln Papers.
• Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln
  • A multi-volume set of Lincoln's correspondence, speeches, and other writings. (The Abraham Lincoln Association).
• Lincoln and the Law
  • Works related to Lincoln's work as a lawyer in Illinois, Habeas Corpus and the War Powers of the President, and The Assassination: Trials. (Library of Congress)

Suggested subject searches for library books:

• Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 181-1865 -- Influence

• American Slavery Documents
  • Legal and personal documents related to slavery in the United States. (Duke University Libraries).
• Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938
  • Thousands of first-person accounts collected by the Federal Writers' Project and the Works Progress Administration. (Library of Congress).
• Samuel J. May Anti-Slavery Collection
  • Pamphlets, newsletters, speeches, sermons, and more that document the anti-slavery struggle at the local, regional, and national levels. (Cornell University Library)
• Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories
  • Recordings of former slaves recorded between 1932-1975.

Suggested subject searches for library books:

• Freedman -- United States -- Social conditions
• Slaves -- Family relationships -- United States -- History
• Slavery -- Social aspects -- United States -- History
• Slavery
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1961-1865, African Americans

• African American Pamphlet Collection
  • "African American Perspectives" including personal accounts, speeches, legal documents, and more from 1822-1909. (Library of Congress)
• Frederick Douglass Papers
  • Papers related to Douglass's life including diaries, family papers, correspondence, speeches, and more.

Suggested subject searches for library books:

• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1961-1865, African Americans

• The American Civil War: a collection of free online primary sources
  • A diverse collection of free websites of primary sources, including newspapers, diaries, and slave narratives compiled by ACRL.
• Civil War Primary Sources
  • Documents, photographs, letters, diaries, and military orders, and more related to the American Civil War.
• Emilie Davis Diaries
  • Transcribed diaries of Emilie Davis, an African American woman who lived in Philadelphia during the U.S. Civil War
• Mary Ann Bickerdyke Papers
  • The papers of Civil War nurse and agent for the United States Sanitary Commission from 1847-1905. (Library of Congress)
• Rose O'Neal Greenhow Papers
  • Correspondence from 1863-1864 related to Rose O'Neal Greenhow's activities on behalf of the Confederate States of America.
• The Southern Homefront
  • Documents related to southern life during the Civil War. (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
• The Valley of the Shadow
  • Civil War-era letters, diaries, and more from two communities in Virginia and Pennsylvania. Online access provided by the Virginia Center for Digital History.

Suggested subject searches for library books:

• United States History Civil War, 1861-1865 Participation, Female
• United States History Civil War 1861 1865 Social Aspects
• United States History Civil War 1861 1865 Women

• Atlanta Campaign of 1864: The Camera at War
  • Photographs taken during the Atlanta Campaign 
• Civil War Collection
  • Thousands of images from The Prints & Photographs Division (Library of Congress).
• Civil War Maps
  • Reconnaissance, sketch, theater-of-war, and detailed battle maps (Library of Congress)
• Civil War Photographs
  • Photographs relating to military activities, life, intelligence, morale, and more from the Still Branch of the National Archives and Records Administration
• Civil War Soldier in the Wil Cat Regiment
  • Correspondence, photographs, and other materials featuring accounts of daily of of soldiers between 1861-1865. (Library of Congress)
• William T. Sherman Papers
  • The papers of General William Tecumseh Sherman from 1810-1897. (Library of Congress)

Suggested searches in catalog for library books:

• Soldiers -- United States -- History -- 19th Century
• United States, Army -- History -- Civil War, 1861
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States History Civil War 1861 1865 Personal Narratives