A&M-SA Research Guides: Native American Studies Research Guide: Primary Sources

Digital Primary Source Collections

Below are links to various digital collections that contain a variety of primary sources such as images, literature, oral histories,government documents, newspapers and other historical documents. This is just a sample of collections that are available to researchers.

*Search tip: When searching, remember that the indigenous peoples of the Americas have only been called "Native Americans" for the last 40 years. Documents from before this time period will refer to "Indians" or "American Indians" or "Native American Indians".

American West (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
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This collection contains primary source materials, such as original manuscripts, maps, ephemeral material and rare printed sources pertaining to a variety of topics of the American West: Gold Rush, pioneers, explorers, hunters, Native Americans, railroads, etc.

Note: When trying to access this resource, you may encounter a warning "Your connection is not private". Simply click the "Advanced" button at the bottom left of that page, then click "Proceed to americanwest.amdigital.co.uk (unsafe)" to access this resource. You are seeing this warning because this resource currently does not use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).
Early Recognized Treaties with American Indian Nations (University of Nebraska Libraries) This link opens in a new window
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This website includes the texts of the nine remaining treaties created between American Indian tribes and the United States government from 1722 to 1805. Also provides links to all other early treaties.

Note: When trying to access this resource, you may encounter a warning "Your connection is not private". Simply click the "Advanced" button at the bottom left of that page, then click "Proceed to earlytreaties.unl.edu (unsafe)" to access this resource. You are seeing this warning because this resource currently does not use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).

National Archives Archival Research Catalog: Native Americans
The National Archives digital collection of Native American materials.
American Indian Records in the National Archives
Records related to American Indians that were created by federal agencies

Territorial Papers of the United States (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
A digital file covering the history of every American territory before it became an American state, covering 1764-1953. Includes series 1-4.
American History, 1493-1945 (Adam Matthew) This link opens in a new window
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This two-part collection provides primary and secondary sources on American history from early settlers through the end of World War II through correspondence, diaries, government documents, photographs, newspapers, broadsides, artwork, and more.

Note: When trying to access this resource, you may encounter a warning "Your connection is not private". Simply click the "Advanced" button at the bottom left of that page, then click "Proceed to americanhistory.amdigital.co.uk (unsafe)" to access this resource. You are seeing this warning because this resource currently does not use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).
Congressional Publications (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
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This database contains documents, reports, and other detailed information from both the House and the Senate dating back to 1789. Includes Congressional Record and US Serial Set Collections 1 and 2A-E, 1789-2011.
European Views of the Americas: 1493-1750 (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
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A comprehensive guide to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750. The database covers the history of European exploration as well as portrayals of Native American peoples.

Note: When trying to access this resource, you may encounter a warning "Your connection is not private". Simply click the "Advanced" button at the bottom left of that page, then click "Proceed to europeanamericana.com (unsafe)" to access this resource. You are seeing this warning because this resource currently does not use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).
Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection Series 1 and Series 2 (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
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This collection covers U.S. Latino and Hispanic history, literature, political commentary, civil rights, religious thought, culture, and women writers. Formats include pamphlets and broadsides, newspapers, monographs, etc. Most content is in Spanish.

Native American Constitution and Law Digitization Project
This project is a cooperative effort among the University of Oklahoma Law Center, the National Indian Law Library (NILL), and Native American tribes providing access to the constitutions, tribal codes, and other legal documents. It offers the user access

Artstor Digital Library (JSTOR) This link opens in a new window
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A digital library of over 2 million images from museums, photo archives, scholars, and artists covering the areas of anthropology, archaeology, architecture, art history, fashion & costume, literature, religion, theater, world history, and more.
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 1-5 (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
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The premier collection of periodicals published between 1684 and 1912 in America. This collection documents American life from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Journals of the Lewis & Clark Expedition
The site features the full text—almost five thousand pages—of the journals. Also included are a gallery of images, important supplemental texts, and audio files of selected passages plus Native American perspectives. With a focus on full-text searchability and ease of navigation, the Journals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition Online is intended to be both a useful tool for scholars and an engaging website for the general public.
American Indian Treaties Portal
A digital collection of the final texts of 366 of the 375 American Indian treaties recognized by the United States Department of State
Plateau Peoples' Web Portal
The Plateau Peoples' Web Portal is a collaboration between the Spokane Tribe of Indians, the Confederated Tribes Of The Colville Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe of Indians, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the Center for Digital Scholarship and Curation and Native Programs at Washington State University. This Portal is a gateway to Plateau peoples' cultural materials held in multiple repositories including WSU's Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections, the Northwest Museum of Art and Culture, the National Anthropological Archives and the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institution. The materials in the Portal have been chosen and curated by tribal representatives. Each item has one or more records associated with it as well as added traditional knowledge and cultural narratives to enhance and enrich understanding to many audiences.
Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains Digital Collection
The Indian Peoples of the Northern Great Plains Collection includes photographs, paintings, ledger drawings, documents, serigraphs, and stereographs from 1874 through the 1940's. In 1998, the images were digitized and drawn from the library collections of three of the Montana State University campuses (Billings, Bozeman and Havre), the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, and Little Big Horn College in Crow Agency, Montana.
American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Collection
This site provides an extensive digital collection of original photographs and documents about the Northwest Coast and Plateau Indian cultures, complemented by essays written by anthropologists, historians, and teachers about both particular tribes and cross-cultural topics.
Library of Congress: The North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis
The North American Indian by Edward S. Curtis is one of the most significant and controversial representations of traditional American Indian culture ever produced. Issued in a limited edition from 1907-1930, the publication continues to exert a major influence on the image of Indians in popular culture. Curtis said he wanted to document "the old time Indian, his dress, his ceremonies, his life and manners." In over 2000 photogravure plates and narrative, Curtis portrayed the traditional customs and lifeways of eighty Indian tribes. The twenty volumes, each with an accompanying portfolio, are organized by tribes and culture areas encompassing the Great Plains, Great Basin, Plateau Region, Southwest, California, Pacific Northwest, and Alaska. Featured here are all of the published photogravure images including over 1500 illustrations bound in the text volumes, along with over 700 portfolio plates.

Historical Newspapers

America's Historical Newspapers (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
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Searchable digital facsimiles of thousands of American newspapers, including eyewitness reporting, editorials, letters, advertisements, and obituaries. This collection chronicles the evolution of culture and daily life from 1690 to the recent past.
Historical Newspapers (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
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A digital newspaper archive that includes cover-to-cover full-text and full-image articles starting from the 19th century. Includes news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, advertisements, etc.
Includes: Atlanta Constitution, Atlanta Daily World, Austin American Statesman, The Baltimore Afro-American, Baltimore Sun, Boston Globe, Chicago Defender, Chicago Tribune, Christian Science Monitor, Cleveland Call and Post, Los Angeles Sentinel, Los Angeles Times, Louisville Defender, Michigan Chronicle, New York Amsterdam News, The New York Times, Norfolk Journal and Guide, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Tribune, Pittsburgh Courier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post.
Access World News (NewsBank) This link opens in a new window
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Research diverse perspectives, topics and trends that align with curricular areas such as Political Science, English, Sociology, Humanities, Business, International Studies and more. Features reliable, credible information from a wide variety of international, national and local news sources. Also available remotely 24/7 on any device.
Chronicling America (Library of Congress) This link opens in a new window
This site allows users access to scanned newspaper pages from 1880-1910 for newspapers published in the United States. Users also have the ability to find information about published American newspapers from 1690 to the present.
New York Times All Access Digital Pass (The New York Times Company) This link opens in a new window
Search and browse The New York Times from 1851-present. Users must go through the library’s link to register for an account. Once registered, an account is valid for one year and may be used to access The New York Times website directly.
Creating an Account with the New York Times:

On the New York Times page, click on the Create Account link.
You must use your university email when registering. For example:
- John.Doe@jaguar.tamu.edu for students.
- jdoe@tamusa.edu for faculty and staff.
You will have access to the New York Times for one year.
Questions? Call the University Library at 210-784-1500.