Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture and Law

All extant legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world, as well as documents on free African-Americans before 1870. Includes every statute passed by every state and colony, all federal statutes, all reported state and federal cases on slavery, and hundreds of books and pamphlets on the subject. Free to use, but registration required. Part of Hein Online.


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New South Asian History Archival Resources Added

University of Illinois affiliates now have access to a bundle of digital resource collections from Gale “Archives Unbound,” which should be of interest to University of Illinois history scholars interested in South Asia. Three collections include U.S. government documents: Hindu Conspiracy Cases: Activities of the Indian Independence Movement in the U.S. 1908-1933, India from Crown Rule to Republic, 1945-1949: Records of the U.S. State Department, and India-Pakistan Conflict: Records of the U.S. State Department, February 1963-1966. An additional collection, Indian Army and Colonial Warfare on the Frontiers of India, 1914-1920, includes documents pertaining to the British Military’s experience in India.

Foreign Office Files from the Middle East, 1971-1981

When complete, will contain all files for the time period 1971-1981 from British National Archives Record Series FCO 8 (Foreign Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Arabian Department and Middle East Department: Registered Files); FCO 9 (Foreign Office, Central Department and Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Southern European Department: Registered Files); FCO 17 (Foreign Office, Eastern Department and successors: Registered Files); FCO 39 (Foreign Office, North and East African Department and successors: Registered Files); FCO 67 (Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Commodities and Oil Department and successors: Registered Files); and FCO 93 (Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Near East and North Africa Department: Registered Files). Also includes selections from British National Archives Record Series PREM (Records of the Prime Minister’s Office) and DEFE (Records of the Ministry of Defence).

Indigenous Peoples: North America

Books, newspapers, periodicals, manuscript sources, and photographs that document American Indian experience in North America, based on 13 previously published microfilm collections: Oregon Province Archives of the Society of Jesus Indian Language Collection: The Alaska Native Languages; Pacific Northwest Tribes Missions Collection of the Oregon Province Archives of the Society of Jesus; Association on American Indian Archives; Records of the Creek Factory of the Office of Indian Trade of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, 1795‐1 821; Citizenship Case Files of the U.S. Court in Indian Territory, 1896‐1897; Great Nemaha Agency Collection, 1866‐1873; The Indian School Journal; The Javitch Collection at University of Alberta; Letters Sent by the Indian Division of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, 1849‐1903; Moravian Mission among the Indians of North America; Papers of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft; Papers of the Society of American Indians, 1906‐1946; and the W. S. Prettyman Photograph Collection.

Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century: Federal Government Records

Online access to 37 previously-microfilmed archival collections, including East St. Louis Riot of 1917; Martin Luther King Jr. FBI Files, Parts I and II; Black Workers in the Era of the Great Migration, 1916-1929; Several series of records on civil rights during the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon Carter, and Bush administrations; and more.

More information.

British Records on the Atlantic World, 1700-1900

Previously available only on microfilm, this collection provides online access to 20 record series from multiple repositories in Britain: Series 1, Records Relating to the Slave Trade at the Liverpool Record Office; Series 2, American Material in the Archives of the USPG (United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel); Series 3, Papers of William Davenport & Co., 1745-1797; Series 4, Jamaican Materials in the Slebech Papers; Series 5, Papers Relating to the Jamaican Estates of the Goulburn Family of Betchworth; Series 6, Papers of the Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies, 1694- ; Series 7, Journal, Annual Sermons and Reports of the SPG (Society for the Propagation of the Gospel), 1701-1870; Series 8, South American Missionary Society Records, 1844-1919; Series 9, Liverpool Street and Trade Directories, 1766-1900; Series 10, Early Colonial and Missionary Records for West Africa; Series 11, West Indies Material in the Archives of the USPG, 1710-1950; Series 12, Archives of the Associates of Dr. Bray to 1900; Series 13, Collected Papers of the Bolton Whitman Fellowship; Series 14, Canadian Papers of the 4th Earl of Minto; Series 15, American Material from the Tarleton Papers; Series 16, Liverpool Customs Bills of Entry, 1820-1900; Series 17, Tudway of Wells Antiguan Estate Papers, 1689-1907; Series 18, Bristol Presentments, 1770-1917; Series 19, Annual British Army Lists, 1740-1784; and Series 20, American Prisoners of War, 1812-1815.

Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS) Reports, 1957-1995

Cold War era open source intelligence. The bulk of the collection comprises translations of technical reports from around the world, with an emphasis on publications of Communist and Third World nations. In addition to technical reports, the collection includes translated television and radio transcripts, translated newspaper and periodical articles, translated government documents, translated speeches, and translated books. Topics range from science, economics, the military, sociology and the environment to specific events like conferences, congresses, and symposia. For more information on the JPRS, see David Y. Allen’s article, ” Buried Treasure: The Translations of the Joint Publications Research Service” in Government Publications Review, March/April 1982.

ProQuest Executive Branch Documents, 1789-1932

Issued in two modules, the first module covers United States Executive Branch publications from 1789 to 1909 (not already printed in the U.S. Serial Set), issued by the following Executive Branch departments:  Agriculture Department; American Republics Bureau; Civil Service Commission; District of Columbia; Fish Commission; Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company; Geographic Board; Government Printing Office; General Supply Committee; Navy Department; War Department; Interior Department; Justice Department; Labor Department; Interstate Commerce Commission; Library of Congress; State Department; National Academy of Sciences; National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers; Post Office Department; President of United States; Smithsonian Institution; Treasury Department; Commerce and Labor Department; and Labor Department. The second module extends coverage to 1932, and includes publications from Treasury Department; Smithsonian Institution; Tariff Commission; Veterans Administration; Veterans Bureau; Vocational Education Board; Commerce Department; War Department; War Trade Board; Interior Department; Justice Department; Labor Department; General Accounting Office; Government Printing Office; Interstate Commerce Commission; Agriculture Department; American Republics Bureau; Civil Service Commission; Navy Department; Library of Congress; Mediation Board; National Academy of Sciences; National Capital Park and Planning Commission; National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers; Post Office Department; State Department; Pan American Union; Pan American Sanitary Bureau; Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital; Personnel Classification Board; Philippine Government; President of United States; Postal Savings System; Reserve Bank Organization Committee; Radio Commission; Railroad Labor Board; and Shipping Board. All documents are indexed and are searchable by publication title, issuing agency, subject heading, and SuDoc classification code. A PDF facsimile of each document accompanies its index record, and users can also search these PDFs, though search precision and recall are lower for the PDFs than for the index records. Access the database through the ProQuest Congressional Advanced Search.

House of Commons Parliamentary Papers

The Sessional Papers of the British House of Commons. Until now, these Sessional Papers have been available at University of Illinois only in uncataloged print volumes and microforms. The House of Commons Parliamentary Papers Digital Collection comprises the Sessional Papers from 1715 to the present. The Sessional Papers were documents printed by order of the House, and include Bills (public and private), committee reports, reports of the ministries and non-Parliamentary government organizations, and any other document submitted by order of the House. The collection does not include the debates of the House (“Hansards”) or the proceedings of the House (House of Commons Journal).