Research Guides: Hist 100 Nofil: Home

Search strategies

Newspaper articles can be an excellent way to learn about local history and current affairs, but the death of local journalism can make it challenging. Many smaller towns do not have their own papers, and other outlets either don't put their archives online or hide content behind paywalls.

Some strategies:

Look at larger metro area newspapers for coverage of less populated areas.

Find a newspaper you CAN access and select a topic from browsing through it.

Be flexible in your choice of towns and issues.

Databases

Colonial America This link opens in a new window
Colonial America makes available all 1,450 volumes of the CO 5 series from The National Archives, UK, covering the period 1606 to 1822. CO 5 consists of the original correspondence between the British government and the governments of the American colonies, making it a uniquely rich resource for all historians of the period. Access: Modules 1 - 5
Oxford Bibliographies Online: Atlantic History This link opens in a new window
Peer-reviewed annotated bibliographies on the transnational interconnections between Europe, North America, South America, and Africa, particularly in the early modern and colonial period.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary full-text journal articles from 1,500 major journals. Please note: In many cases, JSTOR does not include the most recent 3 to 5 years of these journals. Please use other databases to retrieve recent articles, especially for current events topics. Coverage: Varies by title. Access is available to 2007+ alumni; requires W&M userid and password.
America: History & Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Provides full text coverage of the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes nearly 200 journals and 100 books, selective indexing for over 1,700 journals, and abstracts in English of foreign language articles.
American History in Video This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
People and events in American history and their presentation over time. Commercial and governmental newsreels, archival footage, public affairs footage, and important documentaries. Coverage: 1492-2000. **All films have public performance rights.**
America's Historical Newspapers (includes Early American Newspapers) This link opens in a new window
Newspapers from all 50 states with eyewitness reporting, letters, advertisements, obituaries, etc. Includes access to Series I (1690-1876), Series II (1758-1900), Series III (1829-1922), Series IV (1756-1922), and Series V (1777-1922). Coverage: 1690-1922.