HIST 311: Becoming America, 1688-1776 (Fall 2024)

Books and Chapters will be especially useful for most of your research questions. Start with the main library catalog:

1. Start by writing out your question or topic.
2. identify key terms
3. identify potential synonyms
4. Use AND OR NOT to create search phrases. 
5. Conduct several searches, revising keywords backed on subject terms & commonly used language in the articles/books.

You will use most of the same search terms we used finding articles, but you will need to use the filters. Remember to:

• Limit by publication date, generally after 1990.
• Pay attention to chapters.
• Limited to books and ebooks.

EXAMPLES

• The inoculation debate in Boston, 1721
  • "inoculation" AND Boston
• The Walking Purchase in Pennsylvania, 1737
  • "Walking Purchase"
• The Zenger Affair in New York, 1734-39
  • ("Zenger" AND "new york") OR "John Peter Zenger"
• The 1741 New York slave conspiracy
  • 1741 AND "New York" AND slave* AND conspiracy
• The Albany Conference, 1754
  • ("Albany Conference" OR "Albany Congress" OR "albany convention") AND 1754
• The Parson’s Cause in Virginia, 1758
  • "Parson’s Cause" OR "two-penny act" OR "two penny act"
• Tacky’s War in Jamaica, 1760
  • Tacky AND (rebellion OR war OR revolt)

Searching for titles of documents of interest is not a good idea while using the catalog, but you can search for authors who created historical documents of interest.

Example:

If you're interested in Elizabeth Ashbridge, Some Account of the Early Part of the Life of Elizabeth Ashbridge, 1745.

"Elizabeth Ashbridge"