Historic newspapers are an excellent primary research source. Van Wylen has access to several historic newspaper collections, including the New York Times (1851-3 yrs ago), the Times of London (1785-1985) and the Chicago Tribune (1849-1985). These websites provide full text and full image archives of old newspapers that can give you insight into what it was like to live through historic events.
It is also important to keep historic terminology in mind while searching. A search for the term “African-American” in the Chicago Tribune from 1856 to 1872 brings back one result, whereas a search for the term “negro” in the same date range brings back over 7500 results.
If you’re interested in more of a popular culture primary source, consider looking through archived issues of Harper’s Weekly. This database groups issues together by historic time period, such as the Civil War or the Gilded Age, which can help guide your research. Unlike newspapers, Harper’s contains many fictional or literary works that can give you a different perspective on what it was like to live during those time periods.
— Bethany Stripp, Library Student Blogger