Henry Buhl Library: American Government: History &amp; Politics: POLS 204

Getting Started -- Gathering Context

Best Bets
Other Recommended Resources

Best Bets:

Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History
Call Number: Ref E 183 .E53 2009 v.1-7
Encyclopedia of U.S. Political History explores the events, policies, activities, institutions, groups, people, and movements that have created and shaped political life in the United States.
Birth of the Bill of Rights: Encyclopedia of the Antifederalists
Call Number: Ref E 302.5 .W35 2004 1-2
Concise and informative biographical sketches of 140 of the most influential Antifederalists are complimented by nearly 100 of their complete and excerpted speeches, pamphlets, editorials, and letters.
Encyclopedia of the American Constitution
Call Number: Ref KF 4548 .E53 2000 v.1-5
Vol. 2 of this encyclopedia provides a vast amount of information about constitutional history and the Constitutional Convention. Bibliographies are included.
Ideas and Movements That Shaped America
Call Number: Ref HM 881 .I43 2015 v. 1-3
This book examines the ideas and movements that shaped our nation, presenting thorough, accessible entries with sources that improve readers' understanding of the American experience.

Other Relevant Resources:

Dictionary of American History
Call Number: Ref E 174 .D52 2003 v.1-10
A phenomenal introduction to topics and events throughout American history. Includes a collection of primary source documents in Volume 9.
The Early Republic and Antebellum America: An Encyclopedia of Social, Political, Cultural, and Economic History
Call Number: Ref E 301 .E146 2010 v.1-4
Includes entries covering a wide variety of topics, as well as primary documents (v.4), chronologies (v.4), and a few essays (v.1). Featured entries: education & schools; Lewis & Clark Expedition; secession; slavery, life & culture; westward expansion; women
Encyclopedia of Constitutional Amendments, Proposed Amendments, and Amending Issues, 1789-2015 by John R. Vile
Call Number: Ref KF 4557 .V555 2015 v.1-2
This is the most comprehensive book on constitutional amendments and proposed amendments available.

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Documentary Sources by Topic

The American Republic
Call Number: Oversz E 173 .A7535 2002
A collection of primary sources related to American history from 1610-1858. Documents include letters, speeches, selected Federalist Papers, and more.
The American Nation
Call Number: Oversz E 173 .A747 2008
The American Nation makes available, in one volume, many of the most crucial documents necessary for understanding the variety of policies and viewpoints driving American public life during an important, substantive part of American history. Covers the Civil War through our entrance into WWII.

The Federalist Papers
Provides access to all of the Federalist Papers (from Congress.gov).

The Founders' Constitution by Philip B. Kurland (Editor); Ralph Lerner (Editor)
Call Number: Ref KF4502 .F68 1987 v.1
Publication Date: 1998-09-04
Another copy of this title is available for check-out from the Earheart Collection.

Letters from the Federal Farmer
Access to 18 essays outlining "the most compelling contemporary anti-federalist argument against the proposed Federal Constitution."

An Additional Number of Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republican ...
Call Number: JK 146 .A37 1962
Includes facsimiles of Federal Farmer letters published between Dec. 25, 1787 and Jan. 25, 1788.
Defining Documents in American History : The American Revolution
Call Number: E 203 .A5727 2013 v.1-2
The American Revolution (1754-1805) chronicles key documents during the revolutionary era. Included are founding documents, speeches and political tracts, political sermons, and letters. Also included are Native American and African slave narratives.

Milestone Documents in American History
Includes important primary sources related to American history from 1763 to 2003.
The Papers of Alexander Hamilton
Call Number: E 302 .H2 1961 v.1-27
Includes writings of Alexander Hamilton from 1768 - 1802. An index to the volumes is in v.27.

Congressional Record This link opens in a new window
Searchable full text of the Congressional Record (1873 to date), printed by the U.S. Government Publishing Office (GPO).

For Records on the Continental Congress & the Constitutional Convention:

Elliot's Debates The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution is a five-volume collection compiled by Jonathan Elliot in the mid-nineteenth century. The volumes remain the best source for materials about the national government's transitional period between the closing of the Constitutional Convention in September 1787 and the opening of the First Federal Congress in March 1789.
Farrand's Records One of the great scholarly works of the early twentieth century was Max Farrand's The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. Published in 1911, Farrand's work gathered the documentary records of the Constitutional Convention into four volumes--three of which are included in this online collection--containing the materials necessary to study the workings of the Constitutional Convention.
Journals of the Continental Congress The First Continental Congress met from September 5 to October 26, 1774. The Second Continental Congress ran from May 10, 1775, to March 2, 1789. The Journals of the Continental Congress are the records of the daily proceedings of the Congress as kept by the office of its secretary, Charles Thomson.
Letters of Delegates to Congress The twenty-six volumes of the Letters of Delegates to Congress, 1774-1789 aims to make available all the documents written by delegates that bear directly upon their work during their years of actual service in the First and Second Continental Congresses, 1774-1789.

Friends of the Constitution
Call Number: KF 4515 .F75 1998
In a collection that is certain to make a major contribution to our understanding of the American Founding, Friends of the Constitution brings together forty-nine of the most important of these "other" Federalists' writings. Included are the original texts of pamphlets, speeches, and other pro-ratification writings of George Washington, Benjamin Rush, Nicholas Collin, John Dickinson, James Wilson, Tench Coxe, Benjamin Franklin, Noah Webster, Roger Sherman, Fisher Ames, Peletiah Webster, Samuel Tenny, Stephen Hopkins, Oliver Ellsworth, and David Ramsay.
The Founders' Constitution by Philip B. Kurland (Editor); Ralph Lerner (Editor)
Call Number: Ref KF4502 .F68 1987 v.1
Publication Date: 1998-09-04
Another copy of this title is available for check-out from the Earheart Collection.

Letters from the Federal Farmer
Access to 18 essays outlining "the most compelling contemporary anti-federalist argument against the proposed Federal Constitution" (from the Lee Family Digital Archive).

An Additional Number of Letters from the Federal Farmer to the Republican ...
Call Number: JK 146 .A37 1962
Includes facsimiles of Federal Farmer letters published between Dec. 25, 1787 and Jan. 25, 1788.
Pamphlets on the Constitution of the United States
Call Number: JK 171 .F71 1968
Includes the text of statements, speeches, letters, and observations published during the discussion regarding the Constitution from 1787-1788.

American Presidency Project
Search the papers of the presidents from George Washington through Joe Biden. Users can search by president, date, keyword, document type, and more.

Citing Sources -- Chicago (Use Notes/Bibliography Style)

Look to these resources in print or online:

** Note: the History Department and most HUMA 200 courses require students to use notes/bibliography style. Check your syllabus or ask your professor for more details.

The Chicago Manual of Style
Call Number: StyleMnl PN 4783 .U69 2017
Available for 2-hour check-out at the Check-Out Desk

The Chicago Manual of Style -- Online Edition
Access to the complete style guide.
Chicago Formatting and Style Guide
(from Purdue University -- OWL)

See below for examples of notes, shortened notes, and bibliography entries for the most common items you will need to cite.