Research Guides: Open Educational Resources and Zero Textbook Cost: History: U. S. History

Open Textbooks

American Government
Created and hosted by the Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia.
The American Yawp: A Massively Collaborative Open U. S. History Textbook (by Locke, Wright, et. al.)
"For those that still yearn for the safe tether of a synthetic text, as either narrative backbone or occasional reference material, The American Yawp offers a free and online, collaboratively built, open American history textbook designed for college-level history courses. Unchecked by profit motives or business models, and free from for-profit educational organizations, The American Yawp is by scholars, for scholars. All contributors—experienced college-level instructors—volunteer their expertise to help democratize the American past for twenty-first century classrooms."
History in the Making: A History of the People of the United States of America to 1877 (by Locks, Mergel, et. al.)
"This textbook examines U.S. History from before European Contact through Reconstruction, while focusing on the people and their history.Prior to its publication, History in the Making underwent a rigorous double blind peer review, a process that involved over thirty scholars who reviewed the materially carefully, objectively, and candidly in order to ensure not only its scholarly integrity but also its high standard of quality.This book provides a strong emphasis on critical thinking about US History by providing several key features in each chapter..."
U. S. History (by Corbett Janssen, et. al.)
"U.S. History covers the breadth of the chronological history of the United States and also provides the necessary depth to ensure the course is manageable for instructors and students alike. U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most courses. The authors introduce key forces and major developments that together form the American experience, with particular attention paid to considering issues of race, class, and gender. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience)."
U. S. History: From Pre-Columbian to the New Millenium
Created and hosted by the Independence Hall Association in Philadelphia.

Open Access Primary Sources (Texts, Documents, etc.)

Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History, and Diplomacy (Yale Law School Library)
A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U. S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774-1873
Published congressional records from the Continental Congress (1774) through the 43rd Congress (1875), digitized by the Library of Congress' American Memory Project.
Documenting the American South
Library of Congress: Digital Collections
Perseus Collection: 19th-Century American (Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University)
U.S. History: Primary Source Collections Online (Sam Houston State University Library)

Library Subscribed Primary Sources (Texts, Documents, etc.)

American Decades Primary Soiurces by Cynthia Rose (Editor)
ISBN: 9780787665876
Publication Date: 2003-12-05
"A 10-volume set spanning the 20th century...provides fresh insight into the decades most important events, people, and issues. Each volume...includes approximately 200 full or excerpted primary sources in 160-170 entries from the period representing a diversity of views that provide insight into the seminal issues, themes, movements and events from the decade. Also included are concise contextual information, notes about the author, further resources, and more than 250 photos and illustrations."

American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection includes series 1-5 and provides more than 1,800 titles dating from 1838-1852. The themes reveal a rapidly growing young nation where industrialization, the railroads, regional political differences, and life on the western frontier were daily realities.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Black Thought and Culture
Black Thought and Culture is a landmark electronic collection of approximately 100,000 pages of non-fiction writings by major American black leaders—teachers, artists, politicians, religious leaders, athletes, war veterans, entertainers, and other figures—covering 250 years of history.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch
European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750
European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750 is an archive of indexed publications related to the Americas and written in Europe before 1750.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Gale Primary Sources: Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive
Gale Primary Sources: Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive is devoted to the study and understanding of the history of slavery in America and the rest of the world from the 17th century to the late 19th century. Archival collections were sourced from more than 60 libraries at institutions such as the Amistad Research Center, Bibliothèque nationale de France, the National Archives, Oberlin College, Oxford University, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and Yale University.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times
ProQuest Historical Newspapers is the definitive newspaper digital archive offering full-text and full-image articles for significant newspapers dating back to the 19th Century (1851-2018).
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000
Women and Social Movements in the United States, 1600-2000 is a resource for students and scholars of U.S. history and U.S. women's history.
Catalogue Link: OneSearch.