LibGuides: History 435: European Colonization of the Globe, 1400-1800: Locating Primary Sources

Newspapers

The Times (London, England) Digital Archive 1785-1985 (Gale)
The Times Digital Archive provides convenient access to an extraordinary library of back issues of this renowned newspaper online. By taking the microfilm collection of The Times (London) and producing a high-resolution digital format with searchable images, The Times Digital Archive represents unprecedented access to one of the most highly regarded resources for the study of 18th-century history and onward.
Financial Times Historical Archive
This complete online fully searchable facsimile edition of the Financial Times Historical Archive, 1888-2016, provides the London edition of this international newspaper, covering business, global financial and economic issues as well as topics such as industry, energy, and international politics.

Databases

HathiTrust Digital Library
HathiTrust is a partnership of academic & research institutions, offering a collection of millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world.
Early English Books Online (PQ)
Early English Books Online (EEBO) contains digital facsimile page images of virtually every work printed in England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and British North America and works in English printed elsewhere from 1473-1700 - from the first book printed in English by William Caxton, through the age of Spenser and Shakespeare and the tumult of the English Civil War.
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection provides digital access to a comprehensive collection of American periodicals and British periodicals published between 1684 and 1912. Subject coverage includes: advertising, health, women's issues, science, the history of slavery, industry and professions, religious issues, culture and the arts, and more. Produced by a partnership between EBSCO and the American Antiquarian Society (AAS).

Europeana
The combined collections of many European institutions; artworks, artifacts, books, videos, sound
World Digital Library
"This collection contains cultural heritage materials gathered during the World Digital Library (WDL) project, including thousands of items contributed by partner organizations worldwide as well as content from Library of Congress collections. The original World Digital Library site (preserved in LC’s Web Archives here) and all descriptive metadata were translated from English and made available in six additional languages: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese. All item records include narrative descriptions submitted by the contributing partners and enhanced by WDL researchers to contextualize the item and its cultural and historical importance. Books, manuscripts, maps, and other primary materials in the WDL collection are presented in their original languages; more than 100 languages are represented, including many lesser known and endangered languages."

More databases change

European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750
This bibliographic database is a valuable index for libraries, scholars and individuals interested in European works that relate to the Americas. EBSCO Publishing, in cooperation with the John Carter Brown Library, has created this resource from European Americana: A Chronological Guide to Works Printed In Europe Relating to The Americas, 1493-1750, the authoritative bibliography that is well-known and respected by scholars worldwide. The database contains more than 32,000 entries and is a comprehensive guide to printed records about the Americas written in Europe before 1750. It covers the history of European exploration as well as portrayals of native American peoples. A wide range of subject areas are covered; from natural disasters to disease outbreaks and slavery. The original bibliography was co-developed by John Alden and Dennis Landis, Curator of European Books at The John Carter Brown Library. The John Carter Brown Library, founded in 1846 is a foremost repository of rare books and materials and is a center for advanced research in history and the humanities.
Making of Modern World (Gale)
The Making of the Modern World provides full text and full page image access to books from 1450-1914, and pre-1906 serials. Covers economics, history, political science, sociology, and special emphasis on banking, finance, transportation, and manufacturing.
Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America
American Indian Histories and Cultures: Sources from the Edward E. Ayer Collection at the Newberry Library, Chicago; a digitized collection providing insight into interactions between American Indians and Europeans from earliest contact up to civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century
Struggles for Freedom: Southern Africa
The liberation of Southern Africa and the dismantling of the Apartheid regime was one of the major political developments of the 20th century, with far-reaching consequences for people throughout Africa and around the globe. This collection focuses on the complex and varied liberation struggles in the region, with an emphasis on Botswana, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It brings together materials from various archives and libraries throughout the world documenting colonial rule, dispersion of exiles, international intervention, and the worldwide networks that supported successive generations of resistance within the region.

JStor Primary Sources

Government Documents and More: Great Britain

Cobbett's Parliamentary History (Digital Bodleian)
"Cobbett's Parliamentary History (2002-2004) was a project to digitize all 36 volumes of William Cobbett's Parliamentary History of England. The Parliamentary History, published between 1812 and 1820, compiled records of parliamentary proceedings "from the earliest period to the year 1803" (after which, Hansard's records of parliamentary debates begins). Thirty of the volumes cover the period from the accession of Queen Anne in 1702 to 1803, making the Parliamentary History an important source for historians of the eighteenth century."
Digital Bodleian
"Discover over a million images of rare books, manuscripts, and other treasures from the Bodleian Libraries and Oxford college libraries."

Asia

Southeast Asia Digital Library
"The Southeast Asia Digital Library (SEADL) is a growing repository of resources from and about the region of Southeast Asia. SEADL is a multi-institutional project and our digital collections come from libraries and archives around the world. SEADL supports research and education in Southeast Asian Studies by making these unique digitized materials freely accessible in one website. Search or browse SEADL collections now to see more!"
Digital South Asia Library (U of Chicago)
"The Digital South Asia Library (DSAL) and The Digital Dictionaries of South Asia (DDSA) provide digital materials for reference and research on South Asia to scholars, public officials, business leaders, and other users. DDSA is a resource created to widen access to South Asian language dictionaries. Carefully selected dictionaries for each of the twenty-six modern literary languages of South Asia are mounted on the web for free and open access."
The Asian Digital Librayr
"The Asian Digital Library (ADL) provides source-neutral access to millions of articles from high quality & peer-reviewed literature including journals, databases, articles, and e-Books across a wide range of disciplines."
Note: It's very slow!

Africa

The Americas

Hans Peter Kraus Collection of Spanish American Documents, 1433 to 1877 (Library of Congress)
"The Hans Peter Kraus Collection of Spanish American Documents, 1433-1877, consists of 162 multipage items (5,950 images) dating mainly from 1500 to 1800, which were digitized from 4 reels of previously produced microfilm. The collection documents the history of the Spanish colonies in the Americas, chiefly Mexico, but also Peru, Guatemala, and New Granada (the present-day countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela), and territories that became part of the United States, including California, Florida, and New Mexico. Topics covered include Spanish exploration of the Americas, laws and governance of New Spain, economic conditions, the Catholic Church, the Inquisition in Mexico, and relations with Native American peoples, France, the American colonies, and the United States."

Libraries

History 435: European Colonization of the Globe, 1400-1800

Newspapers

Databases

More databases change

Government Documents and More: Great Britain

Asia

Africa

The Americas

Australia and New Zealand