Resources - youthforhistory.org

YOUTH FOR HISTORY – RESEARCH RESOURCE CENTER

Explore History. Find Your Sources.

History is not only found in textbooks. It lives in photographs, newspapers, letters, maps, oral histories, public records, museum collections, and the memories of communities around us.

For students: Begin with a question that genuinely interests you. Look locally. Follow the evidence. Compare more than one source. And remember: a small story from one neighborhood, family, building, or community can reveal something important about a much larger history.

01 Start with your community

02 Follow primary sources

03 Compare perspectives

04 Cite what you use

Start Here

Trusted national collections that are useful for almost any U.S. history project.

Primary Sources

Library of Congress

Photographs, maps, newspapers, manuscripts, recordings, and digital collections.

Government Records

U.S. National Archives

Federal records, founding documents, military history, photographs, and research guides.

Local History

U.S. Local History Guide

Library of Congress guidance for state, county, city, town, and neighborhood research.

Museums

Smithsonian

Collections and research across American history, culture, science, art, and communities.

Digital Collections

Digital Public Library of America

Millions of digitized items contributed by libraries, archives, and museums across the U.S.

Historic Newspapers

Chronicling America

Searchable historic American newspapers and newspaper directory information.

Explore by Place

Choose the United States or explore major historical institutions around the world. Resources stay collapsed until you need them, so the page remains compact.

Choose a state

Filter counties

Select a state to open its state archives and local-history tools. Choose a state to view statewide research resources and its counties or county-equivalents. Because libraries, historical societies, and museums do not always follow county boundaries—and local organizations sometimes move or change URLs—the county section uses targeted local-history searches rather than thousands of fragile hard-coded institution links.

Search countries or institutions

Region