Federal History

Federal History information, including links to congressional history, judicial history, regulatory history, army history, demographic history, international history, historical documents, historical research guides, and more.

Governmental Internet Resources

• Army Center of Military History

  The Center of Military History (CMH) is responsible for the appropriate use of history throughout the U.S. Army. Traditionally, this mission meant that the Center recorded the official history of the Army in both peace and war, while advising the Army Staff on relevant historical matters. This site also provides access to Historical research books, artwork and images, Lineage and Honors, How to Guides, CMH publications, Medals of Honor recipients, Army museums etc.

• Core Documents of U.S. Democracy

  Includes important historical, congressional, presidential, judicial, regulatory, demographic, and economic material.

• Library of Congress American Memory Project

  Is a project that is preserving historical documents in digital form. It includes some of the following collections: Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention Documents, Papers of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, Presidential inaugurations, Portraits of the First Ladies, and early U.S. Congress Documents 1774-1873.

• NARA's Access to Archival Databases (AAD) System

  Gives you online access to a selection of nearly 50 million historic electronic records created by more than 20 federal agencies on a wide range of topics, the ability to search for records with the specific information that you seek, and important contextual information to help you understand the records better.

• NARA Archival Information Locator (NAIL)

  Is the working prototype for a future online catalog of holdings in Washington, DC, the regional records services facilities, and the Presidential libraries. Until a full catalog is developed, NAIL will continue to serve as the NARA's on-line information system. NAIL contains information about a wide variety of NARA's holdings across the country. Although NAIL contains more than 3,000 microfilm publications descriptions, 607,000 archival holdings descriptions, and 124,000 digital copies, it represents only a limited portion of NARA's vast holdings.

• NARA NAIL Search for Microfilm Publications

  This basic search form allows you to search for microfilm publications descriptions via keywords, microfilm IDs, record group number, and/or NARA Viewing Location. Each description indicates all NARA locations which have copies of a microfilm publication in part or in full.

• State Dept. Freedom of Information Act Electronic Reading Room

  This homepage provides access to unique historical records of international significance which have been made available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act or as a special collection.

• World War II Posters

  The Government Publications Department at Northwestern University Library has a comprehensive collection of over 300 posters issued by U.S. Federal agencies from the onset of war through 1945.

Nongovernmental Internet Resources

• Avalon Project at Yale Law School: Documents in Law, History & Diplomacy

  This amazing site has a vast amount of digitized historical information including: The American Constitution - A Documentary Record, American Diplomacy : Bilateral Treaties 1778 - 1999, American Diplomacy : Multilateral Treaties 1864 - 1999, Annual Messages of the Presidents, The Barbary Treaties 1816-1836, The Federalist papers, Foreign Relations of the United States, The Jefferson Papers, League of Nations, Native Americans : Documents 1789 - 1887, Nuremberg War Crimes Trial, Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Presidential Papers, Treaties Between The United States and Native Americans, United Nations - Documents, United States Statutes, United States Statutes concerning Native Americans, World War II - Documents; 1940-1945 and much more.

• Documents in Military History

  Provides access to the following military information: Ancient and Medieval History, Early Modern History, The French Revolution, the Nineteeth Century and Naval Warfare.

• Historical Documents & Treaties

  Via the University of Michigan provides the best comprehensive links to most Federal Document Related digitization projects.

• Presidential Libraries (NARA)

  Links you to all of the Presidential libraries.

Research Guides

• History

  Via the University of Michigan Handout Exchange