U.S. History Research Guide

This guide provides an introduction to some of the resources in the field of United States history.  Below you will find a list of print, online, and internet resources with descriptions as to the type of information each contains.  Please contact the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor of Mitchell Memorial Library,  (662) 325-7667, or Email a Librarian for further assistance with any of these resources or with any questions.

Benjamin, Jules R. A Student's Guide to History. 

http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/history/benjamin/index.htm

This online version of Benjamin's A Student Guide to History provides an introduction to the various aspects of writing a history research paper.

How and Where to Find History Book Reviews (PDF File)

http://library.msstate.edu/resources/guides/bookreview.pdf

This guide covers how to use America: History and Life, Book Review Index, and Book Review Digest to find scholarly book reviews covering American history.

Real, Patrick. Reading, Writing, and Researching for History. 

http://academic.bowdoin.edu/WritingGuides/

Created by the Bowdoin College History Department, this is a valuable site for the novice and experienced history student. Included on the website are guides for writing book reviews, essays, take home tests, and, of course, research papers.

 

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations.  Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. 

Ref LB 2369 .T8 1996 (Located behind the Reference Desk in the Ready Reference Collection.)

This writing manual is considered the authority for those working in the history discipline.

Cayton, Mary Kupiec, and Peter W. Williams, eds.  Encyclopedia of American Culture and Intellectual History.   New York: Scribner, 2001.
Ref E169.1 .E624 2001

Arranged chronologically and topically, this encyclopedia details events, ideas, and institutions that helped create the modern American cultural and intellectual identity.

Cayton, Mary Kupiec, Elliot J. Gorn, and Peter W. Williams, eds.  Encyclopedia of American Social History.   New York: Scribner, 1993.
Ref HN57 .E58 1993

Social history, now a popular area of historical study, is chronicled in brief topical essays in this three volume set.

Cooke, Jacob Ernest, ed.  Encyclopedia of the North American Colonies.   New York: Scribner, 1993.
Ref E45 .E53 1993

Issues covering the colonial experience in North America are covered in this work.  The three volume work is arranged mostly by topic and not geographically.

Finkelman, Paul, ed.  Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century.   New York: Scribner, 2001.
Ref E169.1 .E626 2001

Included in this three volume set are the events, people, and issues that impacted an important century in the history of the United States.

Heidler, David S. and Jeanne T. Heidler, eds.  Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History.   Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2000.
Ref E468 .E53 2000

Unlike many of the reference books covering the Civil War, this book goes beyond the traditional topics of politics and military, including such topics as women and slaves.  The maps of civil war battles are of particular interest as they are easy to read and understand.

Jentleson, Bruce W. and Thomas G. Paterson, eds.  Encyclopedia of United States Foreign Relations.   New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Ref E183.7 .E53 1997

While many of the encyclopedias focus on activities within the boarders of the United States, this work focuses on any issue that involved other nations.

Kutler, Stanley I.  Dictionary of American History.   New York: Thompson Learning, 2003.
Ref E174 .D52 2003

This ten volume set has very brief entries of important events and concepts in American history.  While the entries are not long, they are long enough to understand an historical event, person, or idea.

 

Kutler, Stanley I., ed.,  Encyclopedia of the United States in the Twentieth Century.   New York: Scribner, 1996.
Ref E470.7 .E53 1996

Like the Encyclopedia of the United States in the Nineteenth Century, this volume includes the people, places, and issues that shaped our most recently concluded century.

Morris, Richard B. and Jeffrey B. Morris, eds.  Encyclopedia of American History.   New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996.
Ref E174.5 .E52 1996

This brief one volume has a deceptive title.  The entries are brief and more like a dictionary.  There is also a chronological list of important American events.

Pendergast, Tom and Sara Pendergast, eds.,  St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture.   Detroit: St. James Press, 2000.
Ref E169.1 .S764 2000

The topics covered in this multi-volume work are more modern and far more social topics than the other encyclopedias. Among the entries are topics such as the hamburger, tanning, and Elvis.

 

America: History & Life
Available electronically.
** For remote access, you must be affiliated with Mississippi State University.** 

America: History & Life is the core database for American history.  This database covers all historical topics for the United States and Canada.  In addition to indexing scholarly articles, it includes book reviews, dissertations, and media reviews published after 1964.

Poole's Index to Periodical Literature.   Boston: J.R. Osgood & Company.
Ref AI 3 .P7 1882

Poole's indexes materials from 1802 to 1906.  It is an excellent index for locating primary source material.

Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature.   New York: H. W. Wilson Company.
Ref AI 3 .R47

Before there were computers, there was Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature.  The Readers' Guide indexes popular magazines from 1890 to the present.  In addition there are a number of scholarly journals includes as well.  Overall this source can be used to find both primary and secondary sources. 

WorldCat
Available electronically.
** For remote access, you must be affiliated with Mississippi State University.** 

WorldCat is an excellent database to locate books and other materials not included in the Mississippi State University Libraries collection.  In addition to books the database also includes archival collections.

Writings on American History.   Millwood, NY: KTO Press, 1902-1978.
Ref Z1236 .L331

This print index served as the pre-curser to America: History and Life.  It indexes selective historical journals covering American history.