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Ancient History Encyclopedia wants to document all human history. Check here for anything you can think of!

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Database of Primary Source content on Ancient History Encyclopedia, page 1.

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New York Public Library Digital Collections

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New York Public Library Digital Collections

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Over 800,000 items digitized from The NYPL's collections featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.

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Explore 866,767 items digitized from The New York Public Library's collections.

This site is a living database with new materials added every day, featuring prints, photographs, maps, manuscripts, streaming video, and more.

Our collections include some content that may be harmful or difficult to view. Learn more

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Explore hundreds of thousands of digital items from The New York Public Library.

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Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) Primary Source Sets

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Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) Primary Source Sets

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Primary source collections exploring topics in history, literature, and culture developed by educators — complete with teaching guides for class use.

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The Digital Public Library of America brings together the riches of America's libraries, archives, and museums, and makes them freely available to the world.

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Inquiry Kits for social studies, history, and civics. This is the recommended source from National History Day (NHD).

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Home - Special Collections - Teaching with Primary Sources

Promote a deeper understanding of history, and explore government and civic life using Library of Congress primary sources. Engage students with primary sources to promote student inquiry and evidence-based reasoning, and apply critical thinking and analysis skills to historical materials.

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Home - Special Collections - Teaching with Primary Sources Promote a deeper understanding of history, and explore government and civic life using Library of Congress primary sources. Engage students with primary sources to promote student inquiry and evidence-based reasoning, and apply critical thinking and analysis skills to historical materials.

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A long list of collections covering many subjects that were previously the American Memory project.

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Free access to unique and historically important artifacts for research, teaching, and curious exploration. Discover over one million photographs, documents, letters, artwork, diaries, oral histories, films, advertisements, musical recordings, and more.

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Calisphere is your gateway to digital collections from California's great libraries, archives, and museums. Discover over 2,125,000 images, texts, and recordings. Watch an introductory video to learn more.

Explore University of California collections:

Featured statewide partners:

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Calisphere: The deeper you look, the more you discover.

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Calisphere is your gateway to digital collections from California's great libraries, archives, and museums. Discover over 2,125,000 images, texts, and recordings. Watch an introductory video to learn more. Featured statewide partners:

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Digital documents from Law, History, Economics, Politics, Diplomacy and Government.

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Avalon Project - Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy

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Maps bombs dropped during the London Blitz. Zoom in/out to see full area or street views.

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University of Portsmouth, in collaboration with the National Archives and funded by JISC.

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Explore the London Blitz through our website. Discover London during WW2 bombing raids, exploring maps, images and memories. The Bomb Sight web map and mobile app reveals WW2 bomb census maps between 7/10/1940 and 06/06/1941, previously available only by viewing them in the Reading Room of The National Archives.

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View objects in the physical museum collection throughout history.

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Please note: We are currently experiencing problems with the advanced search form. If searches do not complete, please use the standard version. We apologise for the inconvenience and are working to find a solution.

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For the full advanced search you need a javascript enabled browser

The Museum's collection online offers everyone unparalleled access to objects in the collection. This innovative database is one of the earliest and most extensive online museum search platforms in the world.

There are currently 2,335,338 records available, which represent more than 4,000,000 objects. 1,018,471 records have one or more images.
How to use this search
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About the collection online
More about this
Language in context

The collection database is an extraordinary historical record. It presents a history not just of objects, but of the way they have been documented and understood over centuries, and makes this available to the widest possible audience. We aim to ensure that all language used is clearly presented in its historical context. If you have concerns about the way any terms or phrases are used in the database, please bring this to our attention by emailing collectiondatabase@britishmuseum.org and this will be reviewed by the relevant department.

Terms of use of the collection online

Feedback

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Please note: We are currently experiencing problems with the advanced search form. If searches do not complete, please use the standard version. We apologise for the inconvenience and are working to find a solution. Searching... For the full advanced search you need a javascript enabled browser The Museum's collection online offers everyone unparalleled access to objects in the collection.

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Information on the history, people and society, government, economy, energy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for many world entities.

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Constitutions from around the world.

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Check out Constitute to read, search, and compare the world's constitutions!

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Explore records preserved by the National Archives educational division.

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Access thousands of primary sources - letters, photographs, speeches, posters, maps, videos, and other document types - spanning the course of American history. We're always adding more!

Borrow from an ever-expanding collection of document-based activities created by the National Archives, and teachers around the world. Copy and modify activities for your students.

Create your own activities using the online tools. It's as simple as: (1) selecting a tool, (2) choosing your primary sources, and (3) customizing instructions. Learn more >

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Access thousands of primary sources - letters, photographs, speeches, posters, maps, videos, and other document types - spanning the course of American history. We're always adding more! Borrow from an ever-expanding collection of document-based activities created by the National Archives, and teachers around the world. Copy and modify activities for your students.

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Explore collections from around the world.

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Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online.

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High-quality material in the subject areas of literature and language arts, foreign languages, art and culture, and history and social studies.

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Digital library of U.S. economic, financial, and banking history, particularly the history of the Federal Reserve System.

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FRASER | Discover Economic History | St. Louis Fed

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A digital library of U.S. economic, financial, and banking history, particularly the history of the Federal Reserve System, featuring publications, archival collections, and data.

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The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

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The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

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Direct access to primary source materials.

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Spring 2024 Registration Is Open

K-12 educators can earn their graduate degree in this affordable, online, accredited program. It's easy to apply and become an enrolled student.

Upcoming Spring Semester Dates

Applications End: Thursday, January 25, 2024

Courses Start: Thursday, February 8, 2024

Course Registration Ends: Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Begin the application process now to join us this spring!

Study with world-renowned scholars, connect with other teachers from across the United States, and reinvigorate your enthusiasm for teaching history! Whatever your budget and interests, the Gilder Lehrman Institute has a professional development opportunity for you next summer.

Online Options: 10 Teacher Seminars

In-person Options: 12 options in 7 locations across 5 states

Historical Holiday Resources

Explore the history of Thanksgiving, from its origins through its evolution into a recognized federal holiday with essays, videos, lesson plans, and more.

Warfare in Early America

Join Professor Timothy Shannon of Gettysburg College to explore the evolution of warfare in North America from the earliest contact between Native Americans and Europeans through the early nineteenth century.

Regular Price: $39.99

Affiliate Price: $29.99

Competition and Lottery Now Open

The Hamilton Education Program Online is a free program that helps students in grades 6-12 see the relevance of the founding era by using primary sources to create a performance piece following the model used by Lin-Manuel Miranda to create the musical Hamilton.

Students in the program will have the chance to submit their performance piece and be selected to see a performance of Hamilton in New York City.

Congratulations, Bruce Henderson

Bruce Henderson has been awarded the Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize for Bridge to the Sun: The Secret Role of the Japanese Americans Who Fought in the Pacific in World War II. An event celebrating the winner and the shortlisted authors will take place on Monday, December 4. Attend in person or via the livestream.

Issue No. 68: "The Role of Spain in the American Revolution" (Fall 2023)

Explore the often-neglected story of Spain's crucial role in the American Revolutionary War with six essays by historians and additional Gilder Lehrman resources.

Learn with the Gilder Lehrman Institute

MA in American History

Our master's degree program gives K-12 educators an affordable way to earn a graduate degree while working full time.

Self-Paced Courses

Explore American history from your own home, in your own time, and at your own pace! Educators can obtain professional development credit.

History U

These self-paced courses in American history are taught by the nation's top historians and are completely free for high school students.

Upcoming Events

NYC-area students and teachers: Join us at Trinity School for a special book talk on Frederick Douglass.

Join us to honor the winner of the 2022 Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize, Bruce Henderson.

Q&A session for prospective students to learn about the Gettysburg College-Gilder Lehrman master's degree program

Upcoming Deadlines

Affiliate Schools, libraries, and other sites can host this exhibition for free in January and February.

Enter your EduHam Online creative piece for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC to see a performance of Hamilton.

Publishers, agents, critics, and authors may submit or nominate books published in 2023.

Book Breaks

Every Sunday at 2:00 pm ET (11:00 am PT) on Zoom

Join us for our weekly interview series in which historians discuss their acclaimed books followed by a Q&A with the at-home audience. A Book Breaks subscription includes access to the weekly live programs and our ever-expanding archive, featuring 150+ episodes.

Book Breaks is completely free for all students, K-12 educators, and college professors. Others can purchase a one-year subscription for $25.

Log In Subscribe

Upcoming Episodes

Stacy Schiff

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

Theresa Runstedtler, American University

Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA

Mark Whitaker

Saying It Loud: 1966-The Year Black Power Challenged the Civil Rights Movement

Our Historical Documents

In 1991, Richard Gilder and Lewis Lehrman embarked on a mission to create one of the most important repositories of historical American documents in the country. Today, the Gilder Lehrman Collection contains 85,000+ items documenting the political, social, and economic history of the United States.

History Now

The Online Journal of the Gilder Lehrman Institute

History Now features essays by the nation's leading historians and provides the latest in American history scholarship for teachers, students, and general readers.

History Now is completely free for all K-12 students and teachers. Others can purchase a one-year subscription for $25.

Log In Subscribe

"Their Full Measure"

Veterans Legacy Program: Online Exhibition

Gilder Lehrman is proud to announce the launch of this new online exhibition introducing viewers to nineteen men and women who served during six conflicts in American history.

News

Our News

Stay up to date with all the work that we do to combat historical illiteracy and invigorate the study of the past.
See Our News

Newsletter

Catch up on the highlights from our work with students, teachers, researchers, and the general public.
Read Newsletter

Press Releases

See all official press releases for our important events, significant programs, and special initiatives.
View Press Releases

NYC-area students and teachers: Join us at Trinity School for a special book talk on Frederick Douglass.

Join us to honor the winner of the 2022 Gilder Lehrman Military History Prize, Bruce Henderson.

Q&A session for prospective students to learn about the Gettysburg College-Gilder Lehrman master's degree program

Affiliate Schools, libraries, and other sites can host this exhibition for free in January and February.

Enter your EduHam Online creative piece for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to NYC to see a performance of Hamilton.

Publishers, agents, critics, and authors may submit or nominate books published in 2023.

Stacy Schiff

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

Theresa Runstedtler, American University

Black Ball: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Spencer Haywood, and the Generation that Saved the Soul of the NBA

Mark Whitaker

Saying It Loud: 1966-The Year Black Power Challenged the Civil Rights Movement

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Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History |

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Search results from Digital Collections, Available Online

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Free significant primary materials from all countries and cultures.

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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. Additionally, all World Digital Library metadata in each of the seven languages is available as a downloadable dataset.

Launched in 2009, the World Digital Library was a project of the U.S. Library of Congress, with the support of UNESCO, and contributions from libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions, and international organizations around the world. The WDL sought to preserve and share some of the world's most important cultural objects, increasing access to cultural treasures and significant historical documents to enable discovery, scholarship, and use.

WDL partner institutions selected content in accordance with guidelines set by the WDL Content Selection Committee. They chose content for its cultural and historical importance, with due regard to recognition of the achievements of all countries and cultures over a wide range of time periods. The materials collected by the WDL include cultural treasures and significant historical documents including books, manuscripts, maps, newspapers, journals, prints, photographs, sound recordings, and films.

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington proposed the establishment of the WDL in a speech to the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO in June 2005. The basic idea was to create an Internet-based, easily-accessible collection of the world's cultural riches that would tell the stories and highlight the achievements of all countries and cultures, thereby promoting cross-cultural awareness and understanding. UNESCO welcomed the idea as a contribution toward fulfilling its strategic objectives, which include promoting knowledge societies, building capacity in developing countries, and promoting cultural diversity on the web. UNESCO Director-General Koichiro Matsuura designated UNESCO's Directorate for Communication and Information, then led by Dr. Abdul Waheed Khan, to work with the Library of Congress to develop the project.

In December 2006, UNESCO and the Library of Congress convened an Experts Meeting at UNESCO headquarters in Paris to discuss the project. Experts from all parts of the world identified a number of challenges that the project would need to overcome to be successful. They noted that little cultural content was being digitized in many countries, and that developing countries in particular lacked the capacity to digitize and display their cultural treasures. Existing websites often had poorly developed search and display functions. Multilingual access was not well developed.

The Experts Meeting led to the establishment of working groups to develop guidelines for the project, and to a decision by the Library of Congress, UNESCO, and five partner institutions - the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, the National Library of Brazil, the National Library and Archives of Egypt, the National Library of Russia, and the Russian State Library - to contribute content to a WDL prototype to be presented at the UNESCO General Conference in 2007. Input into the design of the prototype was solicited through a consultative process that involved UNESCO, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA), and individuals and institutions in more than forty countries. The successful unveiling of the prototype was followed by a decision by these institutions to develop a public, freely-accessible version of the WDL.

A team at the Library of Congress then developed the public, online version of the WDL, which was launched at UNESCO in April 2009. Twenty-six institutions contributed content to the launch version of the site. Launch partners included national libraries and cultural organizations in Brazil, China, Egypt, Mexico, Russia, France, Sweden, Uganda, the United States and other locations worldwide.

Following the launch, the WDL continued to add content to the site and to enlist new partners from all parts of the world. In April 2010, institutions and organizations contributing to the WDL adopted the WDL Charter, which established a permanent governance structure.

In 2020, the WDL Charter concluded. In 2021, after more than 10 years of operation, the Library transitioned WDL's world-wide collection of cross-cultural treasures into a sustainable home for perpetual access on the Library of Congress's main website. The original World Digital Library site is preserved by the Library of Congress Web Archive, which captures the look and feel of the site. Now available on the Library's main website, the collection is a rich and valuable resource showing the diversity of the world's cultures through the contributions of hundreds of organizations.

The Library of Congress has received multiple complaints of an individual claiming to be the director of the World Digital Library and soliciting freelance work for a $200 employment ID. Please be warned that the WDL's charter has ended and neither the Library of Congress nor the former World Digital Library has any connection with this scam.

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About this Collection | World Digital Library | Digital Collections | Library of Congress

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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.

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Stories and photos of women who transformed the United States.

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Explore our collection of virtual exhibits and learn about trailblazing women, past and present.

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Over 800,000 pages of original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965, ranging from Winston S. Churchill’s personal correspondence to his official exchanges with kings, presidents, politicians, and military leaders.

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A digital library of modern international history including more than 800,000 pages of original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965. Documents range from Churchill's personal correspondence to exchanges between the great leaders of the 19th and 20th centuries including Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

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Internet History Sourcebook by Fordham University

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Internet History Sourcebook by Fordham University

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A collection of public domain and copy-permitted historical texts presented cleanly (without advertising or excessive layout) for educational use. Primary sources are available here primarily for use in high-school and university/college courses.

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Archival materials, primary sources, interactives and standards-aligned lesson plans.

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Newseum ED is provided as a free educational resource and contains copyrighted material. Registration is required for full access. Signing up is simple and free.

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Personal records of experiences and photos of places people have visited using Google Earth.

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If you're having trouble accessing a Google product, there's a chance we're currently experiencing a temporary problem. You can check for outages and downtime on the G Suite Status Dashboard.

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If you're having trouble accessing a Google product, there's a chance we're currently experiencing a temporary problem. You can check for outages and downtime on the G Suite Status Dashboard.