HIST 2561 - Urban America - A Guide to American History - Research Guides at Washington University in St. Louis

U.S. Urban Regions

map and list from:

Dunn, Edgar Streeter, The Development of the U.S. Urban System (Washington, DC: Resources for the Future, 1980-1983).

Reference Works

Encyclopedia of Urban America: The cities and suburbs (1998) - two volumes with bibliographical references

Encyclopedia of Urban America - List of Entries

Encyclopedia of American Urban History (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2007) - eBook

Important Subject Subheadings for Urban America

Subheadings for finding primary source material

Biographies

Correspondence

Sources - indicates a print anthology of primary sources; ex: The Young Lords: A reader

Maps

Periodicals - databases like MAS Ultra

Newspapers

Diaries - typically preceded by the author's name

Personal narratives

Interviews

Pictorial Works

Directories - such as City and Business Directories (Archives Unbound) for 10, mostly Southern states between 1752-1929 or fold3 History and Genealogy Archives (fold3 is through St. Louis Public Library; you can make a card here)

Music

Fiction

Primary Subject Headings

General and Geographic

Cities and towns -- United States – History – 1Xth century

-- [state] -- [city]

City and town life " "

Cities and towns -- " -- Maps

[city] -- [state] --

Metropolitan areas

Inner cities

Social movements

Child welfare

Child welfare workers

Community power

Community development, Urban

Historic preservation

Progressivism (United States politics)

Social reformers

Social workers

Urban renewal

Women social reformers

Women social workers

Women in the professions

Government

City planning

City planning and redevelopment law

Environmental policy

Law enforcement

Municipal government

Municipal services

Housing policy

Public housing

Refuse and refuse disposal

Urban policy

Economy

Enterprise zones

Export processing zones

Free ports and zones

Industrial promotion

Industrial sites

Economic development

People

[ethnic] Americans

Indians of North America

Men -- United States
Men, White

Men, Black or African American men
Middle class men
Older men
Working class men
Young men

Minorities

Poor

Skilled labor

Women

Working class

Rich people

Upper class

Elites

Architecture and Infrastructure

Central business districts

Historic districts

Neighborhoods

Landscape architecture

Parks

Public spaces

Slums

Urban landscape architecture

Urban parks

Social Statistics

Labor supply

Unemployment

Job creation

Income

Housing

Cost and standard of living

Mass culture and mass human movement

Emigration and immigration

Migration, Internal

Rural-urban migration

Amusements

Gentrification

Community gardens

Urbanization

Social Action

Social Movements

Sports

Violence

Riots

Proprietary Primary Source Databases

Crime, Punishment, and Popular Culture (1790-1920) contains over 2 million pages from manuscripts, books, broadsheets, and periodicals, reflecting the widespread impact of the changes in crime and its policing during the long nineteenth century. The archive unites a number of geographic areas and disciplines, from law, criminology, and history to studies of popular culture and fiction.

County and Regional Histories and Atlases statistics, military service records, municipal and county officers, chronologies, portraits of individuals and views of urban and rural life for California, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania

Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975 Rock and Roll, Counterculture, Peace and Protest" manuscripts and typescripts, newspapers, magazines, press kits, artist’s files, photographs, advertisements, memorabilia, and more from prominent library collections in the U.S. and UK. Key features include original video footage on key events and topics, and a multi-faceted chronology of the period with embedded articles and images.

Ancestry - genealogical and historical research sources. Contains more than 1.5 billion names in over 4,000 databases, including records from the United States Census from 1790 - 1940; immigration records; military records; court, land and probate records; vital and church records; directories; passenger lists

USA Counties features over 6,300 data items for the United States, States and counties from a variety of sources. Files include data published for 2010 population as well as many other items from the 2010 Census of Population and Housing , the 1990 census, the 1980 census and the 2007, 2002, 1997, and 1992 economic censuses. Information in USA Counties is derived from the following general topics: accommodation and food services, age, agriculture, ancestry, banking, building permits, county business patterns, civilian labor force, crime, earnings, education, elections, employment, government, health, Hispanic or Latino households, housing, income, manufactures, nonemployer statistics, population, poverty, race and Hispanic origin, retail trade, social programs, survey of business owners, taxes, veterans, vital statistics, water use, and wholesale trade.

Archives of Sexuality and Gender, Parts I and II: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940 presents important aspects of LGBTQ life in the second half of 20th Century and beyond from more than 35 countries. Features historical records of political and social organizations, publications by and for lesbians and gays, extensive coverage of governmental responses to the AIDS crisis, personal correspondence and interviews with numerous LGBTQ individuals.

Everyday Life and Women in America, c.1800-1920 - Sources are drawn from the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture, Duke University and the New York Public Library. Contains monographs, pamphlets, periodicals and broadsides addressing political, social and gender issues, religion, race, education, employment, marriage, sexuality, home and family life, health, and pastimes.

Newspapers and Popular Periodicals

American Periodicals: Newspapers & Magazines

Chronicling America - over 1000 full-text U.S. newspaper titles from 46 states & Puerto Rico (as of 8/30/18)

National Newspapers & Magazines

American Periodicals (1740 - 1940)
Full-text periodicals published between 1740 and 1940, including special interest and general magazines, literary and professional journals, children's and women's magazines and many other historically-significant periodicals
Historical American Newspapers (ProQuest)
includes the Atlanta Constitution, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Hartford Courant, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post
Nineteenth Century U. S. Newspapers (1800 - 1900)
Digital facsimile images of both full pages and clipped articles for hundreds of 19th century U.S. newspapers. For each issue, the newspaper is captured from cover-to-cover, providing access to every article, advertisement and illustration.
New York Times, Historical (1851 - 3 year ago)
Full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue.
Washington Post (1877-1993)
Full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue.
Wall Street Journal, Historical (1889-1991)
Full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue.
Harper's Magazine Archives (1850-2016)
The oldest general-interest monthly in America, Harper’s Magazine explores the issues that drive our national conversation, through long-form narrative journalism, fiction, essays, and such celebrated features as the iconic Harper’s Index. Provides readers with a unique perspective on politics, society, the environment, and culture.
Harper's Weekly: The Civil War Era, Reconstruction, and the Gilded Age (1857 - 1912)
Full text and full-page images, which contain numerous illustrations and maps. Indexed by subject, illustrations, literature & publishing, advertising, occupation, and literary genre.
New York Review of Books (1963 - )
A semi-monthly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. It features not only book reviews and discussions of literature but critical essays on politics and culture.
Newspapers.com - (available through St. Louis Public Library; make a card here)

Regional Papers

The subject headings of most U.S. newspapers take the form of "City (state abbreviation) -- newspapers" such as Saint Louis (Mo.) -- Newspapers. However, that's not always the case. For example, the St. Louis Argus was solely categorized in the past as African Americans -- Missouri -- Newspapers (this has since changed) and has two catalog records: one for microform and one for the digitized version, the latter of which does not appear under that subject heading.

Chicago Tribune, Historical (1849-1992)
Full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue.
Hartford Courant (1764-1987)
America’s longest continuously published newspaper, The Hartford Courant is literally older than the nation. It provides historians and other researchers a front-row seat from which to view the birth of an independent nation.
Saint Louis Post-Dispatch (1874 - 2003)
Contains full text of the newspaper St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 1874-2003 including its title variants.
San Francisco Chronicle (1865 - 1922)
Full-text coverage of such events as the completion of the transcontinental railroad, the Klondike gold rush, the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906, America’s entry into World War I, and more.

African American Newspapers

African American Newspapers (ProQuest)
Includes Atlanta Daily World (1931-2003), Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988), Chicago Defender (1909-1975), Cleveland Call & Post (1934-1991), Los Angeles Sentinel (1934-2005), New York Amsterdam News (1922-1993), Norfolk Journal & Guide (1916-2003), Philadelphia Tribune (1912-2001), and Pittsburgh Courier (1911-2002).
Chicago Defender, Historical (1910-1975)
Historical newspaper provides genealogists, researchers and scholars with first-hand accounts and coverage of Chicago's politics, society and events of the time.
Cleveland Call and Post, Historical (1934-1991)
The Cleveland Call and Post was founded by Garrett Morgan, inventor of the gas mask and traffic light. Contributors included noted journalists Charles H. Loeb and John Fuster. The newspaper is well known for its support of the Scottsboro trial defendants with letters, clothing, stamps, and donations to the defense fund.
New York Amsterdam News, Historical (1922-1993)
The New York Amsterdam News, leading Black newspaper of the 20th century, reached its peak in the 1940s. The Amsterdam News was a strong advocate for the desegregation of the U.S. military during World War II, and also covered the historically important Harlem Renaissance.
Norfolk Journal and Guide, Historical (1921-2003)
The Norfolk Journal and Guide was the only black newspaper to provide on-the-scene, day-to-day coverage of the Scottsboro trial, and was one of the best researched and well written black newspapers of its time.
Philadelphia Tribune, Historical (1912-2001)
The Philadelphia Tribune, the oldest continuously published black newspaper, is dedicated to the needs and concerns of the fourth largest black community in the U.S. During the 1930s the paper supported the growth of the United Way, rallied against the riots in Chester, PA, and continuously fought against segregation.
Pittsburgh Courier, Historical (1911-2002)
The Pittsburgh Courier was one of the most nationally circulated Black newspapers, the Courier reached its peak in the 1930s. A conservative voice in the African-American community, the Courier challenged the misrepresentation of African-Americans in the national media and advocated social reforms to advance the cause of civil rights.

Other Ethnic, Denominational, and Amateur Newspapers

Amateur Newspapers from the American Antiquarian Society (Archives Unbound)
An amateur journal is a periodical created to afford pleasure to its readers as well as to its editor and its publisher. The rage to publish, rather than profit, is the motive that most often induces people to become amateur journalists; and, throughout the history of the genre, most but not all amateur journalists have been juveniles. The Amateur Newspaper collection at the American Antiquarian Society consists of about 50,000 issues.
American Religion: Denominational Newspapers
Historical newspapers covering religious news, and the role religion played in American life and society. Supports research of early American history, religious history, ethnic studies, abolitionism, Civil War, and gender studies. Contains more than 320 rare newspapers from over 30 states published between 1799 and 1900.
Ethnic NewsWatch
a current resource of full-text newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press, providing researchers access to essential, often overlooked perspectives, including historical coverage of Native American, African American, and Hispanic American periodicals from 1959-1989.
The First Nations Periodical Index
contains journals of mainly Canadian Native content. This Index is a tool providing access to information about First Nations for students (high school or university), educators, instructors and researchers.
Jewish Exponent (1887-1990)
Covers news of developments in Israel, efforts to rescue Jews the world over from repressive regimes, and the ever-expanding role of Jews in American public life. Honored by the American Jewish Press Association for excellence in Jewish journalism for its news, features, reviews and commentary.
Jewish News Archive & Global Jewish News Source
This is the digital archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), containing all articles published from 1923 onward.

Government Documents

See Tove Klovning's (WUSTL Law School's Foreign, Comparative & International Law Librarian) Government Information Research Guide

for the federal government, see

De-Classified Documents Reference System (DDRS) Selected previously classified government documents ranging from the years immediately following World War II, when declassified documents were first made widely available, through the 1970s. Search by name, date, word, or phrase, or focus on document type, issue date, source institution, classification level, date declassified, sanitization, completeness, number of pages, and document number. Nearly every major foreign and domestic event of these years is covered: the Cold War, Vietnam, foreign policy shifts, the civil rights movement, and others.

WUSTL Special Collections

Harland Bartholomew and Associates (HBA) Collection - Harland Bartholomew was born in Stoneham, MA in 1889 and died in St. Louis in December 1989. He came to St. Louis in 1916 at the invitation of the Civic League of St. Louis, with the charge of creating a comprehensive plan for the city of St. Louis. In 1919 he was appointed City Planning Commissioner, the first full-time planner employed by an American city. He served in that capacity until 1950. In 1919, he established Harland Bartholomew and Associates and served as its chairman until his retirement in 1962. Harland Bartholomew and Associates designed city plans for several hundred cities across the United States. Many of these plans are represented in the collection.

The Round Table Records 1882-1938 - A club known as the Round Table was established in 1882 to enable members to establish united relations on matters pertaining to the prosperity of the City of St. Louis. This civic organization was not directly connected with Washington University; however, civic and business leaders in St. Louis, such as Edward Mallinckrodt, were both University supporters and club members.

State Libraries and Archives - Digital Collections

Every state in the U.S.A. has a state archive and library. The initial purpose of these institutions was the preservation of government documents and secondarily to serve as libraries for the storage of materials lawmakers and government employees would need (land surveys, maps, reports, etc.). As time passed, they also became collected newspapers, handbills, pamphlets, realia ("three-dimensional objects from real life, whether man-made (artifacts, tools, utensils, etc.) or naturally occurring (specimens, samples, etc.," Reitz, 2020)) to preserve the state's history. The easiest way to find them is to enter "[state name] library and archive." You will often encounter state university libraries at the top of your search results but, if you keep scrolling, you should find what you're looking for. Once you've found the state archive and library you're looking for, search the site for "Digital Collections."