Research Guides: POL 269-A: The 1960s: Home

US Statistical Sources

US Census Bureau

Statistical Abstract of the United States This link opens in a new window
Authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic conditions of the United States. Coverage: 1878-
Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
Contains historical data from American History. Demographics, social characteristics, crime, education, health and more are all cross-searchable. Coverage: Colonial period-present
Voting and Elections This link opens in a new window
Contains in-depth data about U.S. Presidential, Congressional, and Gubernatorial campaigns and elections, historical and modern. Data export tools allow for customized data downloads for statistical analysis. Also includes information about voter demographics and political parties. Coverage: 1789-2012

Getting Started with Background Sources

Multi-Book Background Databases

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Search across hundreds of subject encyclopedias and other reference works. A great place to find background information on almost any research topic. Includes a topic finder for help with narrowing or broadening your research topic. Coverage: varies
Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
Search across hundreds of subject encyclopedias and other referece works. A great place to find background information on almost any research topic. Includes subject trees, pro/con resources, links to scholarly articles and more.

Before getting started with research, it is a good idea to start with some background and context to the issues you are investigating. The sources below will help you get to that information quickly.

American Decades (1960s)
This is a great overview encyclopedia of the entire decade of the 1960s.

CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Contains reports and analysis on issues in the news including health, social trends and issues, criminal justice, education, the environment, technology, and the economy. Great resource for background information on current news, hot topics, and social issues. Coverage back to 1923. Coverage: 1991-
CQ Press Library This link opens in a new window
Search across CQ Press content including: Congress Collection, CQ Almanac, CQ Magazine, Encyclopedia of American Government, Politics in America, Public Affairs Collection, Supreme Court Collection, Voting and Elections Collection, Political Handbook of the World, and Supreme Court Compendium. Coverage: 1983-

Scholarly Journal Articles

These databases (listed in the order of likelihood they will be useful to you) will get you to news and scholarly journal articles on American government, public policy, and history. Be sure to include 'United States' as a search term as many of them are international in scope.

ProQuest Political Science Database This link opens in a new window
Contains hundreds of leading political science and international relations journals, full-text doctoral dissertations, working papers, conference proceedings, country profiles, political news and other sources. This link cross searches ProQuest Political Science Database, PAIS Index, and Worldwide Political Science Abstracts. Coverage: 1985-
America: History and Life This link opens in a new window
Search for articles about the history and culure of the United States and Canada. Publications include peer-reviewed journals, magazines, dissertations, books, and more. Access is limited to six simultaneous users. Note: For world history topics, use the Historical Abstracts database. Coverage: 1964-

Primary Sources in Current American Politics

Congressional Sources

ProQuest Congressional This link opens in a new window
All things Congress- full text of: federal bills and laws (1776-present); voting records (1987-present); U.S. Serial Set and American State Papers (1817-present); published and unpublished Congressional hearings from (1824 to present); Congressional Record (1873-present) and its predecessor publications (1789-1873); Congressional Research Service reports (1916-present). Coverage: 1789-present
Legislative Insight This link opens in a new window
Legislative histories, including complete text of enacted laws and the full text of associated congressional documents (Congressional Record excerpts, committee hearings, etc.). Coverage: 1929-2012
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Provides hundreds of millions of pages of law and law-adjacent periodicals, essential government documents (federal, state, and international), international resources, case law, and more. Coverage: 1776-

Executive Branch Sources

ProQuest Executive Branch Documents 1789-1952 This link opens in a new window
Contains documents produced by US executive branch departments, agencies, and commissions from 1789 - 1952. Coverage: 1789-1952

American Presidency Project
Full text of a wide variety of presidential documents including speeches, letters, radio addresses, press releases and more.
FBI Records: The Vault
Contains declassified FBI records of surveillance activities. Includes records relating to labor and civil rights organizations, organized crime, and other groups and individuals the FBI has monitored over time.
A-Z Index of US Federal Departments and Agencies
Often the best place to get primary source material from the US Government Agencies is from their web sites.

Judicial Sources

U.S. Supreme Court Library (HeinOnline) This link opens in a new window
Contains comprehensive coverage of the U.S. Reports, an indexed compilation of the official full text of all decisions of the Supreme Court and the official record of its rulings, orders, case tables, and other proceedings. Also includes books, periodicals, CRS reports, rules of the Court, and court history.