Document-Based Questions

U. S. History, 1920 - 1970

The following are sources, both print and online, that comprise primary material.  Online links will lead you to sites (mostly government) where some searching will be necessary, so patience will be required.
 

Gereral Sources/Sites  |  Presidents  |  Laws and Legislation
The Courts  |  Statistics

General Sources/Sites

Annals of America (22 vols.) – Ref 973 ANN

Atlas of American History - REF 911.73 ADA
A chronological listing of maps that assist in interpreting our history through the location of places as they actually existed and exactly where they existed at a given time.

Railroad maps of North America : The first hundred years - (Oversized shelf) REF 912 RAI

Library of Congress (United States).- http://www.loc.gov
The gateway to America's history in print (via digitization).  See also:

http://memory.loc.gov/  - The LOC's American Memory site.  Contains full-text and digitized documents:  speeches, photos, Congressional papers (bills, laws, testimony), and much, much more.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) http://www.nara.gov/research/
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent federal agency whose mission is to preserve the national history of the United States by overseeing the management of all federal records. The Web site includes a comprehensive list of archival information maintained by various branches of the Federal government, as well as online exhibits, educational material, and information about programs and events.

Core Documents of US Democracy - http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/locators/coredocs/index.html
"To provide American citizens direct online access to the basic Federal Government documents that define our democratic society, a core group of  current and historical Government publications is being made available for  free, permanent, public access via the GPO Access service. These titles contain information which is vital to the democratic process and critical to an informed electorate. They support the public's right to know about the essential activities of their Government. Immediate, online access to authenticated versions of these Core Documents of Democracy increases in importance as Americans grow ever more dependent on remote electronic access to basic information resources -- both past and present. "
 

Presidents

POTUS - In this resource you will find background information, election results, cabinet members, notable events, and some points of interest on each of the presidents. Links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, and other presidential sites are also included to enrich this site.  http://www.ipl.org/ref/POTUS/index.html

Presidential Speeches - A resource for people interested in presidential rhetoric. Since presidential rhetoric is not a thing of the past, but a continuous process, the amount and extent of the documents contained here will be evolving along with the production of new messages by the chief executive.  http://www.tamu.edu/scom/pres/archive.html
 
 

Laws and Legislation

Legal Information Institute - Cornell Law School offers an excellent guide to primary law documents and secondary information sources on Internet. It was of the first extensive legal guides available and remains a leader in this category.  http://www.law.cornell.edu/
 
 
 

The Courts

Selected Historic Decisions of the U. S. Supreme Court -
This site contains about 300 of the most historic decisions.  http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/historic.htm

US Supreme Court Decisions (FindLaw)   Provides a searchable database of Supreme Court decisions going back to 1937.  http://www.findlaw.com/casecode/supreme.html

Supreme Court Decisions Issued between 1937 and 1975 via FLIGHT (Federal Legal Information Through Electronics) system - http://www.fedworld.gov/supcourt/
Contains 7,407 Decisions from volumes 300 through 422 of US Reports.  This system contains the full text of 7,407 U.S. Supreme Court Decisions from 1937 to 1975.  Search and view full text.
 
 

Statistics

Historical Statistics of the United States - Colonial Times to 1970. (2 vol.) - REF 317.3 UNI

Bureau of the Census (US Government) - http://www.census.gov/

US Government Federal Statistics - http://www.fedstats.gov/

U.S. Patent & Trademark Office - The US Patent Office web site has some great resources for teachers as well as students.  The Calendar of Trivia link takes students to a monthly calendar that lists the inventions patented on that date.
http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/ahrpa/opa/kids/kidbright.html
 
 

WHS Library home page.