To find primary sources in library catalogs, the following search terms - coupled with your subject terms - are among the most useful:
Major Library Catalogs
Some Other Sources of Books
Productive searches in catalogs and article databases requires the use of good search terms. Here are some recommended strategies for the major topics in this course:
The Underground Railroad
Marla Miller, Betsy Ross & the Making of America (Women and the Making of America)
It is often useful to combine subject, aspect, and/or time period in a search. For example:
SUBJECTS:
ASPECTS
TIME PERIOD
John Ferling, Whirlwind: The American Revolution & the War That Won It (American Revolution and Revolutionary War)
A useful search term that covers most books about the American Revolution is:
To this you can add specific geographies (e.g., United States, Great Britain, New Jersey, etc.), individuals or groups (e.g., Indians of North America, Charles Cornwallis, George Washington, etc.), specific events (Bunker Hill, Battle of, Boston, Mass., 1775; Yorktown (Va.) Siege, 1781, etc.), or specific topics (e.g., Naval operations, Campaigns, Military leadership, Medicine, etc.)
A History of Stepfamilies in Early America (Family History in Early America)
A useful search term that covers many books about family history in the United States is:
To this you can add specific members or roles (e.g., children, women, sons, daughters, etc.), topics (marriage, family relationships, family violence, social conditions, etc.), and specific time periods or geographies.
The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia, 1772-1832 (Slavery in Early America)
Final Passages: The Intercolonial Slave Trade of British America, 1619-1807 (The Slave Trade)