Historical Government Publications

Painting, Native Americas on horseback in battle.

'The collection of outlying Indians in these mountains... will be easily affected': Highlights from American Indian Wars

Now available from Readex: American Indian Wars, 1830-1898 American Indian Wars is an essential resource for both Native American history and American social history. It contains the records of the U...

Black-and-white illustration of armed colonial militia confronting British soldiers on a village green, with men firing muskets amid smoke and fallen bodies in the foreground, while organized troops advance near large colonial buildings, barns, and a church steeple in the background—depicting an early Revolutionary War skirmish.

"Huzzah!" The Semiquincentennial of American Independence is Upon Us

In June 1776, Thomas Jefferson, sequestered in a Philadelphia boarding house, drafted the Declaration of Independence as an "expression of the American mind." Just weeks later, on July 2, Congress...

The Smithsonian Institution Building, known as the “Castle,” made of red sandstone in Romanesque Revival style, stands under a partly cloudy sky. A bronze statue of a man in formal 19th-century attire stands prominently in the foreground before the arched entrance, surrounded by greenery and trees.

"...the chief exponent of the scientific thought of the people of the United States...": How to Research the History of the Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution and its twenty museums and galleries have been in the news recently. There is controversy. If you would like to know more, we encourage you to do your own research and urge...

An 18th-century prison scene depicting British soldiers guarding sick and emaciated prisoners inside a dark, crowded cell aboard a ship. The central figure, a red-coated guard with a musket, stands among suffering inmates—some lying on straw, others slumped or comforting one another. Light filters dimly through barred windows, highlighting the harsh and unsanitary conditions. The illustration conveys despair, illness, and confinement during wartime imprisonment.

"Rebels! Turn out your Dead!": The Prison Ship Martyrs of the American Revolution

The modern rush of life in Brooklyn's historic Wallabout neighborhood is a stark contrast to the brutal history beneath the pavement. Just a stone's throw away is Wallabout Bay where, in the winter of...

Historic black-and-white photograph showing four uniformed soldiers standing near the entrance of Fort Garland, Colorado with weathered adobe walls. A small wooden guardhouse stands to the right, and a tall flagpole rises in the center of the courtyard with a pulley or signal device suspended near the top. Trees and low buildings are visible in the background, framed by distant hills or mountains. From the Library of Congress

"As to this, I really cannot attempt to explain what I consider a good joke": One Soldier's Misadventure in Comedy on the American Frontier

In American Indian Wars, 1830-1898, a Readex collection detailing decades of interactions between the U.S. Army, white settlers, and the Indigenous peoples who occupied what would become the Western...

Black-and-white engraving of a large-scale battlefield scene showing soldiers in formation, officers on horseback, and cannons being prepared in the foreground. Dense ranks of infantry are seen advancing toward a hill under a smoky sky, with smoke and chaos at the Battle of Bunker Hill. The dramatic sky and dynamic composition convey the intensity and scale of the historical battle. From: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Print Collection, The New York Public Library.

"...devoted to his country when her soil was everywhere pressed by the foot of her enemy and peril environed her on every side...": How Revolutionary War Veterans and Heirs Petitioned Congress for Pensions

On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress established the Continental Army, which was led by George Washington throughout the Revolution. In October, they established the Continental Navy, and...

Black and white photograph of a group of suffragettes and supporters gathered at Union Square, New York, dated February 16, 1908. The central women are smiling and dressed in winter coats and elaborate hats, holding flowers and pamphlets, surrounded by a crowd of men in bowler hats. The image has a handwritten caption at the bottom: "Suffragettes at Union Sq. 2/16/08."

"Moving Forward Together!": Amplifying Women's History and Experiences

Moving Forward Together! Women Educating & Inspiring Generations -National Women’s History Alliance 2025 Women’s History Month theme Researchers will uncover diverse voices to build historical...

An engraved illustration of The Custom House in New York, which was in use from 1799 to 1815. The neoclassical building features a grand portico with columns and a triangular pediment, surrounded by a fenced courtyard. In the foreground, a lively street scene depicts men and women in period attire engaging in conversation, a horse-drawn cart, and individuals carrying goods. The engraving is credited to W.M. Aikman and Wm. Rollinson, and it was published for the Society of Iconophiles in 1906.

"Tinkering the Tariff": Uncovering Tariff Debates in Historical Newspapers, Imprints, and Government Documents

Tariff: "a tax or duty to be paid on a particular class of imports or exports" per Oxford Languages. It seems simple on the surface. It has never been. A simple search using Readex AllSearch and...

An antique illustration depicts three Chukchi people in a landscape near Plover Bay. One individual is wearing traditional hoop armor made of overlapping plates, covering their torso and head. They hold a bow and have a stoic expression. Another person, dressed in warm fur clothing, holds a spear, while a child reaches out toward them. The background consists of rolling hills and an open expanse. The caption below reads, "Chukchis wearing Hoop Armor, Plover Bay.

Martial Arts: Indigenous Use of Shields and Body Armor in 18th-20th Century North and Central America

Nearly two hundred years before Neo, the hero of the Matrix films, extended his consciousness to render bullets harmless in his ostensive reality, Comanche chief and medicine man Po-bish-e-quash-o...

"The Logic of Survival is the Logic of Slaves": China Squares Off Ideologically Against the Soviet Union and Literally Against India Over Himalayan Border Claims in 1962

It's October 1962. Two large countries are fighting over a very small part of the world. The Cuban Missile Crisis comes immediately to mind but there was a simultaneous clash over 8,000 miles away at...

Map of Hispaniola 1534. From: U.S. Serial Set Maps I, S.Exec.Doc. 38

"White Hell in Black Haiti": An Excursion to Haiti Wherein the Question is Asked, "What Happened?"

Ah, the Caribbean! Turquoise water, miles of sandy beaches, tropical climate. Island paradises mostly, large and small. The Bahamas. Jamaica. Also, Cuba, but that's another story. Vibrant, ancient...

Opening ballot boxes (LOC). Bain News Service, publisher. [between ca. 1915 and ca. 1920]. https://flic.kr/p/ANNMmc

The Electoral College: How One Senator from Indiana Almost Brought It Down

Much like Black Friday and spray cheese, the electoral college is a uniquely American invention. Surprisingly, though, unlike Americans' undying love of discount TVs and processed cheese product, the...

BBC Monitoring, Readex Text Explorer, word cloud analysis of the search terms space exploration and USSR

From Reading to Exploring: The Future of Textual Analysis with Readex Text Explorer

This article, originally published May 13, 2020, has been updated. For many years, faculty and students have been asking Readex to “bring history to life” in new ways. “You have tremendous products,”...

“…According to the laws of God and the rules of the Indian department”: The Role of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and “Civilizing” Native Americans

This is the sixth in a series of blog articles highlighting primary source content from the Readex Native American Tribal Histories collection. The articles in this series offer further insight and...

Cesare Dell’Acqua, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

“Our rulers bide their time…”: The Monroe Doctrine and the Mexican Empire

December 23, 2023, marked the 200th anniversary of the Monroe Doctrine. The doctrine has ebbed and flowed in the American public’s awareness throughout two centuries, often dormant, but resurgent when...

Nez Perce Chief Lawyer, ca. 1861. 1861, University of Washington Libraries. Special Collections Division.

“Like all other people, forbearance with them will cease to be a virtue…”: The Nez Perce Treaty of 1863

This is the fifth in a series of blog articles highlighting primary source content from the Readex Native American Tribal Histories collection. The articles in this series offer further insight and...

“We hope that henceforth we will be able to obtain our rights”: Native Political Pressure in the Nineteenth Century

This is the fourth in a series of blog articles highlighting primary source content from the Readex Native American Tribal Histories collection. The articles in this series offer further insight and...

“For the Great Father is angry, and will certainly hunt them down…”: Native American Wars Against United States Expansion

This is the third in a series of blog articles highlighting primary source content from the Readex Native American Tribal Histories collection. The articles in this series offer further insight and...

image of the U.S. Constitution, "We the People"

“The Exponent of Rebellion”: Examining the 14th Amendment, Section 3 across the U.S. Congressional Serial Set

Just over 155 years ago, on July 9, 1868, the second of the three Reconstruction Amendments was adopted. The 14th Amendment to the Constitution speaks to citizenship, legislative apportionment, and...

The Art of Listening: BBC Monitoring and the Historical Significance of the Transatlantic Open Source Intelligence Relationship [VIDEO]

...the ability of monitoring to map history through the media: in different contexts – e.g. diplomatic, conflict and war, everyday activities, entertainment and arts – as well as at different...

Nineteenth Century Treaties with Native American Nations: Highlights from Native American Tribal Histories

This is the second in a series of blog articles highlighting primary source content from the Readex Native American Tribal Histories collection. The articles in this series offer further insight and...

"Well, while England may not be on its last legs, Germany looks more attractive right now.”: Intercepted Radio Messages by BBC Monitoring

Earlier this year, Readex announced the launch of the newly-digitized BBC Monitoring: Summary of World Broadcasts collection. Below is a look into intercepted communications during the last week of...

Native Removal Prior to the Indian Removal Act of 1830: Highlights from Native American Tribal Histories

This is the first in a series of blog articles highlighting primary source content from the Readex Native American Tribal Histories collection. The articles in this series offer further insight and...

Celebrating Women's History Month: Perspectives from Historical Primary Sources

Celebrate Women’s History Month with a look back through the Readex blog archive featuring articles from Readex digitized primary source collections. Read on to discover and celebrate the...

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