Gale in Context: U.S. History is organized by topic and easy to use to find both primary and secondary sources. Though you have the option to search the database, the easiest way to get to what you need is to click on the Browse Topics link on the right side of the database's main page.
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You will then see a list of topic links. Click on the one that is the closest to what you want to be taken to a page with relevant documents organized by format.
NewsBank - America's Historical Newspapers (1690-2000) is a good source for primary sources. You can either use the search box or navigate through the historical timeline option to find newspaper articles grouped by topic. The historical timeline is a good option for general source gathering.
1. Select an era
2. Use the timeline to navigate to a relevant topic.
You will be taken to a topic page of articles.
JSTOR contains a variety of subjects, but it is an excellent source for history information. It contains in-depth secondary sources not found in other databases. You will need to structure a topic search in the main search box.
ProQuest is a large database with some history journal articles and books. It is a good general resource for secondary sources. You will need to search by topic in the main search box.
Every database has its strong points. Depending on what you are researching, you may also want to search one of the databases below.
There are many good primary source archives online hosted by government agencies, museums, universities, and other organizations. A small selection of useful sites is below.