Digital Resources

Digitized and born-digital materials detailing the participation by various cultural, ethnic and racial minority groups in the Revolutionary War are represented here. The newspaper databases present the news of the war as reported. These sources give snapshots of the day to day lives and experiences of those serving in the military and in support of it. They provided those at home with battle news and gave the resulting casualty lists. Articles on the vital work of hospitals caring for the wounded and sick, and on the civilians working in industries, in farming, and those working in government at all levels can be found in the databases and links below.

Freely Accessible Digital Sources
Subscription Databases

The resources below are all available from the Library of Congress website and include primary sources materials from our digital collections, research guides on related topics, and special presentations. Also included are freely available external websites.

Digital Collections

American Notes: Travels in America, 1750 to 1920
This collection comprises 253 published narratives by Americans and foreign visitors recounting their travels in the colonies and the United States and their observations and opinions about American peoples, places, and society from about 1750 to 1920.
Rochambeau Map Collection
This collection contains cartographic items used by Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (1725-1807), when he was commander in chief of the French expeditionary army (1780-82) during the American Revolution. The maps were from Rochambeau's personal collection, cover much of eastern North America, and date from 1717 to 1795. The maps show Revolutionary-era military actions, some of which were published in England and France, and early state maps from the 1790s. Many of the items in this extraordinary group of maps show the importance of cartographic materials in the campaigns of the American Revolution (1776 to 1783) as well as Rochambeau's continuing interest in the new United States.
William A. Gladstone Afro-American Military Collection
The William A. Gladstone Afro-American Military Collection (ca. 500 items) spans the years 1773 to 1987, with the bulk of the material dating from the Civil War period, 1861-1865. The collection consists of correspondence, pay vouchers, orders, muster rolls, enlistment and discharge papers, receipts, contracts, affidavits, tax records, miscellaneous military documents, and printed matter. Most items document African Americans in military service, especially the United States Corps d'Afrique and the United States Colored Troops. Also included are many documents concerning slavery and various other Civil War documents that mention African Americans.

External Websites

American Battlefield Trust: 10 Facts: Black Patriots in the American Revolution External
The American Battlefield Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters. Approximately 5,000 African Americans served on the Patriot side during the Revolutionary War. They served as sailors and as soldiers in integrated Continental Army and state militia units.
American Battlefield Trust: Revolutionary War Biographies External
The American Battlefield Trust preserves America’s hallowed battlegrounds and educates the public about what happened there and why it matters. Nearly 200 biographical sketches of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, and Europeans who took part in the war can be found here.

Documenting the American South: Primary Resources for the Study of Southern History, Literature, and Culture External This link opens in a new window
Documenting the American South (DocSouth), a digital publishing initiative sponsored by the University Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provides access to digitized primary materials that offer Southern perspectives on American history and culture. It supplies teachers, students, and researchers at every educational level with a wide array of titles they can use for reference, studying, teaching, and research.

The subscription resources marked with a padlock are available to researchers on-site at the Library of Congress. If you are unable to visit the Library, you may be able to access these resources through your local public or academic library.

America's Historical Newspapers External This link opens in a new window
America's Historical Newspapers features full text cover-to-cover reproductions of historic newspapers published in 50 states and the District of Columbia. The coverage provides insight into the early years of the United States: the daily life of hundreds of diverse American communities; the later westward expansion and the rise of the penny press with its increasing emphasis on society, industry, and scientific advances; the Civil War era, Reconstruction, the Gilded Age, the Progressive era, and beyond. Please note that the full text may not be available for all issues of a particular newspaper (the database continues to grow). Collections include:
- African American Newspapers, 1827-1998 (Series 1 and Series 2)
- American Business: Agricultural Newspapers
- American Business: Mercantile Newspapers
- American Gazettes: Newspapers of Record
- American Politics: Campaign Newspapers
- American Religion: Denominational Newspapers
- Early American Newspapers, Series 1, 1690-1876: From Colonies to Nation
- Early American Newspapers, Series 2, 1758-1900: The New Republic
- Early American Newspapers, Series 3, 1783-1922: From Farm to City
- Early American Newspapers, Series 4, 1756-1922: The Rise of Industry
- Early American Newspapers, Series 5, 1777-1922: An Emerging World Power
- Early American Newspapers, Series 6, 1741-1922: Compromise and Disunion
- Early American Newspapers, Series 7: 1773-1922: Reform and Retrenchment
- Early American Newspapers, Series 8, 1844-1922: A Nation in Transition
- Early American Newspapers, Series 9, 1832-1922: Protest and Prosperity
- Early American Newspapers, Series 10, 1730-1900: Regional Pioneers
- Early American Newspapers, Series 11, 1803-1899: From Agrarian Republic to World Power
- Early American Newspapers, Series 12, 1821-1900: The Specialized Press
- Early American Newspapers, Series 13, 1803-1916: The American West
- Early American Newspapers, Series 14, 1807-1880: The Expansion of Urban America
- Early American Newspapers, Series 15, 1822-1879: Immigrant Communities
- Early American Newspapers, Series 16, 1800-1877: Industry and the Environment
- Early American Newspapers Series 17, 1844-1922: American Heartland
- Early American Newspapers, Series 18, 1825-1879: Racial Awakening in the Northeast
American Indian Histories and Cultures External This link opens in a new window
The wide range of material included in American Indian Histories and Cultures presents a unique insight into interactions between American Indians and Europeans from their earliest contact, continuing through the turbulence of the American Civil War, the on-going repercussions of government legislation, right up to the civil rights movement of the mid- to late-twentieth century. Explore manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books dating from the earliest contact with European settlers right up to photographs and newspapers from the mid-twentieth century. Browse through a wide range of rare and original documents from treaties, speeches and diaries, to historic maps and travel journals.
ProQuest Historical Newspapers & Periodicals External This link opens in a new window
ProQuest Historical Newspapers is the definitive newspaper digital archive offering full-text and full-image articles for significant newspapers dating back to the 18th Century. From leading issues and events, like the U.S. Civil War, immigration, westward expansion, industrial developments, race relations, and World War I and II to local and regional politics, society, arts, culture, business, and sports, ProQuest Historical Newspapers reveals the day-to-day news coverage to researchers and historical explorers, providing invaluable insights and information to users from a wide range of subjects.

Newspapers include: The American Hebrew & Jewish Messenger; The American Israelite; The Atlanta Constitution; Atlanta Daily World; The Baltimore Afro-American; The Baltimore Sun; The Boston Globe; Chicago Defender; Chicago Tribune; The Christian Science Monitor; Cleveland Call and Post; Detroit Free Press; The Guardian and The Observer; Hartford Courant; The Jewish Advocate; The Jewish Exponent; Los Angeles Sentinel; Los Angeles Times; New York Amsterdam News; The New York Times; New York Tribune/Herald Tribune; Norfolk Journal and Guide; Philadelphia Tribune; Pittsburgh Courier; San Francisco Chronicle; St. Louis Post-Dispatch; Times of India; The Wall Street Journal; The Washington Post
ProQuest History Vault External This link opens in a new window
ProQuest History Vault debuted in 2011 and is continuously growing to include numerous archival collections documenting the most important and widely studied topics in eighteenth- through twentieth-century American history, digitized in partnernership with and from a wide variety of archival institutions. These modules of rich and varied content create a full spectrum of archival materials to complement coursework in many areas including African American studies, women’s studies, history, political science, military and diplomatic history, immigration, and more. Many of the collections in History Vault were originally available in microfilm from the University Publications of America (UPA) research collections and others come from the University Microfilms International (UMI) research collections with additional collections scanned from the original documents. Collections include:

American Indians and the American West
- American Indians and the American West, 1809-1971
American Politics and Society
- American Politics and Society from Kennedy to Watergate, 1960-1975
- American Politics in the Early Cold War: Truman and Eisenhower Administrations, 1945-1961
- FBI Confidential Files and Radical Politics in the U.S., 1945-1972
- Immigration: Records of the INS, 1880-1930
- Japanese American Incarceration: Records of the War Relocation Authority, 1942-1946
- Law and Society since the Civil War: American Legal Manuscripts from the Harvard Law School Library, 1861-1976
- New Deal and World War II: President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Office Files and Records of Federal Agencies, 1933-1945
- Pinkerton's National Detective Agency Records, 1853-1999
- Progressive Era: Reform, Regulation, and Rights, 1872-1934
- Progressive Era: Robert M. La Follette Papers, 1879-1924
- Progressive Era: Voices of Reform, 1875-1945
- Records of the Children's Bureau, 1912-1969
- Students for a Democratic Society, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and the anti-Vietnam War Movement, 1958-1981
- Temperance and Prohibition Movement, 1830-1933
- Thomas A. Edison Papers, 1850-1919
Civil Rights Movement and the Black Freedom Struggle
- African American Police League Records, 1961-1988
- Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century: Federal Government Records
- Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century: Federal Government Records, Supplement
- Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century: Organizational Records and Personal Papers, Part 1
- Black Freedom Struggle in the 20th Century: Organizational Records and Personal Papers, Part 2
- NAACP Papers: Board of Directors, Annual Conferences, Major Speeches, and National Staff Files
- NAACP Papers: Branch Department, Branch Files, and Youth Department Files
- NAACP Papers: Special Subjects
- NAACP Papers: The NAACP's Major Campaigns--Education, Voting, Housing, Employment, Armed Forces
- NAACP Papers: The NAACP's Major Campaigns--Legal Department Files
- NAACP Papers: The NAACP's Major Campaigns--Scottsboro, Anti-Lynching, Criminal Justice, Peonage, Labor, and Segregation and Discrimination Complaints and Response
- Reverend J. H. Jackson and the National Baptist Convention, 1900-1990
International Relations and Military Conflicts
- CIA Cold War Research Reports and Records on Communism in China and Eastern Europe, 1917-1976
- Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files, 1960-1969, Africa and the Middle East
- Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files, 1960-1969, Asia
- Confidential U.S. State Department Central Files, 1960-1969, Europe and Latin America
- Creation of Israel: British Foreign Office Correspondence on Palestine and Transjordan, 1940-1948
- Nazi Looted Art and Assets: Records on the Post-World War II Restitution Process, 1942-1998
- Office of Strategic Services (OSS)-State Department Intelligence and Research Reports, 1941-1961
- U.S. Diplomatic Post Records, 1914-1945
- U.S. Military Intelligence Reports, 1911-1944
- Vietnam War and American Foreign Policy, 1960-1975
- World War I: British Foreign Office Political Correspondence (1914-1920)
- World War I: Records of the American Expeditionary Forces, and Diplomacy in the World War I Era (1915-1927)
- World War II: U.S. Documents on Planning, Operations, Intelligence, Axis War Crimes, and Refugees
Latinx History
- Latino Civil Rights during the Carter Administration: Records of the White House Office of Hispanic Affairs, 1979-1981
Revolutionary War and Early America
- Revolutionary War and Early America: Collections from the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1721-1860
Southern Life, Slavery, and the Civil War
- Confederate Military Manuscripts and Records of Union Generals and the Union Army (1854-1870)
- Slavery in Antebellum Southern Industries (1700-1896)
- Reconstruction and Military Government after the Civil War (1865-1877)
- Slavery and the Law (1775-1867)
- Slavery in Antebellum Southern Industries, 1700-1896
- Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Law and Order in 19th Century America, 1636-1880
- Southern Life and African American History, 1775-1915, Plantation Records, Part 1
- Southern Life and African American History, 1775-1915, Plantation Records, Part 2
- Southern Life and African American History, 1775-1915, Plantation Records, Part 3
- Southern Life and African American History, 1775-1915, Plantation Records, Part 4
Women’s Studies
- Margaret Sanger Papers: Smith College Collections and Collected Documents
- Southern Women and their Families in the 19th and 20th Centuries, Holdings of the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
- Struggle for Women's Rights, Organizational Records, 1880-1990
- Women's Studies Manuscript Collections from the Schlesinger Library: Voting Rights, National Politics, and Reproductive Rights
- Women at Work during World War II: Rosie the Riveter and the Women's Army Corps Workers and Labor Unions
Workers, Labor Unions, Progressives, and Radicals
- American Federation of Labor Records: The Samuel Gompers Era, 1877-1937
- Labor Priests: Progressive Politics and the Catholic Church, John A. Ryan Papers, 1892-1945
- Labor Unions in the U.S., 1862-1974: Knights of Labor, AFL, CIO, and AFL-CIO
- Socialist Party of America Records
- Workers, Labor Unions, and the American Left in the 20th Century: Federal Records
Social and Cultural History: Letters and Diaries Online External This link opens in a new window
Cross-search all of the letters and diaries found in: Black Thought and Culture The American Civil War: Letters and Diaries North American Immigrant Letters, Diaries, and Oral Histories and North American Womens Letters and Diaries, as well as keyword search across thousands of collections freely available on the Web. In addition to the subscription databases offered by Alexander Street Press, users will find an in-depth index to nearly 4,000 collections of letters, diaries, oral histories, memoirs, and autobiographies freely available on the web in English from around the world. This index adds access to an additional 700,000 pages of full-text content dating from the 1550s to the present day. As well, it also contains pointers to 4,300 audio and video files and 30,000 bibliographic records on the web.

American Minority Groups in the Revolutionary War: A Resource Guide

Digital Resources

Digital Collections

External Websites