Govs Library: Junior History Paper Topics: American Civil War

Sources Elsewhere: Civil War

Civil War at The Smithsonian
Civil War Resources from The Library of Congress
The Valley of the Shadow
The Valley of the Shadow is a digital archive of primary sources that document the lives of people in Augusta County, Virginia, and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, during the era of the American Civil War. Here you may explore thousands of original documents that allow you to see what life was like during the Civil War for the men and women of Augusta and Franklin.
Virginia Military Inst. Civil War Archives
Civil War Documents from the National Archives
American Battlefields
Civil War Photos (U.S. National Archives)
Select audiovisual records from the National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC
Civil War 150: A Commemoration by the National Portrait Gallery
A series of seven related exhibitions complements the installation of Civil War portraits and related objects that are on display in the museum’s “American Origins,” exhibition which charts the nation's story from pre-colonial days through the end of the nineteenth century.

From Our Library: Books on the Civil War

Below are just some examples of the library's materials on the Civil War.

The American Civil War by John Keegan
Call Number: 973.7 KEE
ISBN: 9780307263438
Publication Date: 2009-10-20
While offering original and perceptive insights into psychology, ideology, demographics, and economics, Keegan reveals the war’s hidden shape—a consequence of leadership, the evolution of strategic logic, and, above all, geography.
The Civil War by Rachel Filene Seidman
Call Number: 973.7 SEI
ISBN: 0195115589
Publication Date: 2001-02-01
The Civil War was not only a stunning event in military history; it defined the American people by forcing them to grapple with the founding principles of the nation. Rachel Seidman brings together an array of primary sources from the antebellum period, the war, and Reconstruction to provide a well-rounded account of this pivotal era.
The Civil War by Geoffrey C. Ward; Kenneth Burns; Richard BURNS
Call Number: 973.7 WAR
ISBN: 0679755438
Publication Date: 1994-09-06
"The Civil War defined us as what are and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things.... It was the crossroads of our being, and it was a hell of a crossroads: the suffering, the enormous tragedy of the whole thing."- Shelby Foote, from The Civil War

From Our Library: Articles on American Civil War

eLibrary This link opens in a new window
Articles from magazines, newspapers, newswires, TV and radio transcripts
Issues & Controversies in American History This link opens in a new window
In-depth explorations on issues, includes primary source documents, timelines, biographies, images, historical texts, interviews, and more
U.S. History in Context This link opens in a new window
full-text journal and reference articles covering themes, events, individuals and periods in U.S. history from pre-Colonial times to the present

Database Off-Site Access

Database Passwords for Off-Campus Access Use this link to access usernames and passwords if you are not on campus and cannot connect to a database directly. You must use your Govs Google account to access this document.