American History – Colonial Period, Revolutionary Era, and Early Republic

The Newberry has an abundance of primary source material documenting the development of the British, French, Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Americas, and Indigenous peoples' interactions with colonists and colonial governments. Like other subject areas within American history, the Ayer and Ruggles collections have a wealth of material for the study of the Colonial Period.

RESEARCH TOOLS

Newberry Library Catalog:

Simple Search

Advanced search

Search the online catalog by author, title, subject terms, or keyword(s). Useful subject terms and keywords for this period include "Spain--Colonies--America," "Great Britain--Colonies--America," "France--Colonies--America," "United States--History--Colonial Period," and the names of particular colonies ("Massachusetts Bay Colony," "New Spain," "Louisiana").

Choose “Held by Library” to find physical items held at the Newberry and "Sort By" to see the newest or oldest materials. Use the Advanced Search to search for multiple terms or phrases in different fields and to search for materials created during a specific year or range of years. For more information about searching the online catalog, please see our Guide to PrimoVE. 

Modern Manuscripts & Archives at the Newberry: Search finding aids

Search by the keyword(s) suggested above or browse by topic or subjects and filter results for relevant terms. However, most manuscripts from the colonial period are individually cataloged and listed in the online catalog, not in the Modern Manuscripts finding aids. 

Newberry Digital Collections: Search digitized collection items

Browse all and use relevant filters or search by the keyword(s) listed above.

DIGITAL RESOURCES

You must be onsite to use these resources.

Age of Exploration: Explore five centuries of journeys across the globe, scientific discoveries, the expansion of European colonialism, conflict over territories and trade routes, and decades-long search and rescue attempts in this multi-archive collection dedicated to the history of exploration.

American Ancestors: New England Historic Genealogical Society resources, including many databases focused on the colonial period in the British North American colonies.

Early English Books Online (EEBO): Digital facsimiles of English books, 1475-1700, including more than 125,000 titles listed in Pollard & Redgrave’s Short-Title Catalogue (1475-1640) and Wing’s Short-Title Catalogue (1641-1700) and their revised editions, as well as the Thomason Tracts (1640-1661) collection and the Early English Books Tract Supplement.

Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America: A deep and wide ranging selection of visual and textual resources related to Native American culture and history drawn from the Newberry’s rich collections.

https://www.newberry.org/collection/use-in-person/databases

SELECTED SECONDARY SOURCES 

Colonial Wars of North America, 1512-1763: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 1996. Ref E46.5 .C65 1996. 

Encyclopedia of the North American Colonies. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1993. Ref E45 .E53 1993. 

Middleton, Richard, and Anne S. Lombard. Colonial America: A History to 1763. Online resource, available onsite. 

COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS 

Note that this guide is not meant to be exhaustive; additional materials may be discovered and accessed via the Newberry’s catalogs.

Many collection materials have been digitized and can be viewed directly in our Digital Collections and Spotlight.  For access to physical materials, please refer to guidelines for using the collections in person on the Newberry’s website.

British Colonies: The Newberry's British colonial history collections demonstrate the history of the settlement of the Atlantic Coast and the western movement into its hinterland. Highlights include: 

• Brereton, John. A Briefe and True Relation of the Discoverie of the North Part of Virginia. London: George Bishop, 1602. VAULT Ayer 116 .G6 B7 1602a (first impression) and VAULT Ayer 116 .G6 B7 1602 (second impression). 
• Rosier, James. A True Relation of the most prosperus voyage made this present yeere 1605. London: George Bishop, 1605. VAULT Ayer 116 .W2 R7 1605. 
• Smith, John. A map of Virginia: With a description of the countrey, the commodities, people, government, and religion. London: Joseph Barnes, 1612. VAULT Ayer 150.5 .V7 S6 1612.
• Smith, John. A description of New England. London: Robert Clarke, 1616. VAULT Ayer 150.5 .N4 S6 1616.  
• A complete set of the Eliot tracts, 1643-1671

In addition to these rare histories, there are a large number of pamphlets on the French and Indian War, extensive material on the Hudson Bay Company, Indian Wars, captivities and treaties, and a great wealth of printed archival material.

French Colonies: The Newberry has many important sources on the history of the French colonies, especially related to interactions with Indigenous peoples. Some of the special sources of note are: 

• A complete set of the Jesuit Relations in the original Cramoisy editions, 1632-73.
• Champlain, Samuel de. Des sauvages; ou, Voyage de Samuel Champlain. Paris: Chez Claude de Monstr'oeil, 1604. VAULT Ayer 121 .C6 1604. 
• Hennepin, Louis. Description de la Louisiane. Paris: Chez la veuve Sebastien Huré, 1683. VAULT Case F352 .H5 1683 and VAULT Graff 1858. 
• Cartes marines: a la substitution du Valdec proche Soleure en Suisse. Manuscript maps, ca. 1640-ca. 1726. VAULT drawer Ayer MS map 30. (A compilation of maps detailing French colonial interests in the style of military and naval cartographers.)
• Cadillac, Antoine Laumet de Lamothe. Relation du Sieur de la Motte Cadillac... Manuscript, 1718. VAULT Ayer MS 130.

Spanish Colonies: The Newberry has collected extensively for the history of Latin America, and especially Mexico, for the period of discovery, conquest, and colonization. 

• Casas, Bartolomé de las. Brevissima relacion de la destruycion de las Indias. Seville: Casa de Sebastian Trugillo, 1552. VAULT Ayer 108 .C3 1552. (Bound with the other eight tracts by las Casas related to the treatment of Indigenous people in the Spanish colonies.) 
• Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, Gonzalo. La historia general de las Indias. Seville: Juan Cromberger, 1535. VAULT folio Ayer 108 .O9 1535. 
• Many editions of Acosta, Herrida, and Solis

Many manuscripts and transcripts of archives relating to the conduct of the Spanish colonies are available at the Newberry, most often within the Ayer collection. These collections generally consist of documents from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries which relate to the history of the territory of the United States formerly held by Spain. Transcripts have been copied from the archives of the Indes at Seville, Simancus, Madrid, Nacogdoches, and Matamoras.

For more information see the Latin American History page.

Portuguese Colonies: The Newberry Library has a strong collection on the growth of colonial Brazil. In addition to the rare Portuguese colonial materials found in the Ayer collection, as a working library of Luso-Brazilian research materials, the Greenlee Collection is one of the finest in existence.

The library has a very strong collection of primary sources for the study of the Revolutionary Era.

RESEARCH TOOLS

Newberry Library Catalog:

Simple Search

Advanced search

Search the online catalog by author, title, subject terms, or keyword(s). Useful subject terms and keywords for this period include "Great Britain--Colonies--America," "United States--History--Revolution, 1775-1783," "United States--Politics and Government, 1775-1783," and the names of specific battles, events, or documents ("United States Declaration of Independence," "Battle of Bunker Hill," "Boston Massacre, 1770").

Choose “Held by Library” to find physical items held at the Newberry and "Sort By" to see the newest or oldest materials. Use the Advanced Search to search for multiple terms or phrases in different fields and to search for materials created during a specific year or range of years. For more information about searching the online catalog, please see our Guide to PrimoVE.

Modern Manuscripts & Archives at the Newberry: Search finding aids

Search by the keyword(s) suggested above or browse by topic or subjects and filter results for relevant terms. However, most manuscripts from the colonial period are individually cataloged and listed in the online catalog, not in the Modern Manuscripts finding aids.

Newberry Digital Collections: Search digitized collection items

Browse all and use relevant filters or search by the keyword(s) listed above.

DIGITAL RESOURCES

Digital Collections for the Classroom*: Primary sources selected by educators, with essays and discussion questions for use in the humanities classroom. Topical collections include Native Nations in an Age of Empire and Revolution, 1750-1783, Representing the American Revolution, 1768-1893, and Latin American Independence in the Age of Revolutions. 

Fold3: Genealogy database that contains records drawn from the National Archives and other sources, with an emphasis on military records. Includes materials for the Revolutionary War.

Newspapers.com: Searchable full-text archive of more than 4,000 state, regional, mid-size and small-size city newspapers, with a selection of digitized newspapers from the American Revolution.

https://www.newberry.org/collection/use-in-person/databases

[Items with an asterisk* are available remotely]

SELECTED SECONDARY SOURCES

The encyclopedia of the American Revolutionary War: a political, social, and military history. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2006. Ref E208 .E64 2006. 

Grundset, Eric. America's women in the Revolutionary era: a history through bibliography. Washington, D.C.: National Society Daughters of the American Revolution, 2011. Ref E276 .G78 2011.

Reese, William S. The Revolutionary Hundred. New Haven: William Reese Co., 2016. Ref Z1238 .R44 2016. 

COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS

Note that this guide is not meant to be exhaustive; additional materials may be discovered and accessed via the Newberry’s catalogs.

Many collection materials have been digitized and can be viewed directly in our Digital Collections and Spotlight.  For access to physical materials, please refer to guidelines for using the collections in person on the Newberry’s website.

Extensive local and family history materials - for instance, a practically complete set of the publications of historical societies and colonial governments - contribute to the rich tapestry of potential sources from which to approach the Revolutionary Era. The Ayer and Ruggles collections, and the Newberry's map collections, add to the wealth of material for the study of this era. 

• A collection of over 700 American Revolutionary pamphlets (1750-1786). Because the Newberry's American Revolutionary pamphlets were acquired for their texts rather than as imprints, some rare imprints are not present; however, the proportion between the American and British, the Whig and Tory, furnishes a comprehensive view, affording the opportunity for the study of the rise and progress of the controversy from several angles. While it is not comprehensive, a good starting point is Ruth Lapham's Check list of American Revolutionary War pamphlets in the Newberry Library. The following groups are included: 
  • Preliminaries (1750-1763): Pamphlets discussing the political principles and philosophy of the colonies.
  • The Revolution (1763-1783). Controversial pamphlets, both British and American.
  • Revolutionary propaganda (1775-1781). Sermons, orations and other material printed to influence public opinion during the conflict.
  • Political pamphlets (1781-1786) reflecting on the progress and results of the Revolution.
  • British and American state papers and the important sets of diplomatic documents printed during the period 1775-1786 complement the pamphlet collection.
• Boston, December 17, 1773: at a meeting of the people of Boston, and the neighboring towns at the Old South Meeting House in Boston… Boston: Edes and Gill, 1773. Vault Ruggles 35. (This very rare broadside gives an account of the dramatic events directly leading to the Boston Tea Party.)
• Page, Thomas Hyde, Sir. A Plan of the action at Bunkers Hill on the 17th of June 1775. London: 1775? map4F 3701.S3.3. (One of 29 maps and plans from a unique made-to-order atlas of battles during the American Revolution, assembled for British General Henry Clinton by William Faden.)
• Stevens, Benjamin. Ticonderoga journal. Manuscript, February 19-May 26, 1776. Vault Case MS 5A 9. (A manuscript journal kept by a Connecticut soldier in the Continental Army defending Fort Ticonderoga in northern New York, including experiences as a prisoner of war captured by the British and their Indigenous allies.)
• In Congress, July 4, 1776. A declaration by the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress assembled…. Newport, RI: Samuel Southwick, July 13, 1776. Case broadside E221 .U57 1776. (Rhode Island broadside printing of the Declaration of Independence, printed just nine days after the 4th.)

The Newberry holds extensive collections on the early American republic, including rare and unique materials related to the Constitution and its ratification. 

As for other areas of American history, the Newberry holds extensive genealogical materials - for instance, a sizable collection of New England genealogies and local histories - that contribute to the rich tapestry of potential sources from which to approach the early republic. The Ayer and Ruggles collections have rare and unique sources that inform our understanding of the expansion of the young nation: for instance, a nearly complete collection of Indigenous captivity narratives can be found at the Newberry.

RESEARCH TOOLS

Newberry Library Catalog:

Simple Search

Advanced search

Search the online catalog by author, title, subject terms, or keyword(s). Useful subject terms and keywords for this period include "Constitutional Law--United States," "United States--Politics and Government, 1783-1809," and the names of specific events, individuals, or documents ("United States Constitution," "Whiskey Rebellion").

Choose “Held by Library” to find physical items held at the Newberry and "Sort By" to see the newest or oldest materials. Use the Advanced Search to search for multiple terms or phrases in different fields and to search for materials created during a specific year or range of years. For more information about searching the online catalog, please see our Guide to PrimoVE.

Modern Manuscripts & Archives at the Newberry: Search finding aids

Search by the keyword(s) suggested above or browse by topic or subjects and filter results for relevant terms. 

Newberry Digital Collections: Search digitized collection items

Browse all and use relevant filters or search by the keyword(s) listed above.

DIGITAL RESOURCES

The American West: Mixture of original manuscripts, maps, ephemeral material and rare printed sources from the Newberry’s Everett D. Graff Collection of Western Americana, including sources related to the westward expansion of the United States in the early republic. 

Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America: A deep and wide-ranging selection of visual and textual resources related to Native American culture and history drawn from the Newberry’s rich collections, including sources related to governmental relationships with Indigenous peoples in the early republic. 

Newspapers.com: Searchable full-text archive of more than 4,000 state, regional, mid-size and small-size city newspapers, with a selection of digitized newspapers from the early republican period.

https://www.newberry.org/collection/use-in-person/databases

SELECTED SECONDARY SOURCES

The Documentary history of the ratification of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Madison: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, 1976-. 41 volumes to date. KF4502 .D63. 

Encyclopedia of the American Constitution. New York: Macmillan, 1986. Ref KF4548 .E53 1986.

Reese, William S. The Federal Hundred. New Haven: William Reese Co., 2017. Ref Z1239 .R44 2017.

COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS

Note that this guide is not meant to be exhaustive; additional materials may be discovered and accessed via the Newberry’s catalogs.

Many collection materials have been digitized and can be viewed directly in our Digital Collections and Spotlight.  For access to physical materials, please refer to guidelines for using the collections in person on the Newberry’s website.

• The Rudy Lamont Ruggles Collection contains important materials relating to the Federalist Papers and the debates relating to ratification of the Constitution, including: 
  • The Federalist : a collection of essays, written in favour of the new Constitution, as agreed upon by the Federal convention, September 17, 1787. New York: J. and A. M'Lean, 1788. (The Newberry holds eight copies of this first book edition collecting the Federalist Papers; Vault Ruggles 116 was owned by Thomas Jefferson and includes his handwritten note on the authorship of the essays. Vault Ruggles 117 was inscribed by Alexander Hamilton to a clerk in his law office, Joseph Strong. Other copies include variants of binding, paper, or printing.)
  • Jay, John. Federalist essay no. 3. Manuscript, 1787. Vault Ruggles 190. (One of only five surviving manuscript drafts of any Federalist essay.)
  • Scrapbook of newspaper clippings: the Federalist nos. 1-33. Vault Ruggles 114. (Newspaper clippings from New York papers of the first "33 numbers of the Foederalist," compiled by original Supreme Court Justice William Cushing. Authorship for each essay is assigned in notes presumably by Cushing.)
  • Speech on the ratification of the United States Constitution. Manuscript, 1787. Vault Ruggles 504. (Speech or unpublished article critical of the proposed federal Constitution of the United States and its ratification. The author, probably a veteran of the Revolutionary War and a resident of Massachusetts, wrote the speech after the Constitutional Convention completed its work in September 1787, during which time the states began to convene their respective ratification conventions.)
• Herbert R. Strauss Collections. Materials donated by Herbert R. Strauss include autograph letters by many important figures of the early republic, including collections of letters by Thomas Jefferson (Vault oversize Case MS 6A 80) and the Adams family (John, Abigail, Samuel, and John Quincy Adams)(Vault Case MS 6A 81), as well as a collection of letters by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Paul Revere, John Hancock, and others (Vault oversize Case MS 6A 82). 
• Jefferson, Thomas. Notes on the state of Virginia. Paris, 1782 (i.e., 1784). (The Newberry holds three copies of the first, privately distributed edition this important work; Vault Ruggles 193 was inscribed by Jefferson to John Jay with three additional works by Jefferson appended; both other copies also include notes about their original recipients.)