Early American Sources makes online research easier than ever. We help connect scholars to primary sources related to the early Americas from roughly 1500 to 1900. Our website offers descriptions of archives and research libraries, links to digital history projects, bibliographies of printed primary materials, and information about various academic resources. Our featured content includes:

Archival Sources

Detailed lists of national and local archives in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and other countries with descriptions of collection strengths, finding aids, digitized materials, and research funding.

Digital Sources

Links to various online databases, digitized collections, mapping projects, online content creators, and other digital history projects that focus on the early Americas.

Published Sources

Bibliographies of printed primary sources related to the early Americas. Topics include race and slavery, British North America, the early American republic, early American cookbooks, and the papers of U.S. presidents. There are also bibliographies for the United States organized by state/territory.

Academic Resources

Information about fellowships, research institutes, conferences, and other academic resources for students of the early Americas.

New and exciting resources are added regularly to Early American Sources. Our current focus is to expand our lists of North American archives and published sources, as well as digital collections in the United States. We encourage you to like us on Facebook, follow us on X (formerly Twitter), and subscribe to our newsletter!

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Early American Sources was created in 2021 by Joseph Thomas Ross. Joseph received his BA from The Ohio State University, his MA from Ohio University, and is currently an adjunct lecturer at the University of Missouri. His research focuses on the early American state and Anglo-American imperialisms in the early American West. He is the author of “‘Strange Doings with Respect to Preemptions’: Federal Power and Political Interests at the Chillicothe Land Office, 1800-1802,” which appeared in Ohio Valley History, as well as “Federalist Failure: Conflict and Disorder in the Northwest Territory,” a chapter in Settling Ohio: First Nations and Beyond from Ohio University Press. You can email Joseph at joeross1800@outlook.com.