LibGuides: Spark 001: The Border and Chicanx Texts (Contreras): Primary Sources

Primary Sources

Mexico's history and culture are forever interconnected with the United States. This page focuses on providing access to our library and archival resources, and other online resources that will help you do research on this important country!

More information about this map and the history surrounding the Mexican Cession of lands to the U.S. can be found at:

Information on The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (The National Archives)

Online Resources

Bracero History Archive
Oral histories and artifacts associated with Bracero program (1942-1964), where millions of Mexican agricultural workers worked in the United States.

Calisphere This link opens in a new window
Calisphere aggregates digital materials from all UCs, and libraries, archives, and museums across the state. A great resource to find images and other digital resources related to the Caribbean. You can search across all collections, search for specific collections, or search within any of the UC campuses sites. Try search by country or a topic such as the "Cuban Revolution". Tip: Use quotation marks to search for phrases!

Digitized Benson Collections at UT-Austin
This site offers a selection of collections digitized from The Benson's Latin American Collections, including many materials from Mexico and the borderlands.
Library of Congress Digital Collections
You can search the rich collection of digitized materials that document the life and history of the United States. You can search by topic such as "Mexican American War" or ethnic groups such as Mexican American or Chicano and see what type of materials are available.

Library Subscription Databases

Civil Rights Digital Library (CRDL) This link opens in a new window
1950s - 1960. Browse or search this digital archive of historical new film, digital collections, reference materials, editorial cartoons, transcripts, and diaries that document the civil rights movement. Provided by the University of Georgia.
Gale Primary Sources This link opens in a new window
Combines access to and cross-searches all Gale Primary Source holdings covering over 500 years of world history. Also can be narrowed to specific combinations of archives.
Collections include:
- Archives of Latin American and Caribbean History, Sixteenth to Twentieth Century
  - Analyze the history of Latin America and the Caribbean from the sixteenth through twentieth century.
- Archives of Sexuality and Gender
  - Research a robust and significant collection of primary sources for the historical study of sex, sexuality, and gender.
- Archives Unbound
  - Gain access to rare primary source documents with these topically focused digital collections. Supports academic research.
- China and the Modern World
  - Research China during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; coverage includes diplomacy, economics, imperialism, and more.
- Eighteenth Century Collections Online
  - Search and explore full-text digital versions of eighteenth-century book titles.
- International Herald Tribune Historical Archive, 1887-2013
  - Explore diverse coverage from this international newspaper, including its runs as The New York Herald and the New York Herald Tribune.
- Nineteenth Century Collections Online
  - Discover primary source collections of the long nineteenth century. Sourced from almost one hundred major world libraries.
- Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers
  - Search newspaper content from the nineteenth century, featuring a range of urban and rural regions throughout the United States.
- Public Health Archives: Public Health in Modern America, 1890-1970
  - Understand the impact of public health legislation, policies, and campaigns at the local, national, and federal levels.
- Sabin Americana: History of the Americas, 1500-1926
  - Delve into books, serials, and more from over 400 years of history in the Americas, drawn from Joseph Sabin's famed bibliography.
- Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Burney Newspapers Collection
  - Search over 700 newspaper titles and pamphlets from the collection of Reverend Charles Burney (1757–1817).
- Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Nichols Newspapers Collection
  - Search London newspapers and pamphlets gathered by antiquarian and printer John Nichols, held at the Bodleian library in Oxford, UK.
- The Making of the Modern World
  - Understand the development of the modern, western world through the lens of trade and wealth.
- The Times Digital Archive
  - Search over 200 years of this invaluable historical source widely considered to be the world's "newspaper of record."
- U.S. Declassified Documents Online
  - Access government documents covering major policy issues from before World War II into the twenty-first century.
- Women's Studies Archive
  - Understand historical, social, political, and professional aspects of women's lives during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

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