America Since World War II:
A Guide to
Resources
Library Instructor: Ben Bruton 10/07
bruton@stolaf.edu
Encyclopedias and other
Reference Materials
General Reference Works
- The timetables of American History by Laurence Urdang. [R.R. E18.5 .U75]
- This fabulous century. Time-life Books. 8v. [1969-70] [R.R. E161 .T55 1969]
This set begins with a “prelude” covering the years 1870-1900, with each subsequent volume covering a decade of the 20th century (through the 1960's). Emphasis is on pictures, mostly photographs, depicting social life, popular culture, historical trends or important events. Some explanatory text. Each volume has its own index. Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
- Encyclopedia of American studies . 4 vols. [R.R. 169.1 .E625 2001]
Scholarly articles on wide-variety of topics including ethnic groups; biographies; African Americans in music, film, humor, Coca-Cola, Hip-Hop, etc.
- American chronicle: Six decades in American Life 1920 - 1980 [RR E169.1 .G68 1987]
"A year-by-year re-creation of all aspects of twentieth-century American life." Focuses on every day life & culture.
- American Decades, vols 8-10. [R.R. E169.12 .A419 1994]
1970s-1990s. Divided into topics: arts, business, education, fashion, government, lifestyle, media, medicine, relition, sports etc.
- Chronicle of America. [R.R. E174.5 .C55 1993]
Chronological coverage from pre-history to 1993. Includes photographs and reprints of newspaper articles.
- Encyclopedia of the United States in the 20th Century [R.R. E740.7 .E53 1996] 5 vols.
Contains scholarly articles, including ones Suburbs and Global America.
- Encyclopedia of African-American culture and history. 5.Salzman, Lionel Smith, & West., eds. c1996. [R.R. E185 .E54 1996]
Includes biographical entries ranging from the the 17th to 20th centuries. Other entries cover events, historical eras, legal cases, geographic entities and achievement. Includes bibliographical refs and index.
- Encyclopedia of American social history. 3 v. Mary Kupiec [et al], eds. Scribner, 1993. [R.R. HN 57. E58 1993]
Essays on social change, construction of social identity, ethnic and racial subcultures, regionalism, patterns of everyday life, & social problems. Incl. bibliographies & index.
Topical Encyclopedias
Cold War
- Encyclopedia of the Cold War [R.R. D843 .A668 1994]
- Encyclopedia of Conflicts Since World War II [R.R. D843 .E46 1999] 4vols.
- Cold War Reference Guide [R.R. D843 .S3365 1997]
Postwar Youth Cultures
- The guide to United States popular culture . Browne & Browne, ed. [R.R. E169.1 .D399 2001]
- Encyclopedia of popular culture . Ed.by Tom & Sara Pendergast. [R.R. E169.1 .S764 2000]
- Atlas of the Baby Boom Generation: A Cultural History of Post-War America [R.R. E741 .A88 2000]
Rise of the Suburbs
- Encyclopedia of Urban America: The Cities and Suburbs [R.R. HT123 .E5 1998] 2 vols.
- Atlas of American Migration [R.R. Atlases G1201 .E27 F5 1998]
Grassroots and National Civil Rights Movements
- Racial and Ethnic Relations in America [R.R. E49 .R33 2000] 3 vols.
- Civil Rights in the United States. [E184.A1 C47 2000]
- The Civil Rights Movement. [RR 185.61 .G895 1993]
- Civil Rights in America: 1500 to the Present [R.R. JC599 .U5 S53 1998]
1960's Protest and Culture
- The 1960's Counterculture in America [R.R. E169.02 .H3515 1997]
- The Sixties in America [R.R. E841 .S55 1999] 3 vols.
- Encyclopedia of American Activism: 1960-Present [R.R. JK1764 .D53 1998]
- Encyclopedia of Student and Youth Movements [R.R. LA 186 .B87 1998]
- Encyclopedia of the American Left [R.R. HX86 .E58 1990]
Vietnam War and its Legacies
- Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War [R.R. DS557.7 .E52 1996]
- Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War 3 vols. [R.R. DS557.7 .E53 1998]
- The Vietnam Experience: A Concise Encyclopedia of American Literature, Songs, and Films [R.R. DS557.73 .H55 1998]
Women's Movement and Feminism
- Encyclopedia of Women's History in America. 2nd ed. [RR HQ1410.C78 2000]
- Women's Rights in the United States: A Documentary History [R.R. HQ1236.5 .U6 W68 1994]
Rise of Modern Conservatism
- Encyclopedia of the Republican Party [R.R. JK2352 .K87 1997] 3vols.
Post-1965 Immigration
- Encyclopedia of multiculturalism. 6 v. Susan Auerbach, ed. 1994. [R.R.E184 .A1 E58 1994
“Examines American history and society through the experience of diverse groups whose concerns and contributions have often been overlooked.” Covers issues, groups, individuals, & key events. Includes bibliographical references and index.
- Facts About American Immigration [R.R. JV6465 .B73 2001]
- Encyclopedia of American Immigration [R.R. JV6465 .E53 2000]
- U.S. Immigration [R.R. JV6465 .M55 1996]
- Immigration and the Law : A Dictionary [R.R. KF4817 .H56 1999]
Identifying Primary & Secondary Sources
A primary source is a firsthand account of an historical event created by someone who witnessed or participated in the event when it occurred.
A secondary source is a work of research that interprets or analyzes an historical event based upon other sources. Usually contains a bibliography.
To find primary sources or secondary sources, consult The Bridge and WorldCat .
When searching for primary sources, use the following subheadings: correspondence, diaries, personal narratives, interviews, case studies.
Other useful keywords to apply to your search: document*, memoir*, autobiograph*, diary,
letter*, speech*, account*.
Primary Sources at Rolvaag Library
Sourcebooks/Collected Sets
Root of bitterness: Documents of the social history of American women [HQ1410.R65 1996]
The fifties: A women's oral history [HQ1420.H347 1993]
The Viet-nam reader: Articles and documents on a major world crisis [DS557.V5614]
Takin' it to the streets: A sixties reader [E841lT28 1995]
Voices of freedom: An oral history of the civil rights movement from the 1950s through the 1980s [E185.61.H224 1990]
Personal Accounts
In the court of public opinion by Alger Hiss [E743.5.H54 1957]
Behind the lines by Harrison Salisbury
Freedom writer: Virginia Foster Durr, letters from the civil rights years [CT275.D8848A4 2003]
Gems of the Times
Peace in Vietnam [American Friends Service Committee 1966]
The Pentagon Papers as published by the New York Times
Best editorial cartoons of the year [E839.5.B45 1977-]
Songs of the Vietnamese Conflict [Music Library ML3477.P45 2001]
Journal
Articles
For historians' studies on
particular events and movements, look for journal articles, use journal
indexes and databases.
America:
History and Life. Covers the scholarly literature on US history. Includes journals
published world wide.
Academic
Search Premier. A broader database including
nonscholarly materials.
JSTOR
PAIS: Public Affairs Information Service
Sociology Abstracts
Using Magazine & Newspapers Indexes to find Primary
Materials
To determine what was being read at the
time on your topic, check indexes of popular materials covering the
appropriate years.
New York Times, 1851-2003
Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature [R.R. AI3.R48] , 1890-Present
Web Sources
American Memory
-- from the Library of Congress
American Radicalism Collection
Documents relating to American foreign policy: The Cold War
The National Security Archive
Levittown: Documents of an ideal American suburb
The Avalon Project at Yale Law School: Documents in Law, History and Diplomacy
has collections of 20th century documents
The Psychedelic Sixties: Literary Tradition and Social Change (Univ. Virginia)
The Whole World Was Watching: An Oral History of 1968
Vietnam Center & Archive (Texas Tech University)
A Visual Journal: Photographs by Lisa Law, 1965-1971 (Natl Museum of Am History)
Voices of Civil Rights
Citation Sources
KnightCite
Assembling a List of Works Cited in Your Paper