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American History: Introduction

This guide covers resources, both print and electronic, for researching the history of the United States from colonial times to the present.

What this Guide does –

  • Helps you identify print and electronic resources related to the history of the United States.
  • Covers the chronological history of America from colonial times to the present.
  • Also includes the culture and geography of the U.S. 
  • Highlights the roles played by the various ethic and racial groups that have made up the American population.
  • Includes biographical information on many of the leading historical figures of American history.

Just click on the tabs above to get started!

Search Strategies

Keep these tips in mind as you start your research - 

Call numbers

In the Library of Congress classification system, United States history is in E515-E909.  U.S. local history is in F1-975.  For example:

E186-E199 covers the Colonial Period.

F266-F280 is where you will find South Carolina history.

More information on the LC Classification system can be found at the Library of Congress website.

Keywords

Try searching your topic, and simply adding “united states" and history to your search.

sports "united states" history

“foreign policy” "united states" history

architecture "united states" history

Subjects

Subjects are controlled headings, and are more specific than keywords.  Specify a subject search in the Advanced Search box.

 These kinds of keyword and subject searches are VERY broad!  Don't forget to use the filters on the left in the online catalog to narrow your results!

- We do have some tutorials on searching the catalog.  Check them out here. -

Acquisitions & Collections Librarian

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Martha Smith
Contact:
803-323-2274
Subjects: History, Law

Contact Us for Help

Phone:
Information Commons: 803-323-4501

Chat:
You can start a chat from the bottom of any library page or by clicking here. 

Email:
refdesk@winthrop.edu