Adam Matthew

African American Communities

A diverse range of primary source material is showcased in this collection that focuses on race relations across social, political, cultural and religious arenas.

Focusing predominantly on Atlanta, Chicago, Brooklyn, and towns and cities in North Carolina this collection presents multiple aspects of the African American community.

Through pamphlets, periodicals, correspondence, official records and in-depth oral histories, it reveals the challenges of racism, discrimination and integration, and the expressions of a unique African American culture and identity.

China, America and the Pacific

Explore the cultural and trading relationships that emerged between America, China and the Pacific region between the early 18th and 20th centuries.

Sourced from world-class collections at American and Canadian libraries including the Massachusetts Historical Society and the Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, China, America and the Pacific offers unique insights into the history of North American trade and cultural interactions with China. Coverage also includes Pacific trading centres, such as Hawai‘i.

China: Culture and Society

Extremely rare pamphlets from the Charles W. Wason Collection on East Asia, Cornell University Library; one of the oldest and most distinctive collections of its kind.

Spanning three centuries, China: Culture and Society provides access to the Wason Pamphlet collection in its entirety. Mostly in English and published between c.1750 and 1929, these rare pamphlets make up one of the most extensive collections of literature on China and the Chinese in the Western world.

Colonial America

A ‘game changing’ development for historians and researchers of early America, Colonial America enables access to a vast archive of circa 70,000 manuscript documents – now fully searchable using Handwritten Text Recognition technology.

Sourced from The National Archives UK, Colonial America offers access to thousands of documents on North America from 1606-1822. Described as an ‘indispensable’ resource for researchers of the early-modern Atlantic world and winner of Library Journal’s ‘Best Reference’ Award, scholars and researchers have clamoured for access to this material for years.

Confidential Print: Africa, 1834-1966

From coastal trading in the early nineteenth century, through the Conference of Berlin of 1884 and the subsequent Scramble for Africa, to the abuses of the Congo Free State, fights against tropical disease, Italy’s defeat by the Abyssinians, World War II, apartheid in South Africa and colonial moves towards independence, this resource covers the modern period of European colonization of the continent. These government documents are essential sources for the study of African history and the understanding of Africa today.

Confidential Print: Latin America, 1833-1969

Complete runs of all British Government Confidential Print volumes relating to the nations of South and Central America.

This collection begins in the aftermath of independence for the former Spanish and Portuguese colonies of Latin America, addressing the politics of state-building and the Latin American nations’ establishment of their place in the fast-expanding global economy.

Confidential Print: Middle East, 1839-1969

From the Egyptian reforms of Muhammad Ali Pasha, the Middle East Conference of 1921, the Mandates of Palestine and Mesopotamia and the Suez Crisis in 1956, to the partition of Palestine, post- Suez Western foreign policy and the Arab-Israeli conflict these government documents inform the volatile situation in the region today.

Taking in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Iraq, Turkey and many of the former Ottoman lands in Europe, Iran, Afghanistan, Egypt and Sudan, we include materials from the various committees on Mesopotamia and Palestine, on Transjordan and the military base at Aden, on Syria and the Lebanon, and on the Passfield Report of 1930 and the early phases of the Arab League after 1945.

Confidential Print: North America, 1824-1961

Explore documents covering a broad sweep of history from c1824-1961, taking in the USA, Canada, the Caribbean and Central America.

This collection consists of the Confidential Print for the United States, Canada and the English-speaking Caribbean, with some coverage of Central and South America, and covers such topics as slavery, Prohibition, the First and Second World Wars, racial segregation, territorial disputes, the League of Nations, McCarthyism and the nuclear bomb. The bulk of the material covers the late nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth century.

Eighteenth Century Drama

Delve into the theatrical world of eighteenth-century society and explore how the plays reflect the politics of the time, the role of women, views on race and religion, opinions on empire, and European and British history.

Explore the Larpent Collection from the Huntington Library – a unique archive of almost every play submitted for licence between 1737 and 1824. Larpent preserved the original submissions, over 2,500 of which are presented here.

Empire Online

 Spanning five centuries and charting the rise and fall of empires around the world, Empire Online enables students and researchers to explore colonial history, politics, culture and society.

First World War Portal

Rich in primary source content from world-class libraries and archives, this collection is an invaluable source for anyone studying and researching the ‘Great War’.

From personal collections and rare printed material, to military files, ephemera and artwork, The First World War highlights the experiences of soldiers, civilians and governments on both sides of the conflict and in multiple theatres of war.

Foreign Office Files for China, 1919-1980

Formerly restricted British Foreign Office files dealing with China, Hong Kong and Taiwan between 1919 and 1980.

Featuring diplomatic despatches, letters, newspaper cuttings, political pamphlets, reports of court cases and other materials, this collection represents a constant exchange of information between London and the British embassies and consulates. Due to the unique nature of the relationship between Britain and China, these formerly restricted first-hand accounts provide unprecedented levels of detail into a turbulent period in Chinese history.

Foreign Office Files for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, 1947-1980

Survey the high politics of Independence and Partition, social and cultural interchange after 1947 and the ramifications that these changes continue to have throughout South Asia today.

This is an outstanding resource for the political and social history of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan in this period, featuring essential content on Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Kashmir, as well as other frontier regions.

Foreign Office Files for Japan, 1919-1952

Discover Japan’s rise to modernity and its relations with global superpowers through official British Government documents from The National Archives, UK.

This collection provides significant insight into the events between First World War victory and Second World War defeat, crucial to understanding the political journey of Japan during this period.

Topics covered include ultra-nationalism and the Japanese agenda of imperial dominance in the Far East, employment and social conditions in a time of global economic instability, and the ‘Great Kanto Earthquake’ of 1923 which flattened Tokyo. These documents record relations with Axis Powers in the context of changing alliances, the deterioration of relations with the Allies as World War Two reached the Pacific, and American post-war occupation of Japan.

Foreign Office Files for the Middle East, 1971-1981

The Middle East in the 1970s was characterised by its conflicts, with a cast of political figures whose influence can still be felt today. Providing an invaluable resource for researchers and students seeking to understand the modern Middle East, this collection contains complete runs of Foreign Office files, providing an expansive view of key events and their global political impact.

Shakepeare in Performance

This resource features the world-famous prompt book collection at the Folger Shakespeare Library. These prompt books tell the story of Shakespeare’s plays as they were performed in theatres throughout Great Britain, the United States and internationally, between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries.

World’s Fairs

Explore two centuries of innovation, entertainment and international relations through the rich history of world’s fairs.

From the Eiffel Tower and the Space Needle to the invention of television, chewing gum and hot dogs, world’s fairs have shaped our world. This resource digitises primary source material from hundreds of fairs – a vital collection for students of globalisation, imperialism, anthropology, mass communication, design and more.

Research Methods Primary Sources

Research Methods Primary Sources is an online learning tool for primary source literacy that can be used in classroom-based and online teaching, as well as for independent study. Comprising peer-reviewed essays, How-to guides and newly-commissioned video interviews, this learning tools introduce students to key concepts that underpin research in the humanities and social sciences, and share the core principles and practices for understanding and using primary sources