Research Guides: Ethnic Studies 101 -- Estrada Library Research Guide: Independent Research Activity #1

Historical Context: Prelude to the Civil War & Comparative Racial/Ethnic Experiences

Your assignment calls for at least 2 academic sources and 1 relevant visual image from the following research topics:

Examples of the relationship between technological developments and "Westward Expansion" between 1830-1865 and the impacts on Native Americans.
Public or popular arguments for and against the War of 1848 between Mexico and the U.S.
Issues of gender or examples of labor organizing related to the initial waves of Asian migrants to the U.S. (1840s-1870s).
The "underground railroad" to Mexico or indigenous communities between 1830s to the Civil War.

These library databases are your best bet for fulfilling your requirements:

U.S. History (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new window Supports U.S. history studies and provides an overview of our nation's past, covering the most-studied events, decades, conflicts, wars, political and cultural movements, and people.
U.S. History (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new window Library resource that provides periodical content covering events in U.S. history as well as scholarly work established in the field.
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window Visitors will find historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence and more from specific time periods in history marked by the opposition African Americans have faced on the road to freedom.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law (HeinOnline) This link opens in a new window This HeinOnline collection brings together a multitude of essential legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world.
America: History & Life with Full Text (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window Includes hundreds of full-text history journals and books, plus useful features such as the ability to search by time period.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window A database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research.
Smithsonian Open Access This link opens in a new window You can download, share, and reuse millions of the Smithsonian’s images—right now, without asking. With new platforms and tools, you have easier access to more than 3 million 2D and 3D digital items from our collections—with many more to come. This includes images and data from across the Smithsonian’s 19 museums, nine research centers, libraries, archives, and the National Zoo.
Proquest Central This link opens in a new window The largest single periodical resource available, bringing together complete databases across all major subject areas, including Business, Health and Medical, Social Sciences, Education, Science and Technology, and Humanities. Search across more than 30 databases at one time. Full-text available.
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EBSCOhost This link opens in a new window Search multiple EBSCO products at once.
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Films on Demand This link opens in a new window Access to thousands of video titles in a variety of disciplines.
OneSearch
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OneSearch searches for books and e-books, videos, articles, digital media, and more. OneSearch also helps you manage your research. Sign-in to your library account in order to:
- Renew books and media
- Access full-text articles
- Save favorite searches or lists of materials