Start Here - HIS131/132 - American History - InfoGuides at Central Piedmont Community College

Start Your Research Here

This guide contains resources for HIS131 American History I (Pre-history to Civil War Era) and HIS132 American History II (Civil War Era to Present).

Start your research with tertiary and secondary sources to get a better understanding of your topic.

Tertiary sources, like encyclopedias, summarize or consolidate information on a topic or subject.
Secondary sources are books, periodicals, websites, etc. that analyze and interpret primary sources.
Primary sources are original sources and first-hand accounts from people who had a direct connection with an event or topic. Some examples include photographs, political cartoons, letters, diaries, interviews, oral histories, speeches, etc. To learn more about primary sources and how to use them, visit our Primary Sources guide.

Central Piedmont databases that contain tertiary and secondary sources are located below.

In the sidebar navigation, you will find links to primary source collections and resources from Central Piedmont as well as other libraries, archives, museums, and cultural institutions related to your course.

Databases - Tertiary Sources (Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, etc.)

Credo Reference
This resource provides access to encyclopedias, dictionaries, and atlases covering a range of subjects within your American History courses, from American Indians and Colonial America to World War II and the Cold War. Credo Reference also provides Mind Maps to visually explore related concepts as well as tutorial videos on how to select a topic, how to find relevant sources, and how to synthesize your research.

Databases - Secondary Sources (Journals, Editorials, Biographies, etc.)

U.S. History In Context

This database includes scholarly content on hundreds of the most significant people, events, and topics in US history. It also provides a section to browse for topics, in case you need a little inspiration when developing your own topic.

U.S. History OneFile

This database provides scholarly journals and magazines covering major topics in US history. It also has a Topic Finder and a visualization tool to help you find related subjects.