Primary Sources for Humanities and Social Sciences : Government Documents
Guide to locating primary sources, with an emphasis on online sources, in the UW-Madison Libraries' collections for research in the humanities and social sciences.
Finding Government Documents
Government documents can be tricky to find and use, but often they provide key primary sources for an historical argument.
Here are some tools to help you negotiate finding government document on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
- Government Documents at Memorial LibraryThe University of Wisconsin, is a regional depository for United States government publications. Particular subject area strengths are labor, foreign relations, census information, legislative branch activities, and civil rights.
- Government Publications at the Wisconsin Historical SocietyThe Wisconsin Historical Society Library is the official depository for all State of Wisconsin publications and, with the University of Wisconsin, is a regional depository for United States government publications. It is also a selective depository for Canadian national and provincial documents and holds official state publications from many state outside Wisconsin. Particular subject area strengths are labor, foreign relations, census information, legislative branch activities, and civil rights.
US Government Documents Online
This is a sample of U.S. government documents available electronically. A more complete list can be viewed here.
- Congressional Hearings (ProQuest Congressional)Published and unpublished hearings from U.S. Congressional committee hearings proceedings. All hearings contain the full transcripts of the proceedings, including all oral statements, committee questions, and discussion. 1824–2003
- Congressional Record (ProQuest Congressional)The official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress back to 1789.
- Declassified Documents Reference System—USDocuments made available through the Freedom of Information Act from the period immediately after World War II through the 1970s.
- Digital National Security Archive35,000 declassified primary documents relating to US foreign policy since 1945 grouped in 20 collections. Compiled and organized by the National Security Archive. Extensive record descriptions and full text included.
- Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily ReportsIts original mission was centered on radio and press agency monitoring and translation. But in 1967, FBIS' mission was expanded to include foreign mass media whether it was conveyed by radio, television, or print.
- Foreign Relations of the United States (Hein Online)Official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity. 1861–1976.
- Foreign Relations of the United States: Electronic Facsimile (Incomplete Run, 1861–1960)Digitization project of the University of Wisconsin Digital Collections Center. Official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions and significant diplomatic activity.
- govinfogovinfo (formerly FDSys) contains full text of U.S. Congressional publications and publications from some U.S. executive and judicial agencies. Examples of series included: Code of Federal Regulations, Congressional Record, Compilation of Presidential Documents, Economic Indicators, Federal Register, Congressional bills and documents. 1994–.
- Hein OnlineFull-text legal periodicals, historical texts, foreign & international materials, and primary legal materials in PDF, including the Federal Register, U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Reports & attorney general opinions, state session laws, and more.
- Hein Online U.S. Legislative History LibrarySelected federal legislative histories published by the U.S. GPO and private publishers. Also includes the index, "Sources of Compiled Legislative Histories." 1789–present, (updated daily).
- Hein Online U.S. Presidential LibraryIncludes "Messages and Papers of the Presidents", "Public Papers of the President", "Weekly Compilations of Presidential Documents", and more. 1897–present, (updated daily).
- ProQuest CongressionalComprehensive ongoing collection of U.S. federal government publications from the late 18th century to the present, including American State Papers and the Civil War Official Records.
- Serial Set (ProQuest Congressional)Reports and documents either produced or ordered by Congress, as well as presidential communications and treaty materials. Includes the American State Papers, a collection of legislative and executive documents preceding the Serial Set and a compilation of official Union and Confederate records from the Civil War. Also includes color and high resolution maps contained in the Serial Set. 1789–1969.
International Government Documents Online
This is sample of the international government documents available electronically. A more complete list can be viewed here.
- Enhanced British Parliamentary Papers on Ireland, 1801–1922Comprehensive searchable database of Parliamentary Papers relating to Ireland 1801–1922 with some 13,700 documents.
- House of Commons Parliamentary Papers (1688–1900)The House of Commons Parliamentary Papers are vital to the historical record of Britain, its former Colonies and the wider world. They are among the richest and most detailed primary sources for the history of the past three centuries, and are fundamental to an understanding of current legislation, policy making and the political environment.
- Official Publications of IndiaGovernment documents related to pre- and post-Independence South Asia.
- Public Affairs Information ServiceThis database indexes more than 900 journals; books; government documents; statistical compilations; committee reports; directories; serials; reports of public, intergovernmental, and private organizations; and most other forms of printed literature from all over the world.
- State Papers Online: The Tudors, 1509–1603This is a collection of English government documents originating from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when the King or Queen acted as Prime Minister as well as Monarch.