Guides: American History: Get Started

Get Started

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks offer generalist information that may be useful in learning more about a topic or beginning research. The links below offer resources for American history.

General Resources

Oxford Research Encyclopedia: American History
Peer-reviewed and regularly updated encyclopedia with over 500 articles on various aspects of American history.
American National Biography
Includes over 19,000 biographies of significant, influential, or notorious figures from American history written by prominent scholars.

The Oxford Companion to United States History by Paul S. Boyer (Editor)
Publication Date: 2001
Includes over 1,400 entries on all aspects of American history including politics, diplomacy, science, technology, medicine, the arts, and religion. Written in clear prose for researchers, browsers, and general readers alike.
The Oxford Guide to the United States Government by John J. Patrick; Richard M. Pious; and Donald A. Ritchie
Publication Date: 2001
The ultimate resource for authoritative information on the U.S. Presidency, Congress, and Supreme Court.
The Oxford Companion to American Military History by John Whiteclay Chambers (Editor)
Publication Date: 2000
More than 1,100 entries and considered the most comprehensive treatment of American military history.