Use the library catalog to search for books and articles for background sources. A good search starts with three elements: place, thing, and time period. Group phrases together with quotation marks. Some sample searches:
Start with a narrow search, and then adjust if you aren't seeing enough results. Be sure to try synonyms, too. Instead of "19th century," you can try "civil war," antebellum, reconstruction.
Pro Tip: A useful phrase for searching what-it-was-like-back-then is "social conditions."
Full text of core scholarly journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Browsable by discipline and full-text searchable across all disciplines. Years available vary with each title, but the most recent issues available in JSTOR will be 3-5 years old.
Find the perfect article? See what books and articles have cited that source since its publication:
