Research Guides: AMST 101: America: The Nation and Its Discontents: Home

Home

Need help? Ask me!

Emery Shriver
American Studies Librarian

mes4@williams.edu
413-597-4716

Pronouns: he/they

Use this guide to find primary sources to analyze, or manifestos to inspire your own creative production.

Primary Source Collections

AM Explorer This link opens in a new window
Primary sources focused on history, medieval studies, politics, British imperialism, African-American culture, gender and more, collected from library archives worldwide.
AP Newsroom This link opens in a new window
Publication Dates: 1844-Present
Current and historical archive of photographs, graphics, audio, and text created by the Associated Press.
ARTstor This link opens in a new window
A giant collection of high-resolution images. Focuses on art and architecture, but is also good for archaeology, anthropology, and history.
Black Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window
Publication Dates: Early 19th century-Present
Includes the non-fiction writings of major Black leaders. Can browse or search by nationality, gender, occupation, people/events mentioned, and more.
Ethnic NewsWatch This link opens in a new window
Publication Dates: 1990-Present
Includes full text of newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press in the United States. Coverage is national and regional.
HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Provides the full text of law reviews, Congressional and treaty documents, and U.S. legal material from the 18th century to the present.
Library of Congress Digital Collections This link opens in a new window
Publication Dates: 1700's-Present
Documents American history and culture through digitized collections of written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music from the Library of Congress.
ProQuest History Vault This link opens in a new window
Provides digital reproductions of archival materials related to Southern life and slavery, the Black freedom struggle, American politics and society, WWII and the Vietnam War.
Women's Magazine Archives This link opens in a new window
Includes these popular magazines:
Cosmopolitan (1886-2005)
Essence (1970-2005)
Seventeen (1944-2005)
Town and Country (1846-2005)
Woman’s Day (1937-2005)
Women’s International Network News (1975-2003)

Full list of the library's primary sources databases

Manifestos

Online collections

Content warning: Some of the manifestos contained in the resources below may be offensive or harmful, especially to those with marginalized identities.

Digital Manifesto Archive
The Digital Manifesto Archive is a resource dedicated to aggregating and cataloging manifestos that fall under three basic criteria:
- Manifestos that focus on the political and cultural dimensions of digital life
- Manifestos that are written, or are primarily disseminated, online
- Manifestos that further radical democratic politics, cultures, and technologies
War Manifestos Database
War manifestos issued by sovereigns between 1492 and 1945. These manifestos were collected, analyzed, and coded by a research team at Yale Law School studying the various categories of claims used to justify resort to war throughout history.
Wikipedia Category: Political manifestos
A list of political manifestos: published declarations of the intentions, motives, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party or government.

In the Library

Books

Feminist Manifestos
An unprecedented collection of 150 documents from feminist organizations and gatherings in over 50 countries over the course of three centuries. A unique and inspirational collection, it expands and evolves our understanding of feminism through the self-described agendas of women from every ethnic group, religion, and region in the world.
Manifesto Now!
Manifesto Now! maps the current rebirth of the manifesto as it appears at the crossroads of philosophy, performance, and politics. Filled with examples of manifestos and critical thinking about manifestos, it contains a wide variety of critical methodologies that students can analyze, deconstruct, and emulate.
The Manifesto Project
The poetic manifesto has a long, rich history that hasn't been updated until now. What does a poetic manifesto look like in a time of increased pluralism, relativism, and danger? How can a manifesto open a space for new and diverse voices?

Zines

Every Day is Egg Day: manifestos by Danielle Freiman
Call Number: Sawyer Zines Z0438
Zines and Freedom: an offering of sorts (at least insofar as ideas are concerned). by Coco Rhum
Call Number: Sawyer Zines Z0491

Browse the Zine Collection to find other manifestos!