Research Guides: Newspaper Sources: Historical Newspapers

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Historical Newspaper Databases

19th Century U.S. Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Provides access to approximately 1.7 million pages of primary source newspaper content from the 19th century, featuring full-text content and images from numerous newspapers from a range of urban and rural regions throughout the U.S. The collection encompasses the entire 19th century, with an emphasis on such topics as the American Civil War, African-American culture and history, Western migration and Antebellum-era life among other subjects.
African American Newspapers, 1827-1998 (Readex) This link opens in a new window
Provides access to approximately 270 U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African American experience. The collection features papers from more than 35 states and was in part created from the most extensive African American newspaper archives in the U.S.
Early American Newspapers This link opens in a new window
This database features images and full-text from newspapers across the country. While assembling the original collection, Readex focused its publishing efforts on Clarence Brigham's History and Bibliography of American Newspapers, 1690-1820, concentrating primarily on those papers that began publication before 1820.
Historical Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Search all historical newspapers from ProQuest: The Atlanta Constitution (1869-1875; 1881-1984), Baltimore Afro-American (1893-1988), Baltimore Sun (1837-1991), Chicago Defender (1909-1975), Chicago Tribune (1849-1998), Korea Times (1950-2016), Los Angeles Times (1881-1999), The New York Times (1857-2019), The New York Tribune / Herald Tribune (1841-1962), Norfolk Journal and Guide (1916-2003), Pittsburgh Courier (1911-1950; 1955-1966), The Wall Street Journal (1889-2012), and The Washington Post (1877-2007).
Miami Herald (1911-Today) This link opens in a new window
This historical archive of Miami’s oldest surviving newspaper, known today as The Miami Herald, provides an unmatched record of daily life in South Florida. Additionally, this newspaper has a strong reputation for its international reporting from the Caribbean and Latin America.
Times Digital Archive, 1785-2011 This link opens in a new window
The Times of London has covered all major international events from the French Revolution to the Falklands War. "The Times Digital Archive, 1785-2011" makes 200 years of this highly regarded resource available for students and researchers of 19th and 20th century history.
Washington Evening Star This link opens in a new window
This database provides a searchable facsimile of every page of every issue of the Washington Evening Star from its founding on December 16, 1852 to the day it ceased publishing on August 7, 1981. Considered the “paper of record” for national political coverage, the Star was one of the highest profile publications in the nation. The paper covers nearly 130 years of American history, offering significant new research opportunities from the Antebellum Period to World War I to the Post-Vietnam Era.
Washington Post (Historical,1877-2006) This link opens in a new window
Online archival access to The Washington Post. Includes page images from every issue—cover to cover—in downloadable PDF files. Fully searchable.

Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers This link opens in a new window
Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1789-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.

GW Newspapers

The Special Collections Research Center has archived issues of many GW student newspapers and other publications. The three major titles are:

GW Hatchet (1904-present). Partially indexed.
Columbian Weekly (1903-1904). Partially indexed.
Columbian Call (1895-1898). Partially indexed.

Special Collections has archived copies of many smaller and defunct student and university publications. A search in GW Libraries Search - Advanced Search for "George Washington University -- Periodicals" as a subject heading will show you some other titles.

Questions? Contact the Special Collections Research Center, (speccoll@gwu.edu, (202) 994-7549). Special Collections is located on the seventh floor of Gelman Library and is open M-F, 10-5.