Research Guides: HIST 625: Corridor to Revolutions Research Resources: Introduction and General Resources

Introduction to this Research Guide

This research guide lists some resources that may be helpful as you begin to research and narrow down your subject/topic. These are only starting points! This is by no means an exhaustive listing, and we fully expect that you will identify other sources and specific examples, especially as you research your subject and learn more about the relationships of these topics to the “revolutionary” corridor and immediate environs in downtown Boston.

In each subject area, the research guide provides several helpful resources. In some subjects, we also offer some examples of historical events/movements/organizations/people who participated in revolutionary efforts or conflicts in the area. You do not have to choose among these; in fact, we expect you to expand beyond these examples.

Request digitization or curbside pickup of Healey Library materials through the Library Requests Form.

Resources to Get You Started

Websites

Digital Commonwealth

Massachusetts Historical Society collections

Revolutionary Spaces

Books

Nevins, Joseph, Suren Moodliar, and Eleni Macrakis. A People’s Guide to Greater Boston. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2020.

O'Connor, Thomas. The Athens of America: Boston, 1825-1845. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2006.

O'Connor, Thomas. Bibles, Brahmins, and Bosses: A Short History of Boston. Boston: Trustees of the Public Library of the City of Boston, 1976.

O'Connor, Thomas. Boston Catholics: A History of the Church and its People. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1998.

O'Connor, Thomas. Boston Irish: A Political History. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1995.

O’Connor, Thomas H. Two Centuries of Faith: The Influence of Catholicism on Boston, 1808-2008. New York: Crossroad Publ. Company, 2009.

O’Connor, Thomas H., and Joyce C. Weston. Civil War Boston: Home Front and Battlefield. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1998.

Tager, Jack. Boston Riots: Three Centuries of Social Violence. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2001.

Vrabel, Jim. A People’s History of the New Boston. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2014.

Newspapers

African American Newspapers, 1827-1998 This link opens in a new window
African American Newspapers, 1827-1998 provides online access to approximately 270 U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African American experience.
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) Historical Periodicals Collection This link opens in a new window
American Antiquarian Society (AAS) collection documents the life of America's people from the Colonial Era through the Civil War and Reconstruction, to provide digital access to the most comprehensive collection of American periodicals published between 1684 and 1912. The collection includes 5 series by date and 50 subject subsets, which can be searched separately or together.
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 1 (1684-1820)
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 2 (1821-1837)
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 3 (1838-1852)
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 4 (1853-1865)
American Antiquarian Society Historical Periodicals Collection: Series 5 (1866-1912)
Boston Globe (full run) 1872-present This link opens in a new window
Text-only articles. No images.
Search the full run of the Boston Globe from one place. Access is from 1872-present.
Mass Media Digital Archives This link opens in a new window
The Mass Media is UMass Boston's student newspaper. This digital collection includes issues of the paper from 1966 through May 2007. As the publication is ongoing, the Archives will be working to add issues post-2007 to this collection.
News & Newspapers from ProQuest This link opens in a new window
Text-only articles. No images.
Search newspapers, newswires, blogs, and news sites. Find national and international newspapers, such as The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and The Guardian. These databases also include large collections of local and regional newspapers.