Hist 316 Civil War America, 1856-1877: Welcome

Welcome to the American Civil War Guide!

         This guide is geared towards undergraduate students taking the History 316: Civil War America, 1846 - 1877 course, and is intended to introduce you to a variety of reliable resources useful in conducting research on a wide range of topics related to American Civil War history (also referred to as the United States Civil War and the War Between the States). 

Civil War periods covered by resources in this guide:

• 1846 - 1860: The Pre-War "Antebellum Period."
• 1861 - 1865: The War: Battle Years
• 1865 - 1877: The Post-War "Reconstruction Period."

         Click the blue tabs above to discover:

• subject heading and keyword suggestions to get you started in your search for books and other Civil War history materials.
• scholarly e-journals that primarily focus on Civil War history
• background information included in the encyclopedia and other reference works
• databases for locating research articles
• credible websites covering various topics related to the Civil War, such as causes, course, and its immediate aftermath.
• images
• narrative histories, archived collections, and more (many as digitized scans of primary-source documents) 

Please note this guide is not exhaustive. It does not list all of the resources or categories available on American Civil War history but will function as a good tool as you move along in your research.