COM Library has some great collections of primary sources. Primary sources are records created at the time of an event or experience, or as told by people who were present at the event. Must access on campus or login with your COM account for off campus access.
Want more on finding primary sources? Try Tips for Finding Primary Sources or Tips for Finding Primary Sources Open Access.
Documents Decoded: Presidential Campaigns
Combining primary sources with expert commentary, this timely book probes critical moments in U.S. presidential elections in the last 20th- and early 21st-centuries, empowering readers to better understand and analyze the electoral process. * Primary sources such as speeches, advertisements, candidate platforms, press coverage, internal campaign documents, and more are presented side by side with accessibly written, expert commentary * A contextualizing introductory essay explains the logic behind the selection of documents and pinpoints narratives that can be traced through the collection * Novel stories about many behind-the-scenes events will engage reader interest * Photos, quotes, artwork, slogans, commercial stills, and other illustrative campaign media help bring history alive
Documents Decoded: Presidential Power
This volume uses essential and illuminating primary documents as a portal for understanding the evolution and present parameters of presidential power, the relationship between America's three branches of government, and why wartime often leads presidents to claim expansive powers and authority. * Covers topics such as Operation Pastorius, the Watergate scandal, the Iran-Contra affair, and drone strikes to show how each presented tests of presidential power * Utilizes events and developments throughout U.S. history--from the nation's founding to the contemporary era--to demonstrate how these singular, focusing events are often reflections of broader political, economic, and social forces
My Fellow Americans: The Most Important Speeches of America's Presidents, From George Washington to George W. Bush
The history of the United States lives in the words of its presidents-words that heal, inspire and sometimes divide a nation and the world. My Fellow Americans brings to life two centuries of American history, as you read and hear the presidential speeches that defined our nation's most dramatic moments. My Fellow Americans presents, more than 40 of the greatest speeches from American presidents. Former White House chief speechwriter Michael Waldman introduces them, telling their dramatic stories and explaining their impact. In original essays, Presidents Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton describe the talks that influenced them the most. Included are captivating photographs, illustrations and handwritten manuscripts, including: -Never-before-seen handwritten speech notes used by President Clinton -The speech, announcing an attack on Cuba, that President Kennedy did not have to give during the Cuban missile crisis -An actual photo of Lincoln at Gettysburg And much more... The accompanying audio CDs let you hear these great speeches as they happened-some recordings are more than 100 years old-and reenact speeches from before the dawn of recorded audio. We hear the voices of every president since Benjamin Harrison. Experience some of our greatest moments, such as "The Only Thing We Have to Fear, Is Fear Itself," "Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You" and "Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall." Hear Lyndon Johnson adopt "We Shall Overcome" for all Americans; John F. Kennedy proclaim "Ich Bin Ein Berliner" at the Berlin Wall; and a fascinating account by a man who saw and heard President Lincoln deliver the Gettysburg Address. My Fellow Americans presents a fascinating journey through American history that can be shared with your family and friends, whether you're reliving the event, or hearing it together for the first time.
The Presidency in Times of Crisis and Disaster: Primary Documents in Context
This resource uses primary documents and contextualizing essays to illuminate how America's presidents have responded to major tests of their leadership and approached their role and responsibilities in times of national crisis. Presidents hold the attention of the public like no other political actor. In addition, because of their unique role in the constitutional system, presidents often take immediate, unilateral action in the face of national emergencies. Exploring key events, crises, and disasters through the lens of presidential responsiveness, this text reveals not only the larger historical context but also the authority of presidents in meeting the "felt necessities of the time," deepening readers' understanding of those touchstone events. Comprehensive in temporal and topical scope, the book covers crises and disasters from the presidency of George Washington through Donald Trump's first two years in office. Important events covered include natural disasters, wars, assassinations, terrorist attacks, mass shootings, economic crises, riots, tragedies, and political scandals. Each event is explored through a primary document that reveals key dimensions of the presidential response to the crisis or disaster in question and contextual headnotes and essays that provide additional insights into the political, economic, and cultural contexts in which that event occurred and to which the president responded. Provides readers with an understanding of the dynamics that shaped presidential responses to crises and disasters in American history Allows readers to hear directly from presidents during times of national crisis, uncertainty, and mourning through primary documents Provides important information about the circumstances and settings in which the presidents made their statements to the American people (and the wider world) in contextual headnotes for each primary source Contextualizes the extent and limits of presidential authority and influence in times of national crisis, scandal, disaster, or tragedy in introductory essays from the author
Presidential Documents : The Speeches, Proclamations, and Policies that Have Shaped the Nation from Washington to Clinton
This is the most comprehensive single-volume edition of presidential documents available. In this lively, authoritative and up-to-the moment collection, historians Fred L. Israel and J. F. Watts present over 200 famous and lesser-known key speeches, proclamations, letters and other decisive papers and provide a brief political and historical commentary on each selection. Either printed in full or excerpted in a clear, readily accessible format, these history-making documents include the most memorable moments in the Presidency, from George Washington's first Inaugural Address to Bill Clinton's comments after the end of his impeachment proceedings.