Research guides: Economics Resources at the UTM Library: All Other Primary Sources

China and The Modern World

China and The Modern World is a series of digital archive collections sourced from preeminent libraries and archives across the world, including the Second Historical Archives of China and the British Library. The series covers a period of about 180 years (1800s to 1980s) when China experienced radical and often traumatic transformations from an inward-looking imperial dynasty into a globally engaged republic. Consisting of monographs, manuscripts, periodicals, correspondence and letters, historical photos, ephemera, and other kinds of historical documents, these collections provide excellent primary source materials for the understanding and research of the various aspects of China during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, such as diplomacy/international relations, economy/trade, politics, Christianity, sinology, education, science and technology, imperialism, and globalization.

China and The Modern World: Diplomacy and Political Secrets, 1869-1950
Period Covered: 1869-1950
This collection of rare manuscripts and monographs from Britain's India Office concerns the commercial, political, military and administrative operations of British India, British Burma, and the East India Company. Items include reports, memoranda, correspondence, pamphlets, official publications, intelligence diaries, accounts of political and scientific expeditions, travel diaries, handbooks and maps. Topics covered include British relations with the Indian princely states; military operations during the Boxer Rebellion; intelligence on people and places encountered by British armed forces; and border disputes and negotiations between China, India, Britain, Tibet, Xinjiang, Burma, Russia, Pakistan and other Central Asian countries.
China and The Modern World: Hong Kong, Britain and China, 1841-1951
Period Covered: 1841-1951
This collection presents British government documents on colonial Hong Kong, spanning a period of over a century and consists of despatches and correspondence between the governors of Hong Kong and the Colonial Office, as well as letters and telegrams of other government departments and organizations such as the Foreign Office, Home Office, and War Offices. This collection of British Colonial office correspondence on colonial Hong Kong provides detailed and valuable information on the political, military, social, economic, and external development of Hong Kong. It also sheds light on the British Empire in Asia, China’s transformation from empire to republic, mainland China-Hong Kong relations, and the international politics of East Asia.
China and The Modern World: Records of the Maritime Customs Service of China, 1854-1949
Period Covered: 1854-1949
This collection concerns China and its relations with the West in the late Qing and Republican periods. The records included in this collection - official correspondence, despatches, reports, memoranda, and private and confidential letters - constitute unique evidence of Chinese life, the economy and politics through the Taiping Rebellion, the Boxer Rebellion, the Revolution of 1911, the May 30 Movement, the two Sino-Japanese Wars, and the Chinese Civil War.

Smithsonian Collections Online

The digitized documents within Smithsonian Collections Online are rich in their ability to be the source of new and exciting scholarship.

Smithsonian: Evolution of Flight, 1784-1991
Period Covered: 1784-1991
Evolution of Flight is a collection of photographs, diaries, correspondence, scrapbooks, draft technical specifications, government documents, and other primary source material from Smithsonian libraries, museums, and archives on the technical and social impact of aviation. Topics covered include African Americans in aviation, aeronautical exhibits and races, balloons and airships, military and commercial aeronautics, women in aviation, and World War I and II.
Smithsonian: Trade Literature and the Merchandizing of Industry, 1820-1926
Period Covered: 1820-1926
This collection explores the evolution of business in American and international life via catalogs, pamphlets, advertising materials, and ephemera on essential industries that emerged in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, such steam engines, railroads, motorized vehicles, agricultural/farm machinery, building and construction, mining, and more. The collection exposes technological advances over time, changes in design, architectural advances, societal changes, and business history, and reveals vital aspects of our culture, society, and history.
Smithsonian and Air & Space Magazines, 2011 - present
Period Covered: 2011-present
This collection features the most recent issues of the Smithsonian Institution’s popular and highly regarded Smithsonian and Air & Space Magazines. Smithsonian Magazine explores both modern and historic perspectives covering history, science, nature, the arts, travel, world culture and technology. Air & Space Magazine encompasses every era of aviation and space exploration. With stories that range from the Wright Brothers to the design of NASA’s next lunar lander, Air & Space emphasizes the human stories as well as the technology of aviation and spaceflight.

All Other Primary Sources

Actes royaux français, 1256-1794 (French Royal Acts, 1256-1794)
This collection documents the financial and political administration of France, along with other aspects of French life, from the second half of the 13th century to the 18th century. The collection covers the following themes: tax affairs at the Chamber of Accounts, taxation and tariffs of goods, collection of tolls, criminal justice (mainly from 1720), military and administration, book printing and prohibitions, royal orders, among many more.
African Newspapers: The British Library Collection
Period covered: pre-1901
This collection provides access to 64 newspapers from Africa, all published before 1901. African history and daily life is documented through eyewitness reporting, editorials, letters, advertisements, obituaries and military reports, covering topics from European exploration of Africa, colonial exploitation, economics, trade, governance, growth and much more. Among the many titles includes the notable St. Helena Guardian, the Egyptian Gazette, and Journal Franco-Ethiopian.
The American Fur Company: America's First Business Monopoly, 1831-1849
Period covered: 1831-1849
This primary source collection on the American Fur Company, which once monopolized the fur trade in United States, includes original letters received from factors, foreign and domestic agents, mainly to Ramsey Crooks, president of the Company; copies of letters sent by the Company; records of furs received from Native Americans; and orders for goods to be shipped to the factors in exchange for furs. Most of the letters date from 1834 to 1847.
American Underworld: The Flash Press, Crime, Scandal, and Blackmail Papers of the Nineteenth Century
Period covered: 1826-1876
This collection provides access to the full print run of the Flash Press from 1826-1876, depicting the seamier aspects of urban life during this time. The collection contains satirical and humorous articles on the low-life aspects of city life, original poems and songs devoted to off-colour characters, reviews of bawdy theatrical performances and reporting on gambling and gamblers among much more. The Flash Press often moralized the same topics they covered, which included prostitution, urban gangs, and sensational crimes. Contrary to the content covered, the Flash Press journalists were often members of the cities' wealthy class and many were accomplished writers. The articles and literary efforts are noteworthy examples of 19th century American satire and humour.
Black Economic Empowerment: The National Negro Business League Collection
This collection includes the files of the "National Negro Business League" founded by Booker T. Washington in 1900 as a response to racial discrimination in the United States.
Churchill Archive
Period Covered: 1874-1965
The Churchill Archive includes more than 800,000 pages of original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965, ranging from Winston S. Churchill’s personal correspondence to his official exchanges with kings, presidents, politicians, and military leaders.
Colonial America: Complete CO5 Files from the National Archives, UK, 1606-1822
Period covered: 1606-1822
Colonial America makes available all 1,450 volumes of the CO 5 series from The National Archives, UK, covering the period 1606 to 1822. CO 5 consists of the original correspondence between the British government and the governments of the American colonies, making it a uniquely rich resource for all historians of the period.
Topics covered include: the development of colonial institutions; colonial legislation; English/British relations with the Dutch, French, and Spanish; trade and protectionism; taxation; alliances and diplomacy; tobacco, sugar and other commodities; colonial relationships with the British government; he Glorious Revolution; and the American Revolution.
Communist Historical Newspaper Collection, 1917-2013
Period covered: 1917-2013
The ProQuest Communist Historical Newspaper collection provides full-text access to major American communist newspapers, including:
- The Daily Worker (1924-1958)
- The Ohio Socialist (1917-1919)
- People's Daily World (1986-1990)
- People's Weekly World (1990-2013)
- Sunday Worker (1936-1958)
- The Toiler (1919-1922)
- The Worker (1922-1924) and (1958-1968)
East Germany from Stalinization to the New Economic Policy, 1950-1963
Period covered: 1950-1963
Collection is an in-depth look into the creation of the East German state, living conditions, and its people. Predominantly included in this collection are instructions to and despatches from U.S. diplomats and consular personnel regarding political, military, economics, social, industrial, and other internal conditions and events in East Germany.
East India Company
Period Covered: 1599-1947
East India Company offers access to a unique collection of India Office Records from the British Library, London. Containing royal charters, correspondence, trading diaries, minutes of council meetings and reports of expeditions, among other document types, this resource charts the history of British trade and rule in the Indian subcontinent and beyond from 1599 to 1947.
J. Walter Thompson: Advertising America
Period Covered: Late 19th to 1990s
The J. Walter Thompson Company Archive documents the history, operation, policies and accomplishments of one of the world's largest and oldest advertising firms. The documents in this collection allow researchers to explore how advertising works, company culture, how decisions are made and ultimately from this we can examine the effect that the industry may have had over wider culture and how culture interacts with advertising. A huge number of brands, companies, and industries are covered from automobiles to cosmetics and cruises. These include: Kellogg's, Kodak, Kraft, Oscar Mayer, Pan Am World Airways, R. T. French, Scott Paper Company, United States Marine Corps, and White Castle Restaurants.
The making of the modern world, Part IV: 1800 - 1890
Offers coverage of the "Age of Capital," the industrial revolution, and the High Victorian Era, over the 1800s-1890s, when the foundations of modern-day capitalism and global trade were established. The collection contains content on the high Victorian period and the apogee of the British Empire. Materials like grey literature and non-mainstream materials, including pamphlets, plans, ephemera, and private collections, provide researchers with original study resources.
Market Research and American Business, 1935-1965
Period covered: 1935-1965
Market Research and American Business, 1935-1965 provides insight into the American consumer boom of the mid-20th century through access to the complete market research reports of Ernest Dichter, the era's foremost consumer analyst, market research pioneer, and widely-recognized 'father' of Motivational Research.
National Farm Worker Ministry: Mobilizing Support for Migrant Workers, 1939-1985
Period covered: 1939-1985
This collection includes correspondence, reports, speeches, minutes from the California Migrant Ministry and its successor, the National Farm Worker Ministry.
Topics covered include: Farm workers; poverty programs; Public Law 78; Braceros; labour camps; the United Farm Workers Union; and the Delano Grape Strike.
Nineteenth-century American drama : popular culture and entertainment, 1820-1900
Period covered: 1820-1900
This collection documents the unprecedented growth and sweeping changes in the dramatic arts in America. This authoritative collection of American drama includes hundreds of prompt books and annotates copies of manuscripts which reveal the changing intensions of authors and artistic visions of directors. Subject matter includes immigrants and immigration, colonial era, children's plays, the American Revolution, and the Women's Movement, among much more. Within the collection are works by playwrights such as: Clara Janette Fort Denton, Charles White, and Edwin Booth. Also included are historical plays, political satires, comic operas, musical extravaganzas, adoptions of novels, and many more.
Policing the Shanghai International Settlement, 1894-1945
Period covered: 1894-1945
This primary source collection from the Special Branch of the Shanghai Municipal Police covers topics including the collection of intelligence on political demonstrations, strikes, labor and social unrest, foreign and domestic subversive activities, and areas of dispute between the International Settlement and the Chinese government. Most extensive coverage is provided by the Special Branch dossier files, which date from 1929-1945.
Political relations between China, the U.S. and other countries, 1910-1929
A collection of microfilm from the U.S. State Department related to the political relations between the United States and China and relations between China and other states, notably Japan, between 1910-1922. Among the items included are instructions to and dispatches from diplomatic and consular officials, correspondence, reports, and journals of the commissions concerned with extraterritoriality in China.
Religions of America
Period Covered: 1820-1990
Religions of America is a collection of manuscripts, pamphlets, newsletters, ephemera, and visual materials on the development of religions and religious movements begun in the US. Items date from 1820 to 1990, but 20th century materials are emphasized. Topics covered include Christian, Judeo-Christian and non-Christian New Thought and Neopagan religions; as well as New Age, Wicca, neo-Christian, and Christian Identity and Fundamentalist movements. They are organized into four main collections: The American Religions Collection; The FBI Files on Jonestown, Moorish Science Temple of America, and the Branch Davidians; The Hall-Hoag Collection of Dissenting and Extremist Printed Propaganda; and Utah and the Mormons.
Reporting on the Coal Industry: the Coal Trade Bulletin, 1901-1908
Period covered: 1901-1908
The Coal Trade Bulletin was a bimonthly publication on the American coal industry during the years of expansion of the coal industry in the early twentieth century.
Topics covered include: supply and demand; imports and exports; and markets conditions in Mexico, Germany, and Great Britain.
Shanghai Municipal Council: The Municipal Gazette, 1908-1940
Period Covered: 1908-1940
The complete collection of the official organ of the Shanghai Municipal Council. It contains all 35 volumes of the weekly Shanghai Municipal Gazette (1908 -1942), which published notifications, departmental reports, letters from readers, minutes of Council meetings, municipal budget, monthly summary of revenue, financial statements on income and expenditures, policies and orders formulated by the council. Topics covered include the period of revolution, the Republic, internationalization of Shanghai, national uprising, and both World Wars.