Policy Studies: Primary Sources for Policy History

Research guide for policy studies at the University of Washington Bothell & Cascadia College

Primary Source Starting Points

Please note that these links/sources are just places to *begin* searching for primary sources. It is not an exhaustive list by any means!

C-SPAN
Search millions of hours of video library. In addition to House and Senate Proceedings, programming on issues in policy, journalism, history, books, and more.
Congress.gov
Source for current congressional legislation. Full-text of bills, resolutions, etc.
Congressional Record, HEINOnline
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More Congressional Record resources here: Government Sources by Subject: Congressional Record
Data.Census.gov
Explore Census and American Community Survey data back many decades.
Energy Information Administration
"The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment."
Foreign Relations of the United States
Documents from various Presidential libraries, the Department of State and Defense, the National Security Council, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Agency for International Development, and other foreign affairs agencies as well as the private papers of individuals involved in formulating U.S. foreign policy
Historical New York Times
For more historical news sources: https://guides.lib.uw.edu/bothell/news/historical
Seattle Times via Access World News
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Full text, 1895-present
History and Politics Out Loud
Includes audio of famous speeches of the 20th and 21st century.
ProQuest Congressional
Index to Congressional publications from 1789 to present plus fulltext hearings from 1824-1972 & fulltext bills & laws
Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States

Primary Source Resources in US History

US History Primary Sources
Theresa Mudrock, History Librarian at UW Libraries, has compiled an amazing list of resources to use for finding primary sources in American history.
Campus Library News Guide
Locate local, national, and historical news sources.
UW Libraries Government Publications Guide
Includes subsections with sources for U.S. Federal Documents and Congress.