LibGuides: Primary Sources: Government Documents

Government Documents as Primary Sources

(Image is The Bill of Rights, from the National Archives. Image is hyperlinked to National Archives catalog record.)

Governments produce a wide array of documents ranging from Congressional or Parliamentary debates and reports, census data, agency or departmental papers to brochures, maps and posters. As primary sources these official governmental publications provide insight into all aspects of history from social issues to politics, from cultural mores to scientific endeavor.

Finding Government Document: Major Databases for US Documents

Foreign Relations of the United States
Compilation of state department documents covering foreign relations from Presidents Lincoln through Eisenhower.

Many free, specialized databases with digitized government documents can be found on the Internet. Check out these library-recommended government document sites:

Foreign Relations of the United States, 2
Compilation of state documents from the Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford administrations.
National Archives
Links to government publications, gateways and guides to federal information, finding aids and indexes to government documents, federal directories, and other government publications.
USA.gov
The U.S. government's official web portal, that provides public access to U.S. government information and services on the web.
GPO - U.S. Government Printing Office
Documents dated back to 1813. GPO provides publishing and dissemination services for the official and authentic government publications to Congress, Federal agencies, Federal depository libraries, and the American public.