Research Guides: Social Work: Historical Research

Find Scholarly Articles about the History of Social Welfare

America: History and Life
Article abstracts and citations of literature covering the history and culture of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.
JSTOR
Searchable backfiles of core journals in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. (Backfiles end typically 3 - 6 years prior to the current date).
Black Studies Center
Black Studies Center is a digital core collection of primary and secondary sources in arts, history, literature, politics, and religion that record and illuminate the Black experience, from ancient Africa through modern times.
Women's Studies International
Bibliographic database for women's studies and feminist research, providing indexing and abstracts for publications in many disciplines including sociology, history, international relations, and humanities.
Historical Abstracts
Article abstracts and citations of books and dissertations covering world history from 1450 to the present; excludes the United States and Canada.

Ebooks with Background Information

Encyclopedia of Social Welfare History in North America by John M. Herrick (Editor); Paul H. Stuart (Editor)
ISBN: 1452265437
Publication Date: 2005
American Political Culture by Michael Shally-Jensen (Editor); Ted G. Jelen; Mark J. Rozell
ISBN: 9781610693776
Publication Date: 2015

Online Newspapers

Newspaper Source Plus
Full text for major national and international newspapers, including the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Times (London). Also includes full-text radio and television news transcripts.
Black Historical Newspapers
Full-text access to the backfiles of major African American community newspapers. Offers primary source material essential to the study of American history and African-American culture, history, politics, and the arts.
Ethnic NewsWatch
Full text newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, native and minority press.
Access World News
Also known as NewsBank, provides access to major national and international newspapers, local and regional titles, blogs, and more. Historical and current content, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch archive from 1903 to present.

Primary Source Collections

Disability in the Modern World
Primary sources, supporting materials, archives, and video related to disability studies.
Black Studies Center
Black Studies Center is a digital core collection of primary and secondary sources in arts, history, literature, politics, and religion that record and illuminate the Black experience, from ancient Africa through modern times.
LGBT Thought and Culture
Key works and documentation of LGBT political and social movements throughout the 20th century and into the present day. Includes the Pat Rocco Collection, the Jeanne Cordova Papers, the Magnus Hirschfeld Collection, and more.
Gender: Identity and Social Change
Digitized primary source material documenting developments in gender roles and relations from the 19th century to the present.
Indigenous Peoples: North America
Primary-source collections from Canadian and American institutions, providing insight into the cultural, political, and social history of Native peoples. Includes manuscripts, newspapers, Bibles, dictionaries, and primers in Indigenous languages.

Archival Research

Social Welfare History Project
The history of social welfare is an interdisciplinary study of the evolution of organized activities related to social reform and social service. Research materials related to this history include the papers, records and publications of individuals, local volunteer groups, national private organizations, and the state and federal government agencies that have provided and regulated social services.
Social Welfare History Image Portal
The Social Welfare History Image Portal brings together photographs, pamphlets, artifacts and documents chronicling the history of the nation's response to human need. This history includes the work of volunteer organizations, reform movements, social workers, and government legislation and systems.
Social Welfare History Archives
The Social Welfare History Archives is in the Archives and Special Collections Department (ASC) at the University of Minnesota Libraries. The SWHA is a national source of archival records on topics such as: social work, immigrant and working class communities, poverty and public health programs, youth and child welfare, unemployment, public assistance, and other social issues.
Archival Resources of the Virginias
Archival Resources of the Virginias (formerly Virginia Heritage) is a consolidated database of finding aids that provides information about the vast array of manuscripts and archival materials housed in Virginia and West Virginia
ArchiveGrid
ArchiveGrid includes over 7 million records describing archival materials, bringing together information about historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and more. With over 1,400 archival institutions represented, ArchiveGrid helps researchers looking for primary source materials held in archives, libraries, museums and historical societies.
National Archives
The National Archives holds historical U.S. government documents (federal, congressional, and presidential records) that are created or received by the President and his staff, by Congress, by employees of Federal government agencies, and by the Federal courts in the course of their official duties.