Quick Digital Research Tip: Using Chronicling America for NHD Research

Historical newspapers can be valuable sources of information for research projects. Created through a partnership between the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress, Chronicling America offers visitors the ability to search and view more than 20 million digitized newspaper pages from 1770 to 1963 and to find information about American newspapers using the National Digital Newspaper Program. This video guides researchers through the basics of using the Chronicling America database, including entering search terms, filtering by year and state, sorting results, and sharing and saving articles. The Quick Digital Research Tip: Using Chronicling America's Advanced Search media resource can help researchers learn about more advanced search options. 

Questions for Analysis and Comprehension

These questions can be used before viewing the video to brainstorm ideas or after watching as a way to reflect. 

1. The video uses the example of a project focused on U.S. immigration quotas in the early 1920s. What words or phrases would you search to find relevant newspaper articles for this topic?

2. If your search turns up too many results to browse, what are some ways you might be able to narrow your search?

3. What are some advantages of using a newspaper database compared to consulting physical newspapers? Can you think of any disadvantages or limitations of relying on a database?

This video is one in a series on historical research and writing developed through a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Humanities and National History Day.