Menlo School Library: Imperialism: Project resources

Databases

A lot of primary source material is available through our subscription databases. Look for documents from the time period, or newspaper articles about particular events. In the history databases, use limiters (on the left side of the page) to limit your results to primary sources. Use your Menlo username and password to log in.

Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  This is an excellent source for secondary source articles.
- What's included?
  Over 2000 full-text journals and magazines that are not available on the open internet, 80% of which are peer-reviewed.
Britannica Academic This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Begin your research by reading authoritative tertiary sources like the ones found here.
- What’s included?
  In-depth overview articles, often with links to supporting primary source materials. Also includes a world atlas with statistical information on individual countries plus the ability to compare any two countries.
EBSCO Ebook Collection This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Find ebooks to support research projects or for recreational reading.
- What’s included?
  Over 34,000 ebooks that can be read online or downloaded as a PDF (with some limitations).
Historical Newspapers: U.S. Major Dailies (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Find news reporting from major United States newspapers on a variety of historical events.
- What’s included?
  Archived newspaper articles from past issues of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and Chicago Tribune.
History Reference Center (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  This history database is both a useful research starting point and a good place to find sources to fill research gaps.
- What’s included?
  This is a very large collection of tertiary, secondary and primary sources. Use the Advanced Search screen to narrow your search to a particular type of source.
Image Quest (Britannica) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Look here for images and photographs with citation information provided.
- What’s included?
  Over two million photographs, artistic works and political cartoons.
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  This database provides quick access to authoritative secondary source material. Primary sources are now available too—under Refine Results, scroll to Primary source content to select source types.
- What’s included?
  Look here for a very large collection of peer-reviewed journal articles and images, plus a smaller collection of e-books and technical reports. Use Advanced Search to select articles from a particular topical area. Now has primary source content too.
Oxford Research Encyclopedias This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Find long-form reference articles on a wide variety of topics.
- What’s included?
  Signed, peer-reviewed, topic-specific articles from 25 individual encyclopedias.
World History: The Modern Era (ABC-Clio) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  This database is a good place to begin history research projects.
- What’s included?
  Reference articles and primary source documents from the Renaissance to the present day.

Books

The library has many books on the topic of imperialism and colonization. You can find information on your topic by searching the library catalog, here:

Library catalog

Look for books with a call number in the 320's (imperialism) or in the 900's (history of particular countries).

Africa

General information

African Timelines
A collection of links from a university course.
Colonization of Africa
From the New York Public Library, an overview essay, maps, and a number of photographs from colonization times.
The Crime of the Congo
Arthur Conan Doyle's 1909 book about human rights abuses in the Congo Free State under Leopold II.
European Imperialism in Africa
A collection of links to primary sources.

Algeria

The French Conquest of Algeria and the Liberation War of the Algerian People Under the Leadership of Abd el-Kader
Good tertiary source describing Algeria at the beginning of colonization.
Imperial Proclamation to the Arabs
This 1865 New York Times article includes proclamation from Napoleon III to the Algerian citizens.
The Tricolor on the Atlas, or, Algeria and the French Conquest
This is a online copy of a book that was published in 1854.

Ethiopia

Emperor Menelik II of Ethiopia and the Battle of Adwa: A Pictorial History
This article on Emperor Menelik has some great images plus background information, and a quote from Menelik at the bottom of the page.
Treaty of Friendship and Trade between the Kingdom of Italy and the Empire of Ethiopia (Treaty of Wuchale)
This 1889 treaty between Italy and Ethiopia was discarded in 1890.

South Africa

European Missionaries in Southern Africa: the Role of the Missionaries
Information from the South African History Project.
October 11, 1899: Second Boer War Begins, Fueled by Discovery of Gold
A tertiary source magazine article describing the British and Dutch colonization after the discovery of gold.

Congo

BLM Catalyst for Decolonization Efforts in Belgium

Refers to the historical impacts of Belgium's colonization on Congo and how modern activist movements incite decolonization.

Once the Blood on Our Hands Dries: Royal Apologies for the Belgian Colonization of Congo

Discusses history of Belgium colonization of Congo and the current actions taken by Belgium.

Asia

India

India and the 1857 Sepoy Rebellion
Very dense essays with links to primary sources/news articles form the time of the Sepoy mutiny.
India Government Acts
Searchable database of all government acts since 1834.
Indian History Sourcebook
Primary sources with a focus on India, from the Internet Modern History Sourcebook.
The Indian Revolt
A first hand account, published in The Atlantic in 1857.

Meiji Restoration

Meiji Period in Japan

Russo-Japanese War

Suez Canal

Story of the Suez Canal
An 1876 document, from the Internet History Sourcebook.
Suez Canal Authority
Background history, and document and decree (primary) sources.
Suez Crisis
History of the Suez Canal, from the BBC.
Treaty of Portsmouth
Documents - Pre-1949 China
A collection of primary source documents from the USC US-China Institute.

China and The Opium Wars

The Current Trade War and some thoughts on the Opium Wars of the 1840s

Video analysis of impacts of the Opium Wars on the 2018 Trade War

The Opium Wars in China

A concise historical overview of the first and second Opium Wars.

French Imperialism in Vietnam

French Conquest of Indochina

Brief video overview of French colonization of Vietnam.

General information

British Empire
Documents and background information from the British National Archives.
British Newspaper Archive
Find newspaper articles from UK newspapers dating back to the 1700s.
Eurodocs: European History
Large collection of links to primary documents.
Eyewitness to History
Background information and primary source material (text, image and audio) from 490 BCE to the 1970's.
FUSE Education
Wonderful history site that includes images of primary documents, from the Australian government.
History of Australia
Overview information, with a few links to primary sources.
Imperialism
Links to primary sources, from the Internet Modern History Sourcebook.