Library Guides: U.S. Domestic Policy Research: Context and History

Understanding the context in which a bill was created by looking at current and past events.

CQ Researcher and Issues & Controversies have detailed information about hot topics.

You may also want to search for this information across all our databases in Spartan Search.

Current Events Databases

CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
CQ Researcher provides comprehensive reporting and analysis on issues in the news. Each single-themed report is researched, footnoted and fact checked, and contains an introductory overview; a background and chronology on the topic; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; a pro/con debate by representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources.
Subjects: health, social trends, criminal justice, international affairs, education, environment, technology, economy, political science
Content: reports
Publication dates: 1996 - present
Issues & Controversies on File This link opens in a new window
Issues & Controversies offers in-depth pro/con articles exploring hundreds of current topics in politics, government, business, society, education, and popular culture. It features key facts, arguments, history, and current context of timely issues and provides infographics, court cases, editorial cartoons, graphs and charts, and editorials.
Subjects: communication, criminal justice, education, english, latin-american studies, media studies, political science, sociology, speech communication
Content: journals, government documents, newspapers
Publication dates: 1995 - present

Browse the Library's Newspaper Databases
Explore the library's complete list of newspaper databases.

History Databases

Historical Statistics of the United States This link opens in a new window
Historical Statistics of the United States is a five-volume reference work with topics ranging from migration and health to crime and the Confederate States of America. The fully searchable and downloadable electronic edition permits users to graph and create customized tables and spreadsheets.
Subjects: multidisciplinary
Content: U.S. Census bureau statistics
Publication date: 2000
Military and Government Collection This link opens in a new window
Subjects: criminal justice, history, political science
Content: journals
Publication dates: 1956 – present
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Complete is a scholarly, multi-disciplinary database providing information on a wide range of subjects. It contains full-text access to peer-reviewed journals, magazines, monographs, reports, and conference proceedings as well as indexing and abstracts for thousands of publications.
Subjects: multidisciplinary
Content: journals, magazines, newspapers, ebooks
Publication dates: 1887 - present
Cambridge Core This link opens in a new window
Cambridge Core is a collection of journals and books covering the humanities, social and natural sciences, medicine, and English language teaching.
JSTOR Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection This link opens in a new window
Includes all 2,800+ academic journals on JSTOR that span more than 60 disciplines across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, along with millions of primary sources across four collections.

Subjects: applied behavior analysis, biology, biotechnology, chemistry, english, environmental science, mathematics, sustainability, theater
Content: journals, primary sources, books
Dates of publication: 1665 - present
European Views of the Americas, 1493-1750 This link opens in a new window
European Views of the Americas: 1493 to 1750 is a free archive of indexed publications related to the Americas and written in Europe before 1750. It includes thousands of valuable primary source records covering the history of European exploration as well as portrayals of Native American peoples.
Subjects: history
Content: journals
Publication dates: 1493 - 1750
CBS News 60 MINUTES This link opens in a new window
CBS News 60 MINUTES offers unprecedented access to transcripts and nearly 500 hours of video from 1997–2014. Available in the US Newsstream Collection, 60 MINUTES is among the most respected television journalism programs in the world. Each news segment within the collection serves as a standalone short documentary on a specific news topic. Segments are also included from CBS News program Sunday Morning, whose timely news pieces, cultural features, and newsmaker profiles form an ideal complement to 60 MINUTES content.

Browse All History Databases
Browse the full list of library databases for history.

Spartan Search

Did you know there's a way to search across all of the library's databases?

Spartan Search is the search box on the library's home page. When you click the magnifying glass search icon, a full search screen will open, giving you the option to use the advanced search and filter your results.

Learn more about choosing where to search.

You can even get started with your search right here.