Bowdoin College Library has an excellent collection of government publications from the early republic to the present. Some of the major U.S.historical series are listed below. For other historical government documents, please ask us.
Annual report of the American Historical Association (online, print)
Govt Doc SI 4.1
Writings on American history
Main Ref Z1236 .W69
These annual reports, produced by the Smithsonian, consist of lengthy essays on historical topics. Access is by bibliographies and short indexes.
Congressional Record (online and print)
Govt Doc X1- X100 1789-present
List of more options.
The name of this publication has changed over the years, but the Congressional Record remains a daily record of the debates taking place on the floor of Congress. In the 1st to the 31st Congress, the Government Publishing Office published summaries of the debates and proceedings. From the 32nd to the present Congress, the GPO publishes full text of debates and proceedings.
Historical Statistics of the United States.
Comprehensive, searchable collection of statistics, including 37,000+ data sets that can be downloaded. A historical supplement to the
Statistical Abstract of the United States. A great place to start looking for data. Footnotes to tables lead you to more detailed or more current data.
The introduction to each section provides a helpful summary of major sources.
Previous editions are available from the Census Bureau,
HathiTrust, and elsewhere online and in print.
Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789
Govt Ref GS 4.20 247/2
Collection of letters, documents, and proceedings of the delegates to the Continental Congress.
A compilation of the messages and papers of the presidents.
Main Ref J81 .B96g
Territorial Papers of the United States (database)
The official history of every American territory before it became an American state, sourced from the National Archives of the United States.
United States Congressional Serial Set (online)
Bowdoin Govt Doc Serial, 1789-1994 (print)
The U.S. Congressional Serial Set is comprised of thousands of sequentially numbered volumes containing congressionally-produced reports and documents. In the 19th century, many executive agency documents were published in the Serial Set as well. A key source of primary source documents for American history.
Guide to American Indian documents in the Congressional Serial Set, 1817-1899
Main Ref KF8201.A1 J63 1977
Fulltext of the documents in this guide are freely available through American Indian and Alaskan Native Documents in the Congressional Serial Set: 1817-1899, University of Oklahoma, College of Law
United States statutes at large (online and print)
Govt. Docs. AE 2.111:
List of options.
An annual compilation of laws passed by Congress, arranged chronologically.
Treaties and other international agreements of the United States of America, 1776-1949.
Govt Doc S 9.12/2:, 1776-1949
Govt Docs S 9.12:, 1950-
List of options.
Chronological compilations of the treaties to which the U.S. is a party.
Selected finding aids for reports of explorations and surveys. The Library has many of the reports in print in the Serial Set or available online via the U.S. Congressional Serial Set database. Please ask us for assistance in locating the reports.
Warren, Gouverneur K. Memoir to accompany the map of the territory of the United States from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean : giving a brief account of each of the exploring expeditions since A.D. 1800, with a detailed description of the method adopted in compiling the general map. Washington, DC, 1859. 768 S.exec.doc 78, vol. 11, 33-2. Via HathiTrust.
Wheeler, George M. Report upon the Third International Geographical Congress and Exhibition at Venice, Italy, 1881 : accompanied by data concerning the principal government land and marine surveys of the world. Washington, DC: GPO, 1859. SuDocs: W 7.5:W 56. 2293 H.exec.doc. 270, 48-2.
Bowdoin Spec Coll/Archives. Via Internet Archive.
Hasse, Adelaide R. Reports of explorations printed in the documents of the United States. Washington: GPO, 1899. SuDocs: GP 3.5:2. Via HathiTrust and Google Books.
Schmeckebier, Laurence F. Catalogue and index of the publications of the Hayden, King, Powell and Wheeler surveys. USGS Bulletin 222. Washington: GPO, 1904. SuDocs: I 19.3:222. 4684 H.Doc. 606, 58-2. Online.
Ladd, Richard S. Maps showing explorers' routes, trails & early roads in the United States, an annotated list. Library of Congress, 1962. Govt Doc LC 5.2:Ex7. Via HathiTrust.
