Indigenous Histories and Cultures of North America

Materials from the Newberry Library's Edward E. Ayer Collection are brought together in this database to document interactions between Indigenous Peoples in North America and European colonists from their earliest contact, continuing through the turbulence of the American Civil War, the on-going repercussions of government legislation, right up to the civil rights movement of the mid- to late-twentieth century. Included are manuscripts, artwork and rare printed books dating from early European colonization, up to photographs and Indigenous newspapers from the mid-twentieth century. Browse through a wide range of rare and original documents from treaties, speeches and diaries, to historic maps and travel journals.