Research Guides: History: Government Information

About Government Information

The U.S. government is the largest publisher in the United States and publishes statistics and other information on a variety of topics.

When researching the federal government, consider the branch or agency involved in your topic: Legislative, Judicial, or Executive (which includes Bureaus and Agencies). For a more detailed explanation, go to the Government Documents page.

U.S. government documents at Kenyon are typically located in compact shelving on the first floor, near the Chalmers classroom.

British Government Resources

Hansard, 1803 - 2005
Freely available database of British parliamentary debates. Based on information from Hansard, the Official Report of debates in Parliament. There's Hansard itself; by volume, just the Lords sittings, Commons sittings or Westminster Hall sittings. You can also view Written Answers, Written Statements, Lords reports or Grand Committee reports. There are also lists of People who are recorded as having spoken, Constituencies, Offices, Acts, Bills and Divisions.

House of Commons Parliamentary Papers
Coverage includes 1688-1900.

Selected Government Information Resources

ProQuest Congressional
Broad database of US Congressional publications including Bills & Laws, Congressional Record Daily and Bound Editions, CRS Reports, Committee Prints, Hearings (Published & Unpublished), House & Senate Reports and Documents and other US Serial Set materials. Also includes congressional members and committees records and demographics, regulatory action and political news search capability. Now includes Executive Documents collections and updates to Hearings and Congressional Record collections.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service Daily Reports
Created by the U.S. intelligence community to benefit policy makers and analysts, Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports offer foreign views and perspectives on historical events from thousands of monitored broadcasts and publications. Translated into English from more than 50 languages, from Arabic to Swahili, these comprehensive media reports from around the globe include news, interviews, speeches and editorial commentary. Current coverage is from 1946-1996.

Homeland Security Digital Library
Electronic documents made available by the Dudley Knox Library at the Naval Postgraduate School, searchable by keyword or by topic, including general U.S. policy documents, national strategy documents, theses and research papers from the Center for Homeland Defense and Security and the Naval Postgraduate School, and homeland security executive orders. Also includes notices of events and conferences pertaining to homeland security, and news items drawn from various news sources.
Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) (1870-1946)
[KEN Main JX233 .A3]
Published by the United States department of State, the FRUS series is the official documentary historical record of major U.S. foreign policy decisions that have been declassified and edited for publication. It is an excellent resource for studying US International Relations. The volumes are easily browsed by year and topic. They are also available online.
For more recent volumes: http://consort.library.denison.edu/record=b3786844~S6
Foreign Relations of the United States, post JFK
From the Office of the Historian. These are easily downloadable and searchable.
THOMAS
The Congressional online public access information system. Provides access to full-text legislation, public laws, the Congressional Record, committee reports, roll call votes, floor activities, committee schedules, selected historical documents, etc.
American Presidency Project
From the University of California, Santa Barbara, this resource includes primary documents as well as media.

Selected Statistical Information

American Civil War Research Database
Contains indexed, searchable information on over 4 million soldiers and thousands of battles, together with 15,000 photographs. The database includes the military records for every soldier in the collection as well as Official Records, pension index records, 1860 census records, Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) records, Roll of Honor records, Medal of Honor records, and regimental histories. This information has been compiled from personal items, graveyards, and newspaper reports.
Historical Statistics of the United States
A compendium of statistics from more than 1,000 sources and includes more than 37,000 data series about American history. Tables may be graphed, customized, and downloaded.

Statistical Abstract of the United States
Though discontinued, we still have historical volumes in print. The 2011 edition is available at the reference desk.
Online edition is available here: