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HIS 4362: History of the Old South: Digital Collections

Primary Sources Databases

Slavery & Anti-Slavery

National Archives

Image: The National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper that preserves and maintains the U.S. government's collection of documents, and makes them available for research. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever. The National Archives is the U.S. Government’s collection of documents that records important events in American history.