Chicago Politics
The Newberry holds primary and secondary sources related to government and politics in Chicago from the early history and founding of the city to the present day.
Use the sections below to explore. Please call the reference desk at (312) 255-3512 with questions about our holdings, or contact a librarian with research questions.
Newberry Library Catalog: Simple search | Advanced search
Search the online catalog by author, title, or keyword(s) such as name of politician, office, party, event, or movement with "Chicago" help to narrow your search.
The following subject headings may also be useful:
Chicago (Ill.)- Politics and government
Campaign literature
Social movements- Political aspects
Choose Held By Library to find physical items held at the Newberry and Sort By to see the newest or oldest materials. Use the Advanced Search to search for multiple terms or phrases in different fields and to search for materials created during a specific year or range of years. For more information about searching the online catalog, please see our Guide to Primo VE.
Modern Manuscripts & Archives at the Newberry: Search finding aids
Search by keyword(s) or browse by topic or subjects and filter results for relevant terms.
Newberry Digital Collections: Search digitized collection items
Browse all and use relevant filters or search by keyword(s).
Selected Newberry Digital Scholarship Websites
Decision 1920. View online
Dissent and Democracy in Modern American History. View online
Riots and Protests: Chicago's Legacy of Conflict. View online
Subversives in the City: Responses to Political Radicalism in Chicago. View online
The New Deal in Chicago and the Midwest. View online
Databases
Newspapers can be especially useful resources because of their extensive coverage of politicians and political issues of the day. You must be onsite to use these databases.
Chicago Defender Archives, 1909-1975. Search online.
Chicago Tribune Archives, 1849-1998. Search online.
View full list of subscription databases available only onsite
All items with a “Ref” call number can be viewed on the open shelves on the 3rd floor and cannot be requested through the online catalog.
Encyclopedia of Activism and Social Justice. Gary L. Anderson and Kathryn G. Herr, editors. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 2007. View catalog record
Oxford Handbook of U.S. Women's Social Movement Activism. Holly J. McCammon, et. al., editors. NY: Oxford University Press, 2017. View catalog record
The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Richard Sisson, et. al, general editors. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2007. View catalog record
The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social and Political Movements. David A. Snow, et. al., editors. Malden, MA: Wiley, 2013. View catalog record