The guide was originally based on specific topics of past student research. Many of the groups listed here need more research and we will be adding more information as we can. Please contact us for assistance in finding resources for your research.
These are only a few suggestions. See also our full list.
Many subscription databases require a card from the Connecticut State Library for remote access.
The Open Society Justice Initiative from HeinOnline is part of the Open Society Foundations. It was established in 2003 to provide expert legal support for Open Society's broader mission and values through strategic human rights litigation and other legal work.
User help page at https://libguides.heinonline.org/open-society
This HeinOnline database covers civil rights in the United States as their legal protections and definitions are expanded to cover more and more Americans. Containing publications from the Commission on Civil Rights, legislative histories on landmark legislation, briefs from relevant U.S. Supreme Court cases, and more.
A compilation of the most important historical documents and legislation related to immigration in the United States as well as current hearings, debates and recent developments in immigration law. This first comprehensive database includes BIA Precedent Decisions, legislative histories, law and policy titles, extradition titles, scholarly articles, an extensive bibliography, and other related works.
User help page at https://libguides.heinonline.org/immigration-law-and-policy-in-the-us
Covers U.S. immigration history from the earliest colonial settlements to the present.
Download Student User's Guide
With more than 900 unique titles and 900,000 pages dedicated to American Indian Law, this collection includes an expansive archive of treaties, federal statutes and regulations, federal case law, tribal codes, constitutions, and jurisprudence.
It also features Statutory Compilation of the Indian Law Survey. A Compendium of Federal Laws and Treaties Relating to Indians, Pts. 1-46 (1776-1938), a rare compilation edited by Felix S. Cohen, as well as Cohen's 1940 Temporary Edition of the Handbook of Federal Indian Law. This is a very rare (and apparently unpublished) edition that appears to have been circulated by Cohen only to his colleagues within the Department of the Interior. Here is the description from the Foreward to the 2005 edition of the Handbook:"...the Handbook was first issued in 1940 as a temporary edition with limited circulation in the Department of the Interior. The first printing available to the public in 1941, but the press run was small. The 1942 printing was the first edition widely available." Remote access with a library card issued by the Connecticut State Library.
User help page at https://libguides.heinonline.org/indigenous-peoples-of-the-americas
The LGBTQ+ Rights database is a HeinOnline collection of materials relating to the gay rights movement in America, including an interactive timeline, as well as subject-coded court cases, scholarly articles, books, pamphlets, reports, and more. This collection charts the gay rights movement in America, showing the civil rights codified into law in the 20th and 21st centuries, as well as the inequalities that still exist today.
User help page at https://libguides.heinonline.org/lgbtq-rights
See also specific groups in the sub-pages. These are more general resources.
Please be advised that some of these resources--particularly those created in previous eras--contain descriptions for ancestral, racial, ethnic, and gender identity that may be offensive or harmful to individuals investigating these records, and are considered inappropriate to use in modern times. The descriptions and treatment of historically marginalized groups, women, and animals may be upsetting. Also, please note that inclusion in this subject guide does not necessarily constitute endorsement of the views therein--we encourage investigators to use their own judgment when evaluating books, websites, articles, documents, and other resources.
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