National Archives at Chicago

Research Topics

We hold a large amount of federal records created in the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin that can enrich your curriculum. These records cover a wide scope of topics including, but not limited to:

  • Chicago and Regional History
  • Civil Rights Movement
  • Environmental History
  • Espionage and Sedition
  • Fugitive Slaves
  • Immigration and Naturalization
  • Indian Affairs
  • Labor History
  • Maritime History of Great Lakes and Inland Waterways
  • Mining and Railroads
  • Organized Crime and Prohibition
  • Science and Technology
  • World War I and II Home fronts

We also hold over 60,000 rolls of microfilmed records. The bulk of the collection is the Federal population census schedules from 1790-1930 for all states. These holdings are complimented by microfilm rolls relating to:

  • Native Americans
  • Revolutionary War Service and Pension
  • U.S. Customs Department Ship's Passenger Arrival
  • FBI, Kent State University Investigation
  • Freedman's Bureau
  • Records of the Continental Congress
  • Captured World War II German Records
  • Diplomatic and Consular Affairs
  • 54th Massachusetts Infantry (from the film Glory)
  • Flight 19 Bermuda Triangle
  • Development of the Atomic Bomb
  • Selected Court Cases argued by Abraham Lincoln
  • Selective Service System
  • Letters of Application and Recommendations During Presidential Administrations
  • FBI Investigative Case Files (1908-1922)
  • Slave Ship Amistad
  • Civil War Prisoner of War Camps
  • Investigation and Trial Papers relating to the Assassination of President Lincoln
  • 1864 Massacre of Cheyenne Indians at Sand Creek, Colorado Territory
  • East St. Louis, Illinois Race Riots, 1917
  • Military Intelligence relating to "Negro Subversion" 1917-1941
  • Appellate Case Files of Brown vs. Board of Education
  • Southern Claims Commission
  • Sultana Disaster, April 27, 1865
  • Selected 19th Century African Americans Awarded the Medal of Honor
  • United States Supreme Court, 1790-1950
  • United States Postal Service, 1832-1971
  • Trial of Aaron Burr and Harman Blennerhassett
  • Records relating the Military Service of Ulysses S. Grant
  • Territorial Papers of the United States
  • Nuremberg War Crime Trials

Top of Page

National History Day & the Chicago Metro History Fair

We crafted a list of research ideas based on this year's theme:   Revolution, Reaction, Reform in History:

Please investigate these great online resources from local and state programs:

National History Day Resources

The Great Lakes Region is an active supporter of the National History Day program in our region. We also support the Chicago Metro History Fair, a regional History Day event for the city of Chicago and suburban Cook, Lake, Kane, and DuPage counties.

In addition to judging in both city and state History Day events, we are readily available to help students use our primary resources to support, contribute, and illustrate their research endeavor. Check out our Archival Holdings Guide for insight into using our resources.

Top of Page

PDF files require the free Adobe Reader.
More information on Adobe Acrobat PDF files is available on our Accessibility page.

National Archives at Chicago >

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272

.