So I am an undergrad student at a University that allows you to do an undergraduate research thesis for some extra clout if you want to publish early. For my research topic, I have decided to look into Chinese Laborers who were brought to the American South during the time of reconstruction to work the plantations. Some Southern planters seemed to get it in their heads that if they could not have slave labor, then coolie labor was the next best thing. I feel it is going pretty well so far, and I have been reading old newspapers from the 1860s and 1870s for primary sources. I have even found a speech given by Frederick Douglas that I found useful! As this project is going on however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find the sources I need. Are there any sources or databases that anyone can recommend? I feel I have already exhausted what is available through my university and the Library of Congress. If not, then are there any tips about finding sources for a niche topic like this that anyone can share?

So my understanding is that the Ostrogoths tried multiple times to crown Belisarius as the King of Rome while he was reconquering it for Justinian, and he refused to throw his loyalty to the East away and become king of italy - but why didn't he just accept the crown, swear fealty to Justinian as a vassal (or even gift the crown to Justinian?), and then keep conquering into Spain and Gaul?

I'm currently working on a novel series and have been hitting a few roadblocks in my writing process. I wanted to know if anyone versed in the subject of medieval history would be able to answer this question for me (or at least point me in the right direction for places to look / sources) :

I have a main character (Female, 22) who lives in a small village and is friends with one of the guardsmen. I was wondering what this relationship would be like. It is nothing romantic - simply a question of: How would they talk to one another? Seeing as how gender roles are significantly different then than they are now, I wasn't all too sure of the limitations the two would have.

The time period that I am working with is late medieval (1470's).

If anyone has any information that might be able to help me come to a conclusion on this it would be much appreciated. Thank you!

Can the etymology of a word/name help historians assume something in lack of other proof?

I was reading about Troy/Wiliusa and how we found in Luwian texts the name Alaxandu, which sounds pretty similar to the Greek Alexander. We can be sure that “Alexander” is a Greek name, because etymologically it means something in Greek. Would historians use this as evidence of Greek presence in Wiliusa?

I am unaware if ancient cultures would use names of a different language to name their children. For instance Philippines are named after King Philip of Spain, and although the name is etymologically Greek, there is no connection between the Philippines and Greece.

A similar rephrasing of the question about the same subject would be about places in Anatolia like Miletos/Millawanda or Halicarnassus/Alos Karnos. Since the etymology of the cities is not Greek, could this be proof enough that those cities were not originally founded and inhabited by Greeks, or that assumption cannot be made by the name alone?

Hello Historians! So I'll be doing a history research paper on something Post American Civil War (1865-1900's maybe?) related. Can someone give some advice on a good online database (possibly free) that
I can use to find some primary sources? Or advice on the primary sources themselves will be much appreciated. I will most likely be writing on the after effects of the emancipation proclamation.

So, a lot of people bought shares of the company, but are there any records of who exactly was investing. Was it only wealthy merchants, or were average people able to invest as well?

As I sit at the bar and enjoy my cold beer, I begin wondering... when did the keg come into favor? How did keg taps work before “the modern age”? Was beer in America typically served warm and from a barrel pre-electricity? How did my ancestors get drunk?????

Edit: More simply put; what is the history of beer serving?

I would think that many of them would not want to fight a rich man’s war in which wealthy slave owners would only benefit? Was slavery so widespread that even common people owned slaves?

May instructor states “While hitlers ideas were hateful they had actually found popularity among the Jews intially”

However he won’t go into Further details on subject and says the topic isn’t important.

Does this have basis in truth?

(Also I am a aware and honestly embarrassed by the biases in both my text books and educators when it come to certain topics so am aware this may be just incorrect)

I am not from US so I have almost zero knowledge about US historiography tendencies. I am however familiar with Russian and Soviet historiographical tendencies during the past century so this question is quite intriguing to me and it would be interesting to see how the two historiographies of the two opposing Cold War era states compare,. The collapse of Soviet Union had massive implications to Russian historiography, namely the switch away from historical materialism. But did the Soviet collapse change US historiography in any noticeable way? If this information can be found somewhere, a link or a pointer to such place would be more than sufficient for an answer.

I’ve read she was a mathematician, astronomer and poet. Is her work written down? If so where can I find it? Thanks!

Quick question or questions rather I guess. I was wondering why the US, I say the country cause I'm not sure who exactly ordered this I believe MacArthur, force the Emperor of Japan to renounce his Godhood. Was it christian beliefs that drove them? Was it to weaken the Emperor's legitimacy. But then they made him a symbol of the Japanese people. This while I guess a step down from being reprieved a God is still a large amount of symbolic power at least to my understanding. So why did the US keep him around at all did they really have a choice that is did they have to keep him or did the Japanese negotiate to keep the Emperor in power?