Often, the best work arises from close engagement with a primary source. As you read, you'll think of questions or begin to shape an argument. The hard part is to find a primary source that addresses the broad general area of interest. Here are some strategies for finding primary sources:
Partially searchable digital images of books, primarily British, printed in the eighteenth century. Based on the Eighteenth-Century Short-Title Catalogue. Also see the alternative interface Artemis Primary Sources that allows users to analyze content using frequency and term-relationship tools.
Collections on the transatlantic slave trade, the global movement for the abolition of slavery, the legal, personal, and economic aspects of the slavery system, and the dynamics of emancipation in the U.S. as well as in Latin America, the Caribbean, and other regions.
Consists of major collections from the British Library which span over 300 years of newspaper publishing in the U.K.—17th and 18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers and 19th Century Newspapers provides a representative selection of papers from 17th-19th century Britain and includes national, regional and local newspapers from England, Scotland, Ireland & Wales. (1732-1950)
Some primary sources are collected in books, which you can find the library catalog.
To find the papers of an individual, search for that person as an author, e.g. Wilberforce, William
To find the records of an organization or government body, use the name of the organization as an author e.g. Great Britain. Colonial Office
Include one of these words as a keyword or a subject:
If you find something that looks useful, look at the detailed view of the catalog record and try to identify the "subject" assigned. For many topics in history, there's an official term used in all Anglo-American library catalogs, like:
To find works published in a particular time and place, explore the search options. It is usually possible to limit your search by date, language, or location of publication.