U.S. Presidential Library
This database includes messages and papers of the presidents, public papers of the presidents, documents relating to impeachment, and a host of other works relating to the U.S. presidency.
HeinOnline Specialist
Related HeinOnline Blog Posts
To see how our HeinOnline bloggers have used this database to research the presidency, check out these blog posts:
- Primaries vs. Caucuses: How Presidential Nominees Are Chosen
In January 2024, Iowa held its Republican presidential caucus, after which Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race due to lower than expected numbers, falling far behind Trump for second place. A week later, New Hampshire held the first primary election, at which former President Trump again came out ahead for the Republicans, and President Biden won in a landslide over other Democrat candidates, despite the fact that he needed to be written in. All these primaries and caucuses might have you wondering, what’s the difference?
- Decision in Trump’s Immunity Claim Now in HeinOnline
Back in August 2023, a grand jury indicted former President Donald Trump on four charges for his conduct following the 2020 presidential election through the January 6 Capitol attack. In February 2024, the three-judge panel, including Judges J. Michelle Childs, Florence Pan, and Karen LeCraft Henderson, dismissed Trump’s argument that he could not be prosecuted because the allegations against him were tied to his official duties as president, denying him the ability to avoid a trial. Read the judges’ opinions in HeinOnline or keep reading to see what they said.
- The Most Contentious Presidential Election You’ve Never Heard Of
Every presidential election matters. But the election of 1876 had repercussions that still reverberate today. Barely a decade after the end of the American Civil War, the country was in a precarious state. Outgoing President Ulysses S. Grant’s time in the White House had been marred by rampant scandal and corruption.[1] The economy groaned under an ongoing worldwide financial crisis, known as the Panic of 1873.
- The TikTok Ban: A New Era in Social Media Regulation
In 2020, former President Trump issued an executive order prohibiting transactions with the China-based company ByteDance, owners of TikTok, under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. TikTok later filed a motion for a preliminary injunction, but the ban was later fully blocked by Judge Nichols. In 2021, TikTok became the world’s most visited website and the most downloaded app in 2022. As 2023 unfolds, concerns persist within the Biden Administration regarding the potential for Beijing to gain access to sensitive data of American users or exploit its algorithm to disseminate propaganda via TikTok.
- New Content Added to the John F. Kennedy Assassination Collection
In adherence to President Joe Biden’s Memorandum,[1] the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) recently disclosed previously withheld records regarding the assassination of John F. Kennedy. More than 13,000 documents recently released from the NARA are now searchable within HeinOnline. All records are required to be released by June 30, 2023. We will incorporate any new content into our collection as soon as it becomes available.
- A New Deal on Banking Reform
Silicon Valley Bank’s recent failure immediately brought to mind the 2008 financial crisis, both in pundit talking points and in the minds of ordinary citizens. Terms like “bank run” may have brought to mind a specific scene in It’s a Wonderful Life, and may have caused some to wonder: weren’t laws passed to prevent this exact scenario after the Great Depression? The banking world did undergo a major transformation as a result of the Great Depression. Let’s explore the monumental New Deal legislation that created today’s banking world, all of which was passed within the first 100 days of Roosevelt’s presidency.
- Donald Trump's Indictment Now in HeinOnline
On Tuesday, April 4, 2023, Donald Trump appeared in court after being indicted by a New York grand jury on 34 felony charges related to hush money payments during his 2016 presidential election. The indictment, which covers each of the 34 counts, can now be found in HeinOnline’s U.S. Presidential Library.
- Mayhem at Mar-a-Lago
Donald Trump may no longer be president, but it seems his name is in the news just as frequently as during his term. Between the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021, and now the finding of classified documents at his Palm Beach club, Mar-a-Lago, it seems that Trump cannot escape from scandal. So what has been happening at Mar-a-Lago in the past few months? Let’s dive into the details with some help from HeinOnline.
- Tip of the Week: How to Locate an Executive Order
An executive order is a directive by the president of the United States that manages operations of the federal government. Presidential executive orders, once issued, remain in force until they are canceled, revoked, adjudicated unlawful, or expire on their terms. Users can find executive orders in both the U.S. Presidential Library and the Federal Register within HeinOnline.
- Mandates to Vaccinate: A Brief History
Vaccination requirements aren’t new in the United States. Many infectious diseases have resulted in mandatory inoculations at the federal and state level—well before today’s health and safety measures were put into place. With the help of HeinOnline, let’s take a look at the relationship between government and vaccination through the years in the United States.
To see how our HeinOnline bloggers have used this database to specifically research presidential impeachment, check out these blog posts:
- Two Years in the Making: The January 6 Final Report
The House committee investigating the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol held its final meeting last month on Monday, December 19 and released their final report three days later, on December 22. The report, which is the culmination of an 18-month investigation and over 1,000 interviews, is now available in HeinOnline’s U.S. Presidential Impeachment Library and U.S. Congressional Documents database.
- A Step-By-Step Guide to the Trump Impeachment Proceedings
This month, history was made when Donald J. Trump became the third U.S. president to be impeached by the House of Representatives. However, contrary to popular misunderstanding, impeachment does not necessarily mean Trump will be removed from office.
Confused about how it all works? Keep reading for a step-by-step guide.
- Trump Impeachment Hearing: The Testifying Scholars Revealed
After weeks of public testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, the House Judiciary’s impeachment hearings into President Trump have officially begun. On this first day of the hearings, four law professors take the stand to testify. Join HeinOnline in exploring the background of each of these experts using the Law Journal Library.
- Secrets of the Serial Set: The Impeachment of Bill Clinton
In this installment of Secrets of the Serial Set, dive into the events surrounding the 1998 impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton by exploring the Clinton v. Jones case, the Lewinsky affair, and the impeachment process.
- Tip of the Week: Researching Impeachment
HeinOnline’s vast collection of government documents, academic journals, and case law allow users to stay up-to-date with current events in our world. Today, let’s take a look at what resources are available in HeinOnline to impress your friends with your knowledge on recent breaking news.
- The Watergate Scandal, Part III: The Serial Set
In 2017, we published two posts about researching the Watergate scandal in HeinOnline. The first post demonstrated how to research the scandal using HeinOnline resources such as the Law Journal Library. The second focused on Watergate’s connection to the Pentagon Papers.
With the continued growth of HeinOnline’s U.S. Congressional Serial Set, even more material on Nixon and Watergate has become available.
- The Watergate Scandal, Part II: Pentagon Papers
Earlier this summer we blogged about HeinOnline’s journal and government document coverage, and how it relates to researching historical events. The blog provided a brief synopsis of the Watergate Scandal and how to research this topic in multiple HeinOnline databases. Let’s now look at the link between the Watergate scandal and the Pentagon Papers, which are available in HeinOnline.
- The Watergate Scandal: Part I
HeinOnline’s journal and government document coverage dates back to inception, enabling researchers to learn about key historical events from multiple perspectives. Read articles written about events as they occurred, and view exact replicas of original historical print publications; also, find current material discussing these same events with information gained through hindsight.