Finding Background Sources- Credo Reference & More
Credo Reference helps you start your research in American history with timelines, histories of the US as a whole and by state or region, and introductions to key historical events.
NOTE- Credo Reference has a link to JSTOR database, which is a great source for scholarly secondary sources.
There are other databases and sources of background information. Credo is just a start!
If you don't see what you need, look for "more sources" or a bibliography at the end of the articles you find in Credo.
Try the same approach when reading books or articles on your topic. Let the bibliography from one scholar lead you to the work of another.