One of the best ways to research artifacts in a historical context is to look at reviews and commentary from the time a work was first published or created. These reviews and comments can help you discover how a work was received when it was released. Try reading reviews in newspapers or periodicals paying careful attention to the date a review is written. Someone reviewing a movie even a few years after it first previewed may have a different perspective than someone writing a review when that same film was first released.
When using a database such as Academic Search Premier or JSTOR, you can easily set the date range of the results to show you items published during a specific time period.
The Library at Menlo provides individual subscriptions to the New York Times Online for all students. Set yours up through the links provided, it will remain in effect as long as you are enrolled at Menlo. Through the "Times Machine" you can look at scans of the actual newspapers throughout its history. Instructions for logging in are below.
Researching Historical Contexts
New York Times
After activating your subscription from one of the links below, log on to the New York Times site directly using your Menlo e-mail and password. iPhone, iPad, and Android apps are available with your login.
InfoPlease - Online Almanac: Find out what was going on in the news and popular culture for each year from 1900-2015.