CAMEO | Ask A Librarian |  Site Search | Home

History:

African American History

Archives, Libraries, and Museums Associations, Organizations, and Institutes Background Biographical Resources Databases and Indexes Discussion Lists

Internet Guides Journals Maps Pictorial Resources Primary Sources Statistical Resources

Archives, Libraries, and Museums

Below are archives, libraries, and museums for African American history. For additional resources, see History: Archives, Libraries, and Museums. To search for archival materials, use the resources at History: Archival Resources.

• AFRO-Americ@'s Black History Museum

• The Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture

• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

• Black Archives of Mid-America
  Largest depository of artifacts documenting the African American experience in the four-state area of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, and Oklahoma

• John Hope Franklin Collection for African and African-American Documentation (Duke University Libraries)
  Seeks to collect, preserve, and promote the use of library materials bearing on the history of Africa and people of African descent.

• Library of Congress
  • The African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture
  • Library of Congress: Manuscripts: An Illustrated Guide: African-American History and Culture

• National Civil Rights Museum

• Negro League Baseball

• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture (New York Public Library)

• University of Pittsburgh
  • Hillman Library
    • African American Collection
  • Archives Services Center
    • Archives of Industrial Society
      Collections covering the development of urban industrial society, with an emphasis on Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. There is also a research guide which can help identify resources of interest:
      • Guide to Selective African-American Resources (PDF)

Back to top

Associations, Organizations, and Institutes

For additional listings, see History: Associations, Organizations, and Institutes.

• Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)
  Established in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the ASALH promotes, researches, preserves, interprets and disseminates information about Black life, history and culture to the global community.

• CAUSE: Center for Africanamerican Urban Studies and the Economy (Carnegie Mellon University)
  Aims to link the historian's interest in race, work, and economic change over time with contemporary analyses of the urban labor force, employment policies, and community development.

• NAACP Online: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
  "The NAACP, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, is the oldest, largest and strongest Civil Rights Organization in the United States. The principal objective of the NAACP is to ensure the political, educational, social and economic equality of minority group citizens of the United States."

• National Urban League
  "Founded in 1910, the National Urban League is the premier social service and civil rights organization in America. The League is a nonprofit, community-based organization headquartered in New York City, with 115 affiliates in 34 states and the District of Columbia."

Back to top

Background

Sometimes you may need some information to get more familiar with your topic. Below are some materials that can provide background on topics in the African American history. Additional resources are listed at History: Background.

• African American World (PBS)

• Altman, Susan. Encyclopedia of African-American Heritage. New York: Facts on File, c2000.
  HUNT REF-1 E185 .A455 2000

• Appiah, Anthony, and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., eds. Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience. 5 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
  HUNT REF-1 DT14 .A37435 2005

Asante, Molefi K. and Ama Mazama, eds. Encyclopedia of Black Studies. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, 2005.
HUNT REF-1 E185 .E554 2004
• Bankston, Carl L., ed. African American History. 3 vols. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, c2006.
  HUNT REF-1 E185 .A25355 2006

• Bradley, David, and Shelley Fisher Fishkin, eds. The Encyclopedia of Civil Rights in America. 3 vols. Armonk, N.Y.: Sharpe Reference, c1998.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.61 .E544 1998

• Drescher, Seymour and Stanley L. Engerman, eds. A Historical Guide to World Slavery. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
  HUNT REF-1 HT861 .H59 1998

• Glazier, Stephen D., ed. Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions. New York: Routledge, 2001.
  HUNT REF-1 BL2462.5 .E53 2001

• Ember, Melvin, Carol R. Ember, and Ian Skoggard, eds. Encyclopedia of Diasporas: Immigrant and Refugee Cultures Around the World. 2 vols. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum, 2004.
  HUNT REF-1 JV6225 .E53 2004

• Grossman, Mark. The ABC-CLIO Companion to the Civil Rights Movement. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, c1993.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.61 .G895 1993

• Harlem 1900-1940: An African American Community (Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library)

• Heidler, David S., and Jeanne T. Heidler, eds. Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: A Political, Social, and Military History. 5 vols. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, c2000.
  HUNT REF-1 E468 .H47 2000

• Hine, Darlene Clark, ed. Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia. 3 vols. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.86 .B542 2005

• Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African American History: From 1492 to the Present. Detroit, MI: Gale, c1997.
  HUNT REF-1 E185 .H64 1997

• Jaynes, Gerald David, ed. Encyclopedia of African American Society. 2 vols. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, c2005.HUNT REF-1 E185 .E546 2005

• Jones-Wilson, Faustine C. et al., eds. Encyclopedia of African-American Education. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1996.
  HUNT REF-1 LC2717 .E53 1996

• Lowery, Charles D., and John F. Marszalek , eds. Encyclopedia of African-American Civil Rights: From Emancipation to the Present. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.61 .E54 1992

• Luker, Ralph. Historical Dictionary of the Civil Rights Movement. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 1997.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.61 .L84 1997

• Miller, Randall M. and John David Smith, eds. Dictionary of Afro-American Slavery. Westport, Conn.: Praeger, 1997.
  HUNT REF-1 E441 .D53 1997

• Mjagkij, Nina, ed. Organizing Black America: An Encyclopedia of African American Associations. New York: Garland Pub., 2001.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.5 .O74 2001

• Murphy, Larry G., J. Gordon Melton, and Gary L. Ward, eds. Encyclopedia of African American Religions. New York: Garland Pub., 1993.
  HUNT REF-1 BR563 .N4 E53 1993

• Newman, Richard. African American Quotations. Phoenix, Ariz.: Oryx Press, c1998.
  HUBT REF-1 PN6081.3 .A36 1998

• Reich, Steven A., ed. Encyclopedia of the Great Black Migration. 3 vols. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2006.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.6 .E54 2006

• The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow (PBS)

• Rodriguez, Junius P. Chronology of World Slavery. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 1999.
  HUNT REF-1 HT861 .R63 1999

• Salzman, Jack, David Lionel Smith, and Cornel West. eds. Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. 5 vols. New York: Macmillan Library Reference, c1996.
  HUNT REF-1 E185 .E54 1996

• Slavery, 1750-1870 (Spartacus Encyclopedia)

• Slavery in America (PBS)

• Smith, Robert C. Encyclopedia of African American Politics. New York: Facts On File, c2003.
  HUNT REF-1 E185 .S58155 2003

• The Time of the Lincolns (PBS)

• Timeline from In Motion: the African-American Migration Experience (Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture)

• Walker, Juliet E. K., ed. Encyclopedia of African American Business History. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1999.
  HUNT REF-1 HD2344.5 .U6 E53 1999

• Wintz, Cary D. and Paul Finkelman, eds. Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. 2 vols. New York: Routledge, 2004.
  HUNT REF-1 PS153 .N5 A24 2003

Back to top

Biographical Resources

See also the resources listed at History: Biographical Resources

• Bolden, Tonya. Biographies (Digital Schomburg African American Women Writers of the 19th Century)

• Gates, Henry Louis and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, eds. African American Lives. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.96 .A446 2004

• Hawkins, Walter L. African American Biographies: Profiles of 558 Current Men and Women. Jefferson, N. C.: McFarland, 1992.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.96 .H38 1992

• Hine, Darlene Clark, ed. Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia. 3 vols. 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
  HUNT REF-1 920.7 B627A2

• Hine, Darlene Clark, ed. Facts on File Encyclopedia of Black Women in America. 11 vols. New York: Facts on File, c1997.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.96 .F2 1996
  v. 1. The early years, 1619-1899; v. 2. Literature; v. 3. Dance, sports, visual arts; v. 4. Business and professions; v. 5. Music; v. 6. Education; v. 7. Religion and community; v. 8. Law and government; v. 9. Theatre, arts, and entertainment; v. 10. Social activism; v. 11. Science, health, and medicine.

• Ingham, John N. and Lynne B. Feldman. African-American Business Leaders: A Biographical Dictionary. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, c1994.
  HUNT REF-1 HC102.5 .A2 I52 1994

• Smith, Jessie Carney, ed. Notable Black American Men. Detroit: Gale Research, 1999.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.86 .N68 1999

• Smith, Jessie Carney, ed. Notable Black American Women. Detroit: Gale Research, c1992.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.96 .N68 1992

Back to top

Databases and Indexes

Below are some databases and print indexes that you can use to find books and articles on topics dealing with African American history. For a more complete listing of those relevant to History, see History: Databases and Indexes. If you need help in selecting or using a database or index for your research, please contact the Hunt Library reference desk.

• Cameo
  Use this to find books and the titles of journals that are in the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries. Do not use this to find articles within journals. If you need to find articles in journals, use one of the databases listed below.

• America: History and Life (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1964-present (Updated monthly)
  Database of citations and abstracts to journal article citations, book and media reviews, and dissertations on all apects of United States and Canadian history from prehistory to the present.

• Black Studies Database: Kaiser Index to Black Resources, 1948 - 1986. (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1948-1986.
  Citations from significant and influential journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, pamphlets and reports relevant to all aspects of African American life and culture.

• Ethnic Newswatch. (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1990-present.
  Full-text collection of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. A rich collection of articles, editorials, columns, reviews, etc. provide a broad diversity of perspectives and viewpoints -- the other sides of the stories. Contents include African American, Arab and Middle Eastern, Asian American, European, Jewish, and Native American publications, including the Spanish-language press.

• Ethnic Newswatch:History (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  1959-1989.
  Full-text collection of the newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press. A rich collection of articles, editorials, columns, reviews, etc. provide a broad diversity of perspectives and viewpoints -- the other sides of the stories. Contents include African American, Arab and Middle Eastern, Asian American, European, Jewish, and Native American publications, including the Spanish-language press.

• Indexes to Selected Periodicals. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1955-1965.
  HUNT REF-INDEX 1950-1965

• Index to Periodical Articles By and About Negroes. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1966-1972.
  HUNT REF-INDEX 1965-1972

• Index to Periodical Articles By and About Blacks. Boston: G. K. Hall, 1973-1983.
  HUNT REF-INDEX INDEX 1973-1983

• Index to Black Periodicals Boston: G. K. Hall & Co., 1984-present. (updated annually)
  HUNT REF-INDEX 1984-present

• The Kaiser Index to Black Resources, 1948-1986. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Carlson Pub., 1992.
  HUNT REF-1 016.97304 K13
  Available online as the Black Studies Database: Kaiser Index to Black Resources, 1948 - 1986 (see above).

Back to top

Discussion Lists

For additional resources, see History: Discussion Lists.

• Black History Research and Discussion Forum (Association for African American Historical Research and Preservation

• H-Afro-Am
  Main mission is to provide an exchange of information for professionals, faculty and advanced students, in the field of African American Studies (also called Afrocentricity, Africology, Africana Studies, Afro-American Studies, Black Studies, and Pan-African Studies).

• H-Slavery
  Seeks to promote interaction and exchange among scholars engaged in research on slavery, the slave trade, abolition, and emancipation.

Back to top

Internet Guides

• African American History (Don Mabry's Historical Text Archive)

• Black History Pages

• WWW-VL: History:United States: African American History

Back to top

Journals

Below are major journals in African American history. Use Cameo and the Find e-journal list to search for other journal titles in the Carnegie Mellon University Libraries, or use the databases listed above to find journal articles on particular topics. For additional titles, see Primary Sources: Newspapers, Magazines, and Journals and History: Journals.

• Du Bois Review (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 1, 2004-present.
  

• Journal of African American History (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: 2002-present.
  Continues:
  Journal of Negro History (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 1, 1916-ca. 86, 2001.

• Journal of Black Studies (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 1, 1970-ca. v. 32, 2001.
  

• Journal of Negro Education (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 63, 1994-present.
  Journal of Negro Education (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 1, 1932-ca. v. 70, 2001.

• Review of Black Political Economy
  Full text: ca. v. 22, 1994-v. 28, 2000.
  Review of Black Political Economy
  Print: Vol 1, 1970-present.
  HUNT JOUR-3

• Transition (Carnegie Mellon users only)
  Full text: v. 1, 1961-ca. v. 80, 1999.
  Transition (Carnegie Mellon University)
  Full text: Vols. 9, [81/82], 2000 - 10, [88], 2001.

Back to top

Maps

See also the map resources listed at History: Maps

• African American Experience Maps (Lincoln/Net, Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project)

• Asante, Molefi K. and Mark T. Mattson. The Historical and Cultural Atlas of African Americans. New York: Maxwell Macmillan International, c1991.
  HUNT REF-1 E185 .A8 1991

• Chaliand, Gérard and Jean-Pierre Rageau. The Penguin Atlas of Diasporas. New York: Viking, 1995.
  HUNT REF-1 GN370 .C43 1995

• Chicago Historical Data Maps (Black Metropolis: The Last Half Century, Ted Manley, Jr., DePaul University)
  Maps of Chicago's African American community in 1910, 1920, and 1960-1990

• Earle, Jonathan Halperin. The Routledge Atlas of African American History. New York: Routledge, 2000.
  HUNT REF-1 E185 .E125 2000

• Great Migration USA Data Map Viewer (University of Illinois at Chicago)

• Migration Resources (In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture)

• Smallwood, Arwin D. with Jeffrey M. Elliot. The Atlas of African-American History and Politics: from the Slave Trade to Modern Times. Boston: McGraw-Hill, c1998.
  HUNT OVRSZQ-2 E185 .S574 1998

Back to top

Pictorial Resources

See also the resources listed in History: Pictorial Resources.

• African-Americans in World War II (The History Place)
  Selected photographs of the the European and Pacific Theaters, awards and honors, women's contributions, etc.

• Higgins, Chester and Orde Coombs. Some Time Ago: A Historical Portrait of Black Americans from 1850-1950. Garden City, N. Y.: Anchor Press / Doubleday, 1980; c1979.
  HUNT STACKS-2 E185 .S593 1980

• Horton, James Oliver and Lois E. Horton, eds. A History of the African American People: The History, Traditions & Culture of African Americans. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1997.
  HUNT OVRSZQ-2 E185 .H56 1997

• Hughes, Langston and Milton Meltzer. A Pictorial History of the Negro in America. New York: Crown, [1956].
  HUNT OVRSZQ-2 E185 .H83 1968

• Images of African Americans from the 19th Century (Digital Schomburg, The New York Public Library Digital Library Collections)
  Images depicting the social, political, and cultural life worlds of African-Americans throughout the nineteen century.

• Images of 20th Century African American Activists: A Select List (Prints and Photographs Reading Room, Library of Congress)

• Mason, Herman Skip, ed. Going Against the Wind: A Pictorial History of African-Americans in Atlanta. Atlanta, GA: Longstreet Press, c1992.
  HUNT OVRSZQ-2 F294 .A89 N44 1992

• Migration Resources: Images from In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience (Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture)

• Photographs of African Americans During the Civil War: A List of Images in the Civil War Photograph Collection (Prints and Photographs Reading Room, Library of Congress)

• Preview Galleries (Black Archives of Mid-America)
  Images of African American people, places, events, etc. from the Black Archives of Mid-America.

• Slavery in America Image Gallery (Slavery in America, PBS)

• Through the Lens of Time: Images of African Americans from the Cook Collection of Photographs (Virginia Commonwealth University)

Back to top

Statistical Resources

Statistical resources relevant to African American history are too numerous to list here. Below are some of the more basic ones. Relevant statistics may also be in some of the resources listed at History: Statistical Resources. If you need help finding statistics, please ask for assistance at the Hunt reference desk.

• Matney, William C. America's Black Population: A Statistical View, 1970-1982. Washington: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, [1983].
  HUNT REF-1 E185.8 .M37 1983

• Negro Year Book. Tuskegee Institute, Ala.: Negro Year Book Pub. Co, 1912-1952.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.5 .N3 1921-22, 1925-26, 1931-32, 1937-38.
  For a description of the Negro Year Book, and additional local holdings, see African American History: Primary Sources: Yearbooks.

• Smith, Jessie Carney and Carrell Peterson Horton. Historical Statistics of Black America. 2 vols. New York: Gale Research, c1995.
  HUNT REF-1 E185 .H543 1995

• Statistical Record of Black America. Detroit: Gale Research, c1990.
  HUNT REF-1 E185.5 .S83

• United States. Bureau of the Census. Negro Population in the United States, 1790-1915. New York: Arno Press, 1968.
  HUNT REF-1 HA205 .A33 1968

• United States. Bureau of the Census. Negroes in the United States, 1920-32. Washington: U.S. Govt. Print. Off., 1935; New York, Kraus Reprint, 1969.
  HUNT REF-1 312.9 U58N 1920/32

Back to top

                 See also: Atlantic World
                           African History