African American History
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Contents
General |
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- Black History in Two Minutes (or So) The companion site to the podcast narrated by Henry Louis Gates Jr. It explores various people and significant historic events in African American history.
- BlackPast.org This online reference guide includes an online encyclopedia, transcripts of over 300 speeches, over 140 primary sources, links to African American museums and research centers, bibliographies, and more.
- Civil Rights Highlights the Civil Rights Movement after World War II and legislation that was passed protecting civil rights in the 1960s, from the National Park Service.
- Civil Rights Digital Library Compiles primary sources and other materials relating to the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s from libraries, archives, museums, and other resources.
- Civil Rights History Project Compiles oral histories and essays about the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s including the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the Freedom Rides, the Selma to Montgomery Rights March, the murder of Emmett Till, and more, from the Library of Congress.
- In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience Explores the migratory history of African-American including the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, Runaway Journeys, Haiti, and more.
- Margaret Walker Center Located at Jackson State University where she was a professor of English, the Margaret Walker Center archives and interprets African American history and culture. A biography of the poet is included.
- The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow Explores the history of segregation and treatment of African Americans after the Emancipation to the Brown v. Board of Education ruling.
- Say It Plain, Say It Loud: A Century of Great African American Speeches From American Radioworks, listen to or read transcripts of speeches from some great African Americans including Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Jesse Jackson, and more.
- Voices of Civil Rights Collects short personal accounts of America's struggle for civil rights including World War II Japanese Internment, the murder of Emmett Till, the Greensboro Lunch Counter Sit In, and more.
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Museums/Historic Monuments |
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- Boston African American National Historic Site Describes the history of African Americans in Boston including the Museum of African American History, the Black Heritage Trail, the African Meeting House, the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, and more.
- National Civil Rights Museum The official website of the museum which was once the Lorraine Motel where Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
- National Memorial for Peace and Justice and The Legacy Museum Dedicated in memory of all those who were lynched throughout American history. The museum explores racial terrorism, slavery, Jim Crow, and racial injustice.
- National Museum of African American History and Culture From the Smithsonian Institution.
- National Voting Rights Museum & Institute Official website of the museum in Selma, Alabama. Documents the struggles for the right to vote and includes the history of the Voting Rights Act and the three Selma marches.
- Nicodemus National Historic Site After the Civil War, some African Americans went westward to seek out a new life. Nicodemus is one of the settlements that were established by African Americans.
- Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture This Baltimore museum explores the history and culture of African Americans in Maryland.
- Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site Describes the institute built by Booker T. Washington in 1881 and where George Washington Carver taught.
- We Shall Overcome: Historic Places of the Civil Rights Movement Visit some of the historic landmarks from the Civil Rights Movement, includes the story behind the landmark and articles about the movement.
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Historic Events |
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- An Act of Courage: The Arrest Records of Rosa Parks On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for not giving up her seat on the city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Her arrest lead to a bus boycott.
- Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938 In the 1930s, the Works Progress Administration sponsored the Federal Writers' Project that recorded the experiences of African Americans who were born as slaves. This site holds the collection of oral histories.
- Brown vs. Board of Education National Historic Site Located at the Monroe Elementary, a former all African American school, profiles the landmark case that challenged segregation in public schools.
- Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Trial A comprehensive look at the landmark decision that declared segregated schools as unequal.
- Civil Rights Act of 1957 Provides primary sources about the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1957 which gave the federal government the power to obtain court injunctions against voting right limitations.
- Civil Rights Act - 1964 Examines the Civil Rights Act that was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson on July 2, 1964 ending segregation and prohibiting racial discrimination in public places, employment, and in education.
- Civil Rights Trail A trail that links over a hundred historic sites from the Civil Rights movement across 15 states.
- Colored Conventions: Bringing Nineteenth Century Black Organizing to Digital Life Examines the conventions held from 1830-1890s by African Americans around the United States.
- Digital Harlem Provides a variety of resources about New York's Harlem during 1915-1930.
- Emmett Till Murder Trials Explores the trial of Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam for the kidnapping and brutal murder of teenager Emmett Till in 1955.
- For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights Discusses how the role of the visual media, photographs, magazines, films, etc., played with the civil rights movement from 1940-1975.
- Freedom Summer Explore the 1964 Freedom Summer Project where college students from the North went to Mississippi to help African-Americans register to vote. Includes a historical essay, images, timeline, and more, from the Wisconsin Historical Society.
- Gayle v. Browder This case was about the segregation of the buses in Montgomery as Martin Luther King Jr. was leading the bus boycott. The U.S. Supreme Court ended up overturning Plessy v. Ferguson.
- The Greensboro Sit-Ins This story map chronicles the college students who challenged segregation at a lunch counter in Woolworth's in Greensboro, North Carolina.
- Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Tells the story of nine African American students who desegregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957.
- March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Discusses August 28, 1963 when 250,000 came to the National Mall to show support for civil rights and where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream" speech, from the National Park Service.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream Speech Video of Martin Luther King, Jr. giving his "I Have a Dream" Speech on August 28, 1963.
- The Mississippi Burning Trial: United States vs. Cecil Price et al. Examines the murders of three civil rights workers and the federal trial. Also includes information about the 1988 movie based on this case.
- The Murder of Emmett Till PBS's American Experience television series explores the murder case of Emmett Till in Mississippi in 1955.
- The Nat Turner Project Tells the story of the 1831 slave revolt in Southampton County, Virginia, led by Nat Turner and includes primary sources, from Meredith College.
- 1969 Black Student Strike Tells the story of the two week campus-wide strike led by black students at the University of Wisconsin at Madison over the creation of a Black Studies department.
- Selma Movement Discusses the three marches that originated in Selma, Alabama to express the need for voting rights.
- September 30, 1962: James Meredith and the University of Mississippi The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery features James Meredith and his fight to become the first African American student at the University of Mississippi.
- 16th Street Baptist Church - Our History Tells the story of the first black Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, including the bombing on September 15, 1963 which killed four girls.
- SNCC Digital Gateway Tells the story of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee including the people involved and the work SNCC did to bring voting rights.
- The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois The online version of the 1903 publication of DuBois' examination of life as an African American during Reconstruction, published by McClurg & Co.
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People |
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- Autherine Lucy The National Women's History Museum profiles Autherine Lucy and her struggle to be the first African American to attend the University of Alabama.
- Baseball and Jackie Robinson Contains a timeline of events and an essay about the signing of Jackie Robinson to the Brooklyn Dodgers, from the Library of Congress.
- Black History Mini Docs Producer and filmmaker Neema Barnette has created a series of documentaries featuring notable African Americans such as Langston Hughes, Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, and more.
- Booker T. Washington National Monument The birthplace of Booker T. Washington who was born a slave at this Virginia plantation and was freed at the end of the Civil War to later become the first president of Tuskegee Institute.
- Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site Profiles Carter G. Woodson who dedicated his life to documenting African American history. He started Black History Month in February.
- Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument Profiles the life of Charles Young, the third African American to graduation from West Point.
- DuBois Center Provides many resources about the life and works of W. E. B. DuBois.
- Frederick Douglass National Historic Site Profiles Frederick Douglass who escaped from slavery to become an influential abolitionist and civil rights advocate.
- Frederick Douglass National Historic Site This National Park Service online museum explores the life of Frederick Douglass and his home in Washington D.C.
- George Washington Carver National Monument Describes the life and birthplace of scientist George Washington Carver.
- Harriet Tubman National Historical Park Tells the story of Harriet Tubman and her activities with the Underground Railroad and civil rights for African Americans and women.
- Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park Created in 2014, this Maryland plantation, where she was born, tells the story of Harriet Tubman and her role in the Underground Railroad.
- Jackie Robinson: A Film by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, & David McMahon The companion website to the Ken Burns documentary that discusses the life and baseball career of Jackie Robinson. Includes clips from the documentary and a teacher's guide.
- Jesse Owens, Olympic Legend Profiles the Olympic track star who won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic in Berlin.
- John Lewis Depicts the life of Representative John Lewis including his fight for civil rights and his rise to the United States House of Representatives.
- Malcolm X Portrays the life and accomplishments of Malcolm X.
- The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute Contains a biography of Martin Luther King Jr. as well as his papers, speeches, sermons, and more.
- Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change Profiles Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. Discusses Dr. King's philosophy.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Profiles the life and accomplishments of civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Martin Luther King Jr National Historical Park Profiles the life of Martin Luther King Jr. along with his boyhood home and the Ebenezer Baptist Church.
- Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site Chronicles the history of the National Council of Negro Women and its founder Mary McLeod Bethune.
- NAACP History: Medgar Evers Profiles the civil rights leader who was gunned down on June 12, 1963.
- Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self-Development The Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development has a great biography and timeline of the woman who refused to give up her seat on the bus.
- Rosa Parks Papers The Library of Congress gathers the letters, notes, statements, speeches, and other records of Rosa Parks.
- Thurgood Marshall Profiles the life and legacy of Supreme Court Justice and civil rights advocate Thurgood Marshall. He was the first African American Supreme Court Justice in 1967.
- Tuskegee Army Nurses Tells the story of the Tuskegee Army Nurses who served during World War II.
- The Undefeated 44: African Americans Who Shook Up the World Profiles 44 African Americans who have made an impact in their field includes activists, athletes, authors, musicians, actors, politicians, entrepreneurs, and more.
- Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson The companion website to the documentary about African American heavyweight boxer Jack Johnson. Includes biographical essays, timeline, primary sources, clips, teacher's guide, and more.
- Up from Slavery: An Autobiography by Booker T. Washington Online version of the 1901 publication by Doubleday, Page, tells Washington's story from the son of a slave to the establishment of the Tuskegee Institute.
- W. E. B. Du Bois Papers The University of Massachusetts in Amhurst collects the writings of W. E. B. Du Bois including newspaper columns, poetry, letters, speeches, fiction, and more.
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