African and African American Studies: Primary Sources

This digital collection, curated by the Ohio Historical Society, illuminates specific moments in the history of Ohio's African-Americans and provides an overview of their experiences during the time period 1850 to 1920 in the words of the people that lived them. The story of the African-American Experience in Ohio 1850-1920 is more diverse and complex than this collection can adequately portray. All we can hope is to provide the researcher with a place to begin. Note: The Ohio History Connection Collections are comprised of many culturally significant materials. Some were created to be private or confidential and are now accessible as part of the historical record. Some contain what may be considered offensive images, language or content which reflect the creators' views or those of the period in which they were created, written or recorded. Many are not appropriate by today's standards of respectful expression and actions. They serve as reminders of the importance of increased cultural competency, inclusion and equity. We recognize our past role in promoting these perspectives, and we are working to ensure that the histories we preserve and interpret today encompass the experiences of all those who have called Ohio home. There is much work yet to do."

"Online interviews with veterans of the freedom struggle." A collaboration of the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture.

"[E]xhibitions, books, articles, photographs, prints, audio and video streams, and selected external links for research in the history and cultures of the peoples of Africa and the African Diaspora." From the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library.

A large number of primary source collection materials related to African American history are digitized and available online via the Library of Congress's website, including manuscripts, newspaper articles, images, and rare books. In addition, the Library also provides digital content on African American history through their exhibition program, "Today in History" essays, and online research guides.

Vanderbilt University provides audio recordings of prominent African Americans who were interviewed for Robert Penn Warren's 1965 book. Interviewees include James Baldwin, Stokely Carmichael, Ralph Ellison, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X.

A digital publishing initiative, sponsored by the University Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture. Currently DocSouth includes sixteen thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture is the only national museum devoted exclusively to the documentation of African American life, history, and culture. It was established by Act of Congress in 2003, following decades of efforts to promote and highlight the contributions of African Americans. To date, the Museum has collected more than 36,000 artifacts and nearly 100,000 individuals have become members.