African American History

From FSU Libraries Subject Pages

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Finding Articles 2.1 Databases and Indexes 2.2 Journals 2.3 Newspapers 3 Finding Books & Media 3.1 Library of Congress Classifications 3.2 Subject Headings 3.3 Series Titles 4 General Reference Works 4.1 Bibliographies 4.2 Biographies 4.3 Chronologies 4.4 Dictionaries 4.5 Dissertations and Theses 4.6 Encyclopedias 4.7 Genealogy 4.8 Government/Historical 4.9 Guides 4.10 Literature, Art & Culture 4.11 Speeches 4.12 Statistics 4.13 Video Recordings 5 Websites 5.1 General Resources 5.2 Organizations 6 Help

Introduction

This research guide is intended for both undergraduate and graduate students looking for information about African American history.

This guide focuses on general reference books, journals, and online resources available at the FSU Libraries. It also includes relevant Library of Congress classifications and subject headings to help researchers locate additional materials.

Finding Articles

Databases and Indexes

• America: History and Life

A bibliographic database covering the history of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present.

• American Periodicals Series Online

Digitized images of the pages of over 1,100 American magazines and journals published between 1740 and 1900.

• Ethnic NewsWatch

A full-text collection of newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press.

• FRANCIS (1984-present)

Covers records from more than 3,000 journals, books, dissertations, and other American and European sources in the humanities, social sciences, and economics.

• HarpWeek (Harper’s Weekly): The Civil War Era and Reconstruction I & II

Civil War and Reconstruction content from Harper's Weekly, 1857-1877, with index.

• JSTOR

A database of the back issues of core journals in the humanities, social sciences and science. In Advanced search limit by checking boxes for “African American Studies” and “History.”

• Kaiser Index to Black Resources (1948-1986)

Index covers about 150 publications relevant to the Black experience and African Diaspora. STROZIER Reference E185 K24 1992 (vols.1-5) In Library Use Only

• Project Muse (MUSE)

Provides access to the full-text of more than 200 scholarly journals published by the Johns Hopkins University Press including historical journals.

Journals

Links to electronic versions are provided if available.

• Black History Bulletin STROZIER Microfilm PR 296 v. 1 (1937) – v. 66(2003)

• Black Scholar (formerly Journal of Black Studies and Research) STROZIER periodicals 305 B631 & Film PR 630 (v.1 1969 – present)

• The New Crisis (formerly The Crisis) STROZIER periodicals 305 C932 & Film PR720

• Ebony STROZIER Micromaterials Film PR 295 (1945—2004) & STROZIER Periodicals 050 E16 (1965--present) (The latest issue in the Popular Periodicals Reading Area.)

• Freedom’s Journal STROZIER Micromaterials Film PR406 1827--1829. [see also Freedom’s Journal: the first African American Newspaper (2007): J. Bacon’s book examines in depth the first African American newspaper in the United States].

• Journal of African American History (formerly Journal of Negro History) STROZIER Periodicals 905 J861 (v.1 [1916]—present)

• Journal of Black Studies STROZIER Periodicals 305 J8642 (v. 1—v.7, v.9—v.33) & Micromaterials Film PR932 v.1—v.34 (2004)

• Western Journal of Black Studies STROZIER Periodicals 305 W5272 (v.1—v.29)

See also:

• The Afro-American Periodical Press, 1838—1909 STROZIER Reference PN 4882.5 B8

A history of African American periodicals by Penelope L. Bullock.

• Antislavery Newspapers and Periodicals STROZIER Reference AI3 .A54

• Black Journals of the United States STROZIER Reference PN 4882.5 D36

Profiles African American Journals. Contains a “selected chronology of events in Black History as related to founding of black journals” and provides a geographical distribution of African American Journals in the United States. By Walter C. Daniel.

• G.K. Hall Index to Black Periodicals STROZIER Reference AI3 I5 (Latest years on Index Shelf 9)

Begins in 1973 with alternative titles such as Index to Periodicals by and about Blacks (1973—1983) followed by Index to Black Periodicals (1984—1998).

• Ladies' Pages: African American Women's Magazines and the Culture that Made Them STROZIER PN4882.5 .R66 2004

By N. Rooks.

Newspapers

See the African American Newspapers wiki.

• Afro-American STROZIER Micromaterials Film NP426 (Apr. 29, 1893-1901 & Dec. 11, 1915-1986)

• Los Angeles Sentinel STROZIER Micromaterials Film NP438

• Miami Times STROZIER Micromaterials Film NP463

• Atlanta daily world STROZIER Micromaterials Film NP427

• Birmingham world STROZIER Micromaterials Film NP431

• Black Liberator STROZIER Micromaterials Film NP402

See also:

• Index to Black Newspapers 1977—1986 and continued by Black Newspapers Index 1987/1998 STROZIER Micromaterials Z6944 N39 I38

Finding Books & Media

Books and media resources about African American history can be found in two main ways: by searching the online FSU Library Catalog and by browsing the aisles at Strozier.

When searching the online catalog, a basic search will let you search by keyword, title, author, subject or call number. An advanced search will let you search by a combination of these fields, as well as by format, language, location, and date. Searching by the subject headings listed below may also be helpful.

When browsing the aisles, the majority of books on African American history will be on the third floor, while the media resources will be on the ground floor in the Digital Media Center. The Library of Congress classifications listed below may be helpful when browsing the aisles.

Library of Congress Classifications

The following Library of Congress classifications may be useful when browsing the shelves at Strozier Library for additional materials on African American history. The majority of the 'E's are on the third floor. Additional materials (such as government documents, micromaterials, media, and reference books) may be found on the ground floor and the first (main) floor.

• E 185 --- African American History (including Customs, Civil Rights, and Social and Economic Conditions)
• LC 2701-LC2853 --- African American Education
• PN 1992-PN2286 --- African Americans in Film, Television and Theatre

Subject Headings

The following subject headings may be useful when browsing the online FSU Library Catalog. To browse by subject heading, select Subject from the Browse Organized Lists drop-down menu, type the subject heading in the search box, then click the Go box.

• African Americans -- Bibliography
• African Americans -- Biography
• African Americans -- Civil rights
• African Americans – History -- Sources
• African Americans -- Politics and Government
• African Diaspora
• American colonization society
• Antislavery movements
• Freedmen
• NAACP
• Slavery
• Slavery -- Florida (or any state)
• Slavery -- United States -- History
• Slavery -- United States -- Fugitive slaves
• Slaves -- Writings
• Slave-trade -- United States
• United States -- Race relations

Series Titles

To search by series title, go to the online FSU Library Catalog, select Title, Series from the Browse Organized Lists drop-down menu.

• American Negro, his history and literature (50+titles)
• Black Americans of achievement
• Black studies research sources
• Contributions in Afro-American studies
• Margaret Walker Alexander series in African American studies

General Reference Works

When an item's location line reads STROZIER Reference, then the item is located on the first (main) floor of Strozier Library and can only be used in the library. When an item's location line reads STROZIER Documents, then the item is located on the ground floor. When an item's location line reads STROZIER Ready Reference, then the item is located at the first (main) floor reference desk.

Bibliographies

• The African American Experience: A Historiographical and Bibliographical Guide STROZIER E184.65 .A37 2001

• Afro-American Reference: An Annotated Bibliography of Selected Resources STROZIER Reference Z1361 N39 D37 1985

• Black Experience: Bibliography of Books on Black Studies in the Academic Libraries of Brooklyn STROZIER Reference Z1361 N39 B55

• Black slavery in the Americas: An Enterdisciplinary Bibliography, 1865-1980 STROZIER Reference Z7164 S6 S63 1982

• The Black Experience: A Guide to Afro-American Resources in the Florida State Archives STROZIER Documents Fla-Doc SS/A8. A36

• Black Slavery in America: An Annotated Mediagraphy STROZIER Reference E441 K84 1995

Biographies

• African American Biographical Database

Biographies of African Americans living between 1790 and 1950.

• African Americans in Florida STROZIER E185.93 F5 M37 1993

• Biography Resource Center & the Complete Marquis Who's Who

Includes resources such as Notable Black Women and the St. James Guide to Black Artists.

• Biography and Genealogy Master Index

A comprehensive index to biographical sketches covering both contemporary and historical figures.

• Black Women in America: An Historical Encyclopedia STROZIER Reference E185.86 B542 1993 (2 vols.)

• Notable Black American Men Book II

• Who’s Who Among African-Americans STROZIER Reference E185.96 W53

Chronologies

• African American Years: Chronologies of American History and Experience

Dictionaries

• African American Almanac STROZIER Reference E185 A2525 1996

• African American Culture STROZIER Reference E185 A2525 1996

• African American Writers: A Dictionary STROZIER Reference PS 153.N5 A3444 2000

• Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience (vol.1-5) STROZIER Reference DT14 A37 Y35 2005

• Dictionary of Afro-American Slavery STROZIER Reference E441 D53 1997

• Dictionary of American History

• Greenwood Dictionary of African American Folklore STROZIER Reference GR 111 .A47 G74 2006 (3 vol.)

• Historical Dictionary of African American Television STROZIER Reference PN 1992.8 A34 F43 2006

• Historical Dictionary of the Civil Rights Movement STROZIER Reference E185.61 L84 1997

Dissertations and Theses

• Dissertations and Theses. Electronic Database (citations and full text: 1861 to present)

Covers doctoral dissertations completed in the U.S. at accredited institutions for the last 150 years. Includes some master’s theses and foreign language dissertations. Dissertations completed since 1997 are available in fulltext.

• ETDs@FSU. (Electronic Database)

Download the most recent Masters Theses and Dissertations from Florida State University published from March 2003 to the present.

• Masters Abstracts (1962-1985) and Masters Abstracts International (1986 to 2003). STROZIER Reference Z5055 .U49 M3

Encyclopedias

• Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience STROZIER Reference DT14 .A37435 2005

• Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History

• Encyclopedia of Black America STROZIER Reference E185 E55 In Library Use Only

• Encyclopedia of Black Studies

• 100 Greatest African Americans: A Biographical Encyclopedia STROZIER Reference E185.96 .A83 2002

Genealogy

• African American Research (National Archives)

Searches include pre-civil war, military and post-civil war records.

Government/Historical

• African American History in the Archival Research Catalog (National Archives)

Includes documents on slavery, records of death and internment at Camp Nelson, KY, and Tuskegee Syphilis Study Administrative Records.

• Civil Rights During the Kennedy, Nixon and Johnson Administrations

Johnson (1963—1969): Film 8679 (Micromaterials JC 599.U5 G84)

Kennedy (1961--1963): Film 8842 (Accompanied by: Micromaterials Z1245 C58)

Nixon (1969—1974): Film 9644 (Guide to Microfilm Edition is found: Micromaterials E185.615 G85 1989)

• Documenting the American South (DocSouth)

A digital publishing initiative that provides Internet access to texts, images, and audio files related to southern history, literature, and culture. Currently DocSouth includes ten thematic collections of books, diaries, posters, artifacts, letters, oral history interviews, and songs.

• Historical Publications of the United States Commission on Civil Rights from the Thurgood Marshall Library

• Library of Congress American Memory: African American History

American Memory provides free and open access through the Internet to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.

• NewsBank InfoWeb--Archive of Americana

Contains Early American Imprints by Evans (Series 1: 1639-1800) & Shaw-Shoemaker (Series 2: 1801—1819), America’s Historical Newspapers, American State Papers 1789—1838 and U.S. Congressional Series Set (1817---1980).

• Papers of the NAACP/National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

In the FSU Online Catalog perform a Subject Search=National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -- Archives

• United States Commission on Civil Rights Collections

In the FSU Online Catalog perform an Advanced Search with keyword author=United States Commission and keyword subject=African American. Select “Exact Phrase” for each.

Guides

• The African American Experience in Cyberspace: A Resource Guide to the Best Websites on Black Culture and History STROZIER READY REFERENCE E185 .M49 2004

• The Columbia Guide to African American History Since 1939 STROZIER E185.6 C715 2006

Literature, Art & Culture

• African American Women Writers of the 19th Century

Database of fiction, poetry, biographies and essays from 19th and early 20th century black women.

• Almanac of African American Heritage STROZIER Reference E185 .A448 2001

A book of lists featuring people, places, times, and events that shaped black culture.

• Black Entertainers in African American Newspaper Articles STROZIER Reference Z6935 R44 2002 (v.1)

• Callaloo STROZIER 820.5 C156 [v.1 (1978)—v.24 (2001)]

A premier African Diaspora literary journal.

• Encyclopedia of the Harlem Literary Renaissance STROZIER Reference PS153 N5 B675 2006

• George P. Johnson Negro Film Collection STROZIER Micromaterials Film 5318

The collection consists of newspaper clippings, photographs, publicity material, posters, correspondence, and business records related to early Black film companies, Black films, films with Black casts, and Black musicians, sports figures and entertainers.

• Images of Blacks in American Culture: A Reference Guide to Information Sources STROZIER NX 652 A37 I43 1988

• Literature Resource Center

Option exists for searching “Authors by Type” selecting “Author Ethnicity-- African Americans.”

• Profiles of African American Stage Performers and Theatre People, 1816—1960 STROZIER Reference PN2286 .P46

Speeches

• Say It Plain: A Century of Great African American Speeches STROZIER PS663.N4 S39 2005

Statistics

• Black Americans: A Statistical Sourcebook STROZIER E185.5 .B512 (Latest edition in Reference)

• Black Demographic Data, 1790-1860: A Sourcebook STROZIER E185.18 .C73 1997

Video Recordings

Perform an Advanced Search in the FSU Libraries catalog. Besides Keyword(s) anywhere type: “African Americans" and select Exact Phrase. Then go to Limit Search by and select Video (all formats) then click Go.

• Black Americans of Achievement Video Collection

Two collections of 20+ biographical video-recordings. Perform a title keyword search in the FSU Catalog to display a list of titles.

Websites

General Resources

• African-American History and Studies

Contains links to professional associations, archives and research centers, African American History Sites (a very long list!), and links to contemporary issues.

• African American Portal—Wikipeda

• History Cooperative

A web site containing searchable journals (such as the American Historical Review, Journal of American History, etc.), conference proceedings, and the Booker T. Washington Papers.

• History Resource Center: U.S.

A comprehensive source of primary and secondary documents.

• John G. Riley Center /Museum of African American History and Culture

African American History in Florida

• LANIC (Latin American Network Information Center)

Provides information about the African Diaspora in the Americas, bibliographies, etc.

• New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Contains information about the African American migration experience, a digital collection on topics such as: Images of African Americans from the 19th Century, Harlem 1900—1940: An African American Community, and The African Presence in the Americas, 1492—1992.

• Tallahassee Community College African American History Resources

Contains resources on Florida African American history in addition to associations, networks, museums, and African American Studies Departments.

Organizations

• African American Heritage Preservation Foundation

• Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc.

• Association for the Study of African American Life and History

• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

• National Council for Negro Women, Inc.

Help

• Ask Us Now!

• Research Services

• Research Consultation Request Form

• History Liaisons:

Bill Modrow Head, Learning Services Florida State University Libraries 644-1967 wmodrow@mailer.fsu.edu

Lucy Patrick Head, Special Collections Florida State University Libraries 850-644-6167 lpatrick@mailer.fsu.edu

Sarah Buck Kachaluba Humanities Librarian Florida State University Libraries 850-645-1475 sbuckkachaluba@mailer.fsu.edu