Black Culture and History

Databases

  • Biography Resource Center
    Do a name search to find biographical information on a huge range of people or browse on categories that include African Americans, Obama Administration, Presidential Election 2008.
  • Heritage Quest
    Search the US census 1790-1930, selected Revolutionary War Records, a variety of local and family histories plus articles of interest to genealogy researchers.
  • Historical New York Times
    The New York Times 1851-2004 offers full page and article images with searchable full text back to the first issue.
  • NewsBank
    Special reports on the U.S. Presidency, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and celebrating Black History Month.
  • SIRS
    Leading Issues section includes information on civil rights, 2008 election and racial profiling.

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Local Events & Exhibits

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Local Interest & Places to Visit

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Genealogy

  • The African Names Database
    Part of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database with information on almost 35,000 slaving voyages. “The African Names Database identifies over 67,000 Africans aboard slave ships, using name, age, gender, origin and place of embarkation.”
  • African-American Genealogy: What’s Out There?
    Part one of a five part series by Traci L.Wilson-Kleekamp for the Missouri State Archives. Click on the other parts to see the entire presentation.
  • Introduction to African-American Genealogy
    A beginner’s guide by About.com’s genealogy expert.
  • National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
    Detailed information and online exhibits about the history of human slavery from early times to the present from the Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. Partners with the Family History Center to provide genealogical assistance.

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Local Resources

  • Black Studies
    The Black Studies program at the University of Missouri is dedicated to “teach & research the World Black Experience” through courses, events and programs.
  • Columbia Convention & Visitor’s Bureau
    Short descriptions of the civil war letters of Lewis Riley located in the Western Historical Manuscript collection, the section of the Columbia Cemetery where soldiers from Missouri’s 62nd US Colored Regiment are interred and a photograph of “the home of Ragtime” where J.W. Blind Boone lived.
  • Lloyd L. Gaines Digital Collection – MU Law Library
    Lloyd Lionel Gaines was denied admission to the University School of Law in 1936 based on state law. In 1938 Gaines and the NAACP won his case overturning the University’s admission policy. His case was the first of others that led to Brown vs. the Board of Education, which outlawed segregation in public education.
  • Western Historical Manuscript Collection
    Inventory of Black Community Photographs, 1958-1963 depicting black businesses and communities in Columbia.

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State Resources

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National Resources

  • A&E Biography Channel
    Featured biographies, places and events plus an interactive Black History timeline and information on upcoming programming on the A&E Biography channel.
  • Biographies - National Archive ARC Collection
    Click on digital copies search to find online documents and texts about famous and notable African Americans in the National Archives.
  • Documenting the American South
    “Internet access to texts, images and audio files related to southern history, literature and culture” from the library collection of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
  • History Channel
    Black history interactive timeline, black history milestones, profiles of 65 African-American icons and information on upcoming programming on the History channel.
  • Library of Congress
  • NAACP Records
    Since 1964, the Library of Congress has served as the official repository of NAACP records, the “cornerstone of Library’s unparalleled resources for the study of the Civil Rights Movement.”
  • NAACP
    On February 12th, 2009 the NAACP marks its one hundredth anniversary with celebrations and observances that “highlight the significant role the organization has played in leading social change in America.” For more information on its history see also http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/feb09/citizenship.html
  • Slave Narratives from the Federal Writer’s Project
  • The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database
    Sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Harvard’s W.E.B. Du Bois Institute and Emory University, this database contains records for “nearly 35,000 slaving expeditions that took place between 1514 and 1866.” It is searchable by vessel name, captain’s name, place of slave purchase and a great many other variables.

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Topics of Interest

  • Abolition of Slavery – 13th Amendment
    National Archives – America’s Historical Documents
  • Abolitionism – Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
    Online collections include “The Dred Scott Decision and Its Bitter Legacy”
    and “Wilberforce, Lincoln and the Abolition of Slavery”
  • Booker T. Washington
    Resource guide to online documents about Booker T. Washington at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography for adult and younger readers.
  • Brown vs. the Board of Education (1954)
    • National Archives
      From the National Archives – America’s Historical Documents
    • Brown Foundation
      The foundation “works to educate the public about the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education” U.S. Supreme Court decisionwhich ended the legal segregation of education on the basis of race. The site brings together information and resources on the topic.
    • Library of Congress
      Timeline of events and related documents from the Library of Congress’s digital collections.
  • Civil Rights
    • Library of Congress – Resource Guide
      Resource guide to online documents about Civil Rights at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
    • NAACP
      Since 1964, the Library of Congress has served as the official repository of NAACP records, the “cornerstone of Library’s unparalleled resources for the study of the Civil Rights Movement.”
    • National Civil Rights Museum
      The Museum “chronicles key episodes of the American Civil Rights movement” with an online slideshow of their permanent exhibit plus information on new exhibits and links to related sites.
    • United States Dept. of Justice – Civil Rights Division
      History and impact of the 1965 act with information on subsequent amendments to the law.
  • Dred Scott Decision
  • George Washington Carver National Monument & National Park – Diamond, Missouri
    This National Park and National Monument web site has information on field trips, activities for kids and teaching resources for teachers focused on the life and times of George Washington Carver.
  • Listening to the Still Small Voice: The Story of George Washington Carver
    Interview with Paxton J. Williams, author of the one-person play telling the story of George Washington Carver, presented by the Missouri State Archives and the Secretary of State’s Office.
  • Frederick Douglass
    Resource guide to online documents about Frederick Douglass at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
  • W.E.B. Du Bois
    Resource guide to online documents about W.E.B. Du Bois at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
  • Emancipation
    Images of the original document, transcript of the Proclamation and additional resources form the National Archives.
  • Harlem Renaissance
    Resource guide to online documents about the Harlem Renaissance at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
  • Harriet Tubman
    • Library of Congress Resource Guide
      Resource guide to online documents about Harriet Tubman at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
    • Harriet Tubman Home
      Information on Harriet Tubman’s home and church with a short biography of her life and links to related sites on New York History Net, a site devoted to New York history.
  • The Inauguration of Barack Obama
  • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Rosa Parks
    Resource guide to online documents about Rosa Parks at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
  • Slavery
    • Missouri’s Early Slave Laws
      “Curriculum designed by Archives staff includes a lesson plan, digitized documents, and guided discussion questions to introduce students (grades 8-12) to slave laws and their effect on African Americans and abolitionists”.
    • Library of Congress Resource Guide
      Resource guide to online documents about slavery at the Library of Congress and other web sites plus a selected bibliography.
  • Underground Railroad
    • National Park Service maps and sites
      The National Park Service site has a map showing escape routes and a list of sites associated with the “railroad.”
    • National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
      Detailed information and online exhibits about the history of human slavery from early times to the present from the Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio which opened in 2004. Partners with the Family History Center to provide genealogical assistance.
  • Voting Rights Act (1965)

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Copyright © 2009 Daniel Boone Regional Library