History : African American: Home

A research guide to primary and secondary sources for African American history.

Welcome!

Gordon Parks 1942 photographs [Library of Congress]

Historians generally use the Chicago Style format. For more citation info see Citing Sources.

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See the eBook FAQ for directions to limit your search to ebooks only.

By Topic - Type in the keywords that broadly describe your topic. For example: seattle civil rights history
By Title - Type in the first few words of the book title in quotations. For example: "closer to freedom"
By Author - Type in the last name followed by the first name of the author in quotations. For example: "smallwood stephanie"

The following research databases will help you identify articles in the field of history. Additional research databases are listed under Articles.

America: History & Life with Full Text This link opens in a new window
Best database to articles written on American & Canadian history
Black Studies Center This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary gateway to current scholarly and historical material on the Black experience in the United States, wider African diaspora, and the continent
JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Fulltext collection of scholarly journals & books in all disciplines

This is a small sampling of primary sources dealing with African American history. Additional sources are listed under Primary Sources.

History Vault: Civil Rights & the Black Freedom Struggle
Major collections related to the civil rights movement including the NAACP records, other organizations, key individuals & federal documents.

Slavery and Anti-Slavery: A Transnational Archive This link opens in a new window
Primary sources on the transatlantic slave trade, abolitionist movements, institution of slavery in the US and Latin America, and emancipation.

W.E.B. Du Bois Papers, 1803-1999
Papers of the scholar, writer, and co-founder of the NAACP and Pan African Congresses comprises more than 100,000+ items including correspondence, speeches & articles.

She/Her/Hers

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Suzzallo Library
381L Allen North

A rigorous, deeply researched retelling of one of Canada’s most famous murder trials. In this great…This link opens in a new windowApr 10, 2025
A rigorous, deeply researched retelling of one of Canada’s most famous murder trials. In this great read, Ian Radforth excels with an enticing glimpse of a sociopathic accused, a ravenous press, and a fledgling legal system attempting to professionalize itself. His fascinating account unveils the tensions between young aristocratic English ‘swells’ and their uncertain reception in the farms and towns of Victorian Canada.