LibGuides: Primary Sources: African Americans

Historical Newspapers

AAS Historical Periodicals Collection This link opens in a new window
The entire AAS collection features over 7500 periodical titles from the seventeenth through the late nineteenth century.
Accessible Archives This link opens in a new window
Contains some historical African American newspapers as well as anti-slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction material.
Black Freedom Struggle in the United States This link opens in a new window
Spanning 2,000 primary source documents related to African American history, from the movement to abolish slavery to the contemporary era, this collection is openly available to anyone interested in U.S. Black history, and the ways the past is reflected in current events.
Black Life in America This link opens in a new window
The experience and impact of African Americans, as recorded by the news media. (Extended Trial)
Brooklyn Eagle This link opens in a new window
Digitized version of The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, which was originally published from 1841 to 1955, then revived for a short time from 1960 to 1963.
Independent Voices This link opens in a new window
Independent Voices is an open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals, drawn from the special collections of participating libraries. These periodicals were produced by feminists, dissident GIs, campus radicals, Native Americans, anti-war activists, Black Power advocates, Hispanics, LGBT activists, the extreme right-wing press and alternative literary magazines during the latter half of the 20th century.
Newsday Historical This link opens in a new window
Coverage from 1940 to 1994.
New York Times Historical This link opens in a new window
Coverage of the New York Times from 1851 through 4 years prior to the current year.

Open Access

Behind the Veil Oral histories of the Jim Crow South.

Black Abolitionist Archive A digital collection of over 800 speeches and writings, including newspaper articles, by African American abolitionists. Maintained by the University of Detroit Mercy Libraries.

Civil Rights History Project Interviews of individuals involved with the Civil Rights Movement.

Navigating the Green Book The Green Book was a travel guide, published between 1936 and 1966, listing hotels, restaurants, bars and gas stations where Black travelers would be welcome. Mostly, but not exclusively, covers the American South.

North American Slave Narratives Includes slave and former slave narratives but also contains some fiction. Fiction would not count as a primary source necessarily.

Slave Voyages Sponsored by Emory University, the database contains information culled from primary sources on the African slave trade. One can use it to extract data and information about specific voyages and to create statistical reports. It also contains a repository of images and essays on the topic. Please read the Legal page before citing, using and distributing