Black Americans: Online Resources

Throughout U.S. History, African Americans have played an integral part in the development and achievement of this country. These unique original documents reveal a side of the African American story that few have seen before.

This collection explores the migrations, communities and ideologies of the people of African descent who have dispersed around the world. This collection includes 70,000 pages of digitized primary documents, including personal papers, organizational papers, journals, newsletters, court documents, letters, and ephemera from the Caribbean, Brazil, India, United Kingdom, and France.

Primary source collection that details the efforts of African Americans to abolish slavery. This digital collection spans 1830-1865 and includes approximately 15,000 articles, documents, correspondence, proceedings, manuscripts, and literary works of nearly 300 black abolitionists from the United States, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, and Germany are included.

Historical newspaper articles, pamphlets, diaries, correspondence and more from specific time periods in U.S. history marked by the opposition African Americans have faced on the road to freedom.

Coverage of the African American experience from 1976 - present. Sourced from more than 19,000 American and global news sources, including over 400 current and historical Black publications. Updated daily.

Searchable and browsable database of non-fiction works by African-American leaders and others who have dealt substantially with issues of race in America. Includes books, essays, articles, speeches, letters, interviews, and other materials, some of which have not previously been published. Includes brief biographical information for all authors.

Content covering issues related to race in society today. Essays, articles, reports and other sources provide an in-depth look at the history of race and provide critical context for learning more about topics associated with race, ethnicity, diversity and inclusiveness

Collection presents records of American slavery, focusing on the industrial uses of slave labor. The collections document slavery in such enterprises as gold, silver, copper, and lead mining; iron manufacturing, machine shop work, lumbering, quarrying, brickmaking, tobacco manufacturing, shipbuilding, and heavy construction; and building of railroads and canals.

Abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,700 periodicals and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers.

The Southern Plantation Records in History Vault document the impact of plantations on the American South and on the nation as a whole. This collection illuminates business operations and labor routines, family affairs, roles of women, racial attitudes, relations between masters and slaves, social and cultural life, shared values, and tensions and anxieties that were inseparable from a slave society.