BHM #22 – Federal surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984

BHM #22 – Federal surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984

By Miles Dame

Federal Surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984 Throughout the twentieth century Black Americans of all political persuasions were subject to federal scrutiny, harassment, and prosecution. The Federal Bureau of Investigation enlisted black “confidential special informants” to infiltrate a variety of organizations. Hundreds of documents in this collection were originated by such operatives. The reports provide a . . .Continue reading BHM #22 – Federal surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984

BHM #21 – Slavery and the Law

BHM #21 – Slavery and the Law

By Mary Fairbairn

Another robust collection within ProQuest’s History Vault providing primary source materials from digitized archival collections is Slavery and the Law.  This database features petitions on race, slavery, and free blacks that were submitted to state legislatures and county courthouses between 1775 and 1867. These petitions were collected by Loren Schweninger over a four-year period from . . .Continue reading BHM #21 – Slavery and the Law

BHM #20 – Southern Life and African American History

BHM #20 – Southern Life and African American History

By Mary Fairbairn

This collection is part of ProQuest’s History Vault providing primary source materials from digitized archival collections. The Plantation Records in this module documents the far-reaching impact of plantations on both the American South and the nation. As business owners, the commodities produced by plantation owners—rice, cotton, sugar, tobacco, hemp, and others— accounted for more than half of . . .Continue reading BHM #20 – Southern Life and African American History

BHM #19 – Reconstruction and Military Government after the Civil War (1865-1877)

By lbaker

Reconstruction and Military Government after the Civil War (1865-1877) From heart-wrenching personal letters to bills of lading for office supplies, this module offers remarkable insight into the early Reconstruction period in the American South. The correspondence of the U.S. Army’s Office of Civil Affairs reveals efforts to foster democracy and rebuild communities in the divided . . .Continue reading BHM #19 – Reconstruction and Military Government after the Civil War (1865-1877)

BHM #18 – Southern Negro Youth Congress and the Communist Party: Papers of James and Esther Cooper Jackson

By lbaker

Southern Negro Youth Congress and the Communist Party: Papers of James and Esther Cooper Jackson Who were James and Esther Cooper Jackson??  James Jackson (1914-2007) and Esther Cooper Jackson (1917-2022) were a married African American couple who devoted their lives to fight for equality.  The Jacksons saw a path to racial equality through the Communist . . .Continue reading BHM #18 – Southern Negro Youth Congress and the Communist Party: Papers of James and Esther Cooper Jackson

BHM #17 – Black Studies Center

BHM #17 – Black Studies Center

By Mary Fairbairn

Black Studies Center –  This fascinating collection includes…  Almost 2,000 videos and images, from Langston Hughes’s performance of “The Weary Blues” with jazz accompaniment in 1950 to Roy Wilkins speaking about Civil Rights issues in 2014.  Articles from reference sources including The Routledge Encyclopedia of African Literature, The Handbook of African American Literature‎, and selections . . .Continue reading BHM #17 – Black Studies Center

BHM #16 – FBI Confidential Files and Radical Politics in the U.S., 1945-1972

BHM #16 – FBI Confidential Files and Radical Politics in the U.S., 1945-1972

By Miles Dame

Under the leadership of J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI vigorously investigated and tracked the activities of Communist groups, Communist-front groups, and other radical organizations in the United States. This module consists of records of the FBI and the Subversive Activities Control Board from 1945-1972. Highlights of this module include J. Edgar Hoover’s office files; documentation . . .Continue reading BHM #16 – FBI Confidential Files and Radical Politics in the U.S., 1945-1972

BHM #15 – Race Relations in America

BHM #15 – Race Relations in America

By Mary Fairbairn

Race Relations in America –  This primary source collection from Adam Matthews offers…  Over 100 hours of audio recordings – speeches, panel discussions, dictations of reports, and the narration of the film slideshows ‘Of a New Day Begun’ and ‘Rebirth in Roxbury’  Images organized into thematic galleries such as Arts and Culture, Civil Rights, Education . . .Continue reading BHM #15 – Race Relations in America

BHM #14 – “We were prepared for the possibility of death …”

By lbaker

“We were prepared for the possibility of death” Freedom Riders in the South, 1961  Another primary source from Archives Unbound, this collection is sourced from the FBI.  It includes documents from 1961 when civil rights activists, “Freedom Riders”, rode interstate buses into the segregated South to test the United States Supreme Court decision in Boynton . . .Continue reading BHM #14 – “We were prepared for the possibility of death …”

BHM #13 – The Republic of New Afrika

By Mary Fairbairn

The Republic of New Afrika (RNA) was a social movement organization that proposed three objectives: The creation of an independent Black-majority country composed of the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina and the Black-majority counties adjacent to this area in Arkansas, Tennessee and Florida. $400 billion in reparations for the injustices suffered . . .Continue reading BHM #13 – The Republic of New Afrika