History - African American: Websites

Underground Railroad

Aboard the Underground Railroad: A National Register Travel Itinerary CREDIT: "$200 Reward. Ran away, subscriber . . . Five Negro Slaves." Broadside. 1847. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, African American Odyssey, Library of Congress.

This Park Service website presents maps, lists, and information about stops on the Underground Railroad.

Black Past

Black Past, an online reference center maintained by the University of Washington, contains a wealth of materials on African American history.

An appeal of a colored man, to his fellow-citizens of a fairer hue. Written by Samuel Harrison and published sometimes in the early 1920s, this is a scan of that book. (44 Pages.)  It is basically an appeal for fair treatment. Page 13:  "The interest of the one race, if I may so speak, is the interest of the other. We are of one language, and the same system of laws are essential to govern both. When justice is practiced toward us, there is no need of special legislation for our race."

 

Eyes on the Prize

History of Jim Crow

The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow A support site for the PBS series of the same name. An interactive timeline, personal stories, videos and more are found here.


 

African American Migration

Moving North: Image from Schomburg Center for Research in Black CultureIn Motion: The African-American Migration Experience

The Schomburg Research Center presents thousands of pages of texts and illustrations of "thirteen defining migrations that formed and transformed African America."

Africans in America

Africans in America: PBS/WGHB presents America's journey though slavery with images, documents, biographies, and commentaries.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. Housed in the Harlem Branch of the New York Public Library, the digital collection is large and far-ranging. It is based on the private collection of Arturo Schomburg, this collection is one of the world's best on African-American experiences.  

These resources include “Online Exhibitions,” “Books,” “Images & Illustrations,” “Africana Heritage Newsletters,” “Audio/Visual Resources,” and “Selected Resources.” “Books” features more than 400 digitized titles, including 41 books from the African American Women Writers of the 19th Century collection. “Images & Illustrations” offers 500 images of African Americans from the 19th century and more than 11,000 images of Africa and the African Diaspora from the 17th through 20th centuries.