How Do I
Black History
Selected Books
African Americans in Pennsylvania, Shifting Historical Perspectives
F160.N4 A37 1997
This 1997 book from the Pennsylvania State University Press, edited by Joe W. Trotter Jr. & Eric Ledell Smith; contains a few chapters on Pittsburgh.
F160.N4 A37 1997
This 1997 book from the Pennsylvania State University Press, edited by Joe W. Trotter Jr. & Eric Ledell Smith; contains a few chapters on Pittsburgh.
Ball, Robert Edward
Slaves in the Family
F279.C453 A2 1998
Edward Ball, a descendant of a white slave-owning plantation owners in South Carolina, has written a nonfiction American saga that is the story of black and white families who lived side by side for five generations. Using the copious plantation records of his family, supplemented by both black and white oral tradition, Ball uncovers the story of the people who lived on his ancestors' lands -- the violence and opulence, the slave uprisings and escapes, the dynastic struggles, and the mulatto children of Ball slaveholders and "Ball slaves".
Slaves in the Family
F279.C453 A2 1998
Edward Ball, a descendant of a white slave-owning plantation owners in South Carolina, has written a nonfiction American saga that is the story of black and white families who lived side by side for five generations. Using the copious plantation records of his family, supplemented by both black and white oral tradition, Ball uncovers the story of the people who lived on his ancestors' lands -- the violence and opulence, the slave uprisings and escapes, the dynastic struggles, and the mulatto children of Ball slaveholders and "Ball slaves".
Bennett Jr., Lerone
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America
E185.B4 2007x
First published in 1962 as a "History of the Negro in America, 1619-1962", this book has gone through 8 editions.
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America
E185.B4 2007x
First published in 1962 as a "History of the Negro in America, 1619-1962", this book has gone through 8 editions.
Freedom in My Heart: Voices from the United States National Slavery Museum
q E441.F775 2008
Resources from the National Slavery Museum offer never-before-seen images, personal letters, and artifacts, which shed new light on slavery and the activities surrounding it.
q E441.F775 2008
Resources from the National Slavery Museum offer never-before-seen images, personal letters, and artifacts, which shed new light on slavery and the activities surrounding it.
Hagedorn, Ann
Beyond the River: The Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad
E450.H165 2002
This is the story of abolitionists who helped Black slaves reach the Underground Railroad, in particular, the story of John Rankin of Ripley, Ohio. Ripley sat on the Ohio River, which divided the free state of Ohio from the slave state of Kentucky.
Beyond the River: The Untold Story of the Heroes of the Underground Railroad
E450.H165 2002
This is the story of abolitionists who helped Black slaves reach the Underground Railroad, in particular, the story of John Rankin of Ripley, Ohio. Ripley sat on the Ohio River, which divided the free state of Ohio from the slave state of Kentucky.
Loewen, James W.
Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of Segregation in America
E185.615.L577 2005
Loewen (emeritus, sociology, U. of Vermont) exposes the history and persistence of "sundown towns," so-named for the signs often found at their corporate limits warning African Americans and other minorities not to be found in the town after dusk. He historically situates the rise of the sundown town movement in the years following the Civil War; describes the mechanisms of violence, threats, law, and policy that were used to force minorities out of Northern and Western towns into the big cities; and charts the continued existence of such communities.
Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of Segregation in America
E185.615.L577 2005
Loewen (emeritus, sociology, U. of Vermont) exposes the history and persistence of "sundown towns," so-named for the signs often found at their corporate limits warning African Americans and other minorities not to be found in the town after dusk. He historically situates the rise of the sundown town movement in the years following the Civil War; describes the mechanisms of violence, threats, law, and policy that were used to force minorities out of Northern and Western towns into the big cities; and charts the continued existence of such communities.
The WPA History of the Negro in Pittsburgh
PENNA F159.P69 N495 2004
A work of the American Guide Series, published by the Federal Writers' Project, "The Negro in Pittsburgh," lay dormant in the Pennsylvania State Library until it was microfilmed in 1970. The WPA History of the Negro in Pittsburgh marks the first publication of this rich body of information. This unique historical study of the city's black population features articles on civil rights, social class, lifestyle, culture, folklore, and institutions from colonial times through the 1930s. Published by the University of Pittsburgh Press.
PENNA F159.P69 N495 2004
A work of the American Guide Series, published by the Federal Writers' Project, "The Negro in Pittsburgh," lay dormant in the Pennsylvania State Library until it was microfilmed in 1970. The WPA History of the Negro in Pittsburgh marks the first publication of this rich body of information. This unique historical study of the city's black population features articles on civil rights, social class, lifestyle, culture, folklore, and institutions from colonial times through the 1930s. Published by the University of Pittsburgh Press.
Tye, Larry
Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and the Making of the Black Middle Class
HD8039.R362 U68 2004
When George Pullman began recruiting Southern blacks as porters in his luxurious new sleeping cars after Reconstruction, the former slaves found his offer of a steady job and worldly experience irresistable. They quickly signed up to serve as maid, waiter, concierge, nanny, and occasionally doctor and undertaker to cars full of white passengers, making the Pullman Company the largest employer of African Americans in the country by the 1920s and the Pullman Porters forerunners of the modern black middle class. A video production of the book is also available.
Rising from the Rails: Pullman Porters and the Making of the Black Middle Class
HD8039.R362 U68 2004
When George Pullman began recruiting Southern blacks as porters in his luxurious new sleeping cars after Reconstruction, the former slaves found his offer of a steady job and worldly experience irresistable. They quickly signed up to serve as maid, waiter, concierge, nanny, and occasionally doctor and undertaker to cars full of white passengers, making the Pullman Company the largest employer of African Americans in the country by the 1920s and the Pullman Porters forerunners of the modern black middle class. A video production of the book is also available.
Return to the topVideos
See also: African American Documentaries
10,000 Black Men Named George
The true story of the formation of the first black-controlled union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Asa Philip Randolph, a black journalist, establishes a voice for the forgotten workers of the Pullman Rail Company, where all black porters were simply named "George", after George Pullman, the first person to employ emancipated slaves.
The true story of the formation of the first black-controlled union, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Asa Philip Randolph, a black journalist, establishes a voice for the forgotten workers of the Pullman Rail Company, where all black porters were simply named "George", after George Pullman, the first person to employ emancipated slaves.
African American Lives (I & II)
(DVD) E185.96.A4463 2006x
(DVD) E185.96.A44632 2008x
A compelling combination of storytelling and science, this series uses genealogy, oral histories, family stories and DNA to trace roots of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and several accomplished African Americans down through American history and back to Africa.
(DVD) E185.96.A4463 2006x
(DVD) E185.96.A44632 2008x
A compelling combination of storytelling and science, this series uses genealogy, oral histories, family stories and DNA to trace roots of Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and several accomplished African Americans down through American history and back to Africa.
Banished
(DVD) E185.86.B263 2007x
The forgotten history of racial cleansing in America is vividly recounted here, when thousands of African Americans were driven from their homes and communities by violent racist mobs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The film places these events in the context of present day race relations, by following three concrete cases of towns that remain all-white to this day: Forsyth County, Georgia; Pierce City, Missouri; & Harrison, Arkansas.
(DVD) E185.86.B263 2007x
The forgotten history of racial cleansing in America is vividly recounted here, when thousands of African Americans were driven from their homes and communities by violent racist mobs in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The film places these events in the context of present day race relations, by following three concrete cases of towns that remain all-white to this day: Forsyth County, Georgia; Pierce City, Missouri; & Harrison, Arkansas.
A History of Slavery in America
(DVD) E441.H67 2007x
This comprehensive program chronicles the institution of slavery in North America, beginning with the notorious "middle passage" through Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, emancipation, and Reconstruction. Expert interviews and archival photographs help to describe family life, religion, resistance to enslavement, the Abolitionist Movement and post-war difficulties of newly emancipated people, dispelling the myth that slavery was a passive state and highlighting the persistant struggle by African Americans to end it.
(DVD) E441.H67 2007x
This comprehensive program chronicles the institution of slavery in North America, beginning with the notorious "middle passage" through Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad, the Civil War, emancipation, and Reconstruction. Expert interviews and archival photographs help to describe family life, religion, resistance to enslavement, the Abolitionist Movement and post-war difficulties of newly emancipated people, dispelling the myth that slavery was a passive state and highlighting the persistant struggle by African Americans to end it.
The Road to Brown
(DVD) KF373.H644 R63 2004x
Presents the role of Charles Hamilton Houston in the cases which led to the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Gives a history of segregation, Jim Crow Laws, the NAACP and biographical information on persons influential in the desegregation movement.
(DVD) KF373.H644 R63 2004x
Presents the role of Charles Hamilton Houston in the cases which led to the landmark Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Gives a history of segregation, Jim Crow Laws, the NAACP and biographical information on persons influential in the desegregation movement.
Slavery and the Making of America
A PBS series from WNET that examines the history of slavery in the United States and the role it played in shaping the new country's development.
A PBS series from WNET that examines the history of slavery in the United States and the role it played in shaping the new country's development.
Browse the Catalog
For additional titles, browse the library catalog under the subjects:
- African Americans -- History
- African Americans -- Pennsylvania -- History
- African Americans -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh -- History
- African Americans -- Segregation
- African Americans -- Social conditions
- Racism -- United States
- Slavery -- United States
- Slavery -- United States -- History
- Slaves -- Emancipation -- United States
Web Sites
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Afrigeneas
At first a mailing list focused on genealogical research and now a web page pointing to African ancestry resources. This page serves as a focal point for information about African-ancestored families and for pointers to genealogical sources worldwide -
Association for the Study of African American Life and History
Headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, ASALH sets the annual theme for Black History Month; sponsors an annual convention to celebrate and study Africana life and history; and publishes the Journal of African American History (formerly the Journal of Negro History), and the Black History Bulletin (formerly the Negro History Bulletin). -
Biography.com: Black History
Offers approximately 60 biographies of African Americans in various fields. Content for the Black History Month feature on Biography.com is provided in part by the Gale Group, publisher of reference materials. -
Documenting the American South
Documenting the American South (DAS) is a collection of sources on Southern history, literature and culture from the colonial period through the first decades of the 20th century. From the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Libraries. Includes North American Slave Narratives and The Church in the Southern Black Community. -
Dred Scott Exhibit
Historical documents relating to the famous court case in which the slaves Dred Scott and his wife Harriet filed suit for their freedom in the St. Louis Circuit. The historic US Supreme Court decision against them in which they were declared to be slaves was one of the events leading up to the US Civil War. The exhibit is part of Washington University in St. Louis. -
The Encyclopaedia Britannica Guide to Black History
an Encyclopedia Britannica feature for Black History Month. Entries divided into five US time periods from 1619 to 1997. The Harlem Renaissance is the feature for 1999. -
Gale Research: Black History
Biographies, quiz, featured titles, timeline, activities, literature, links. -
The Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance and Abolition
A division of the Yale Center for International and Area Studies, the Gilder Lehrman Center is dedicated to the investigation and dissemination of information concerning all aspects of the Atlantic slave system and its destruction. -
Harlem Renaissance: Carl Van Vechten Photographs 1932-1964
The Carl Van Vechten Photographs Collection at the Library of Congress consists of 1,395 photographs taken by American photographer Carl Van Vechten (1880-1964) between 1932 and 1964. The bulk of the collection consists of portrait photographs of celebrities, including many figures from the Harlem Renaissance. -
Harper's Weekly Reports on Black America, 1857-1874
Material from Harper's Weekly presented in order to give a true historical picture of the leading 19th-century newspaper’s view of black Americans -
Harvard College Library Research Guides: African American Studies: Newspaper Research
This selective research guide is intended to highlight a variety of print and electronic resources essential to research that involves African American newspapers and journalism. -
Library of Congress: African-American Mosaic
A Resource Guide for the Study of Black History and Culture. "Covering the nearly 500 years of the black experience in the Western hemisphere, the Mosaic surveys the full range size, and variety of the Library's collections, including books, periodicals, prints, photographs, music, film, and recorded sound." -
Library of Congress American Memory Project
From the main page you can click on African American History to pull up all related collections. -
Malcolm X: A Research Site
Historical information and resources on Malcolm X from Africana Studies Program at the University of Toledo, Ohio and Twenty-first Century Books. -
Malcolm X Project at Colombia University
Look here for oral history interviews with key associates of Malcolm X. -
New York Public Library: Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Digital library collections of photographs and online exhibits, including links to other websites.- African American Women Writers of the 19th Century
- Images of African Americans from the 19th Century
- The African Presence in the Americas, 1492-1992
- Harlem 1900-1940: An African American Community
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PBS: African American World
This website is a collage of different moments in African American history, arts & culture, race and society. The Reference Room has links to articles in the Encyclopedia Britannica, to National Public Radio interviews, and to PBS Programs dealing with African American issues. It also includes a bibliography. -
PBS: Africans in America
The companion website for a landmark PBS historical documentary series of four, 90-minute television programs that bring to life our nation's early history from Jamestown in 1607 to the start of the Civil War in 1861, showing the dramatic impact of the struggle over slavery and freedom in shaping our country. Africans in America is produced for PBS by WGBH Boston. -
PBS: The Black Press: Soldiers without Swords
The companion website to a documentary film by Stanley Nelson that provides an in-depth examination of the history and contributions of African American newspapers, including the Pittsburgh Courier. 1999. -
PBS: Scottsboro: An American Tragedy
The companion website to a PBS documentary about the 1931 alleged rape of two young white women by 9 young black men and the ensuing trial. -
PBS: Slavery and the Making of America
This is the companion website to Slavery and the Making of America, a four-part series documenting the history of American slavery from its beginnings in the British colonies to its end in the Southern states and the years of post-Civil War Reconstruction. Includes transcripts. -
PBS: This Far by Faith: African-American Spiritual Journeys
This is the companion website to a 6 part documentary series tracing the history of the African American religious experience over three centuries. -
The Sojourn Project
A civil rights education project that takes high school students from around the nation to historical civil rights landmarks throughout the South. -
Underground Railroad (National Geographic)
Experience the journey of a runaway slave in a "choose your own adventure" type site from National Geographic. -
United States National Slavery Museum
The United States National Slavery Museum, scheduled to be built in Fredericksburg, Virginia, is committed to telling a more complete story of American slavery. -
"We Shall Overcome"
Historic places of the Civil Rights Movement. A travel itinerary prepared as a cooperative project between the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. -
Williamsburg: African American Experience
from colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. During the 18th century, half of Williamsburg's population was black. -
Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute: The Negro Holocaust: Lynching and Race Riots in the United States 1880-1950, by Robert A. Gibson
Designed as part of an elective course in Afro-American History for high school students, grades 10-12, these lesson plans examine anti-Black violence from the 1880s to the 1950s, covering the phenomenon of lynching and the major race riots of this period. (1979)
Pittsburgh Region
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African American History Guide
Take a journey through more than 200 years of the African-American experience in southwestern Pennsylvania with this guide compiled by the Young Preservationists Association of Pittsburgh. -
Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society
AAHGS is designed to encourage the research, documentation and preservation of African American families. Beginning genealogy classes are offered as well tips on how to overcome "brick walls" in your research. Monthly meetings and annual conferences are open to the public. -
Braddock Films: "Struggles in Steel"
Tony Buba and Ray Henderson's film remembering African-Americans who worked and fought in the mills. Struggles in Steel is also available from Braddock Carnegie Library. -
CAUSE: Center for AfricanAmerican Urban Studies and the Economy
Established in 1995 at Carnegie Mellon University, CAUSE aims to link the historian's interest in race, work, and economic change over time with contemporary analyses of the urban labor force, employment policies, and community development. Check their Events for speakers and presentations. -
Chatham College: Pittsburgh Teachers Institute
The Pittsburgh Teachers Institute provides online curriculum units, including many on African American history.- African Americans in Pittsburgh
- The African Slave Trade and Middle Passage
- Civil Rights in The Fifties: Writing The Decade
- The Essentials of African Culture
- Northern Migration of Fugitive Slaves: Through Primary Resources
- African American Westward Migration
- A Survey of African-American History by Way of African-American Literature and Art
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North by South:
The Birmingham-Pittsburgh Traveler
Students at Kenyon College, with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, have studied the effects of the Great Migration on African American culture since 1997-8. In 1999-2000 they studied Birmingham, Alabama and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, drawing on the important resources of the Pittsburgh Courier. -
University of Pittsburgh Department of Africana Studies
Programs and courses offered locally in black history and culture, including the study, research, interpretation, and the dissemination of knowledge concerning African American, African, and Caribbean affairs and culture.
Pennsylvania
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African American Museum in Philadelphia
Founded in 1976, The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP) is dedicated to collecting preserving and interpreting the material and intellectual culture of African Americans in Philadelphia, the Delaware Valley, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Americas. -
Abolition, Anti-Slavery, and The Underground Railroad
Information from the Historical Society of Pennsylvania about the Pennsylvania Abolition Society (PAS), the oldest abolition society in the U.S. -
Pennsylvania Humanities Council: Commonwealth Speakers: The African American Experience
This website provides information on speakers who give presentations on the African American Experience. -
Washington Post: In Pa., Slavery Protest Came Early
In this Wednesday, April 22, 2009, travel article, learn about the Germantown Protest of 1688 by a group of Mennonites.
