LibGuides: Black History &amp; Black Lives Matter Collection: Resources

Database Highlights

Finding Resources using Library Search

Library Search

Search for textbooks, ebooks, journals, articles + more. Library Search LibGuide available for guidance.

You can use a range of different search terms to discover research material related to black history. Terminology has changed over time and differing terms are used in different countries and at different times in history.

For example, in the UK, the terms BME (Black Minority Ethnic) and BAME (Black, Asian and Ethnic Minorities) have been widely used, but are also widely criticised..

You can try the terms black or african american plus a country/region or subject topic,

e.g. black music or african american employment

You can also search for specific topics such as race relations, slavery, racial anthropology, civil rights movement, etc.

Useful Links

Databases for Black History Research

Use the tabs to discover the different online databases available to you.

To access the full range of databases, use the Database A-Z List.

Online archives

African America, Communists, and the National Negro Congress, 1933-1947 This link opens in a new window The working files of John P. Davis, a founding member and executive secretary of the National Negro Congress (NNC), a national coalition which aimed to coordinate protest action and pursue racial justice for African Americans. Also included are the files of successive executive secretaries of the NNC, and financial records.
African American Communities This link opens in a new window From communal struggle to creative outpourings: uncover the everyday lives of African Americans spanning two turbulent centuries (Early 19th to early 21st century).
African American Poetry This link opens in a new window African American poetry from 18th & 19th centuries.
American History, 1493-1945 This link opens in a new window This collection documents American History from the earliest settlers to the mid-twentieth century. It is sourced from the Gilder Lehrman Collection, and contains correspondence, diaries, government documents, business records, books, pamphlets, newspapers, broadsides, photographs, artwork and maps.
Black Abolitionist Papers This link opens in a new window Covers the work of African Americans to abolish slavery in the United States prior to the Civil War. Covering the period 1830-1865, the collection includes the writings of the activists themselves, including pamphlets, newspaper articles and books.
Black Economic Empowerment: The National Negro Business League This link opens in a new window Files from the National Negro Business League (1901-1928), founded by Booker T Washington, who believed there was a need for African Americans to build an economic network and allow that to be a catalyst for change and social improvement.
Black Liberation Army and the Program of Armed Struggle, 1970-1980 This link opens in a new window FBI files relating to the Black Liberation Army, an underground, black nationalist-Marxist militant organization whose stated goal was to "take up arms for the liberation and self-determination of black people in the United States". The collection covers the years 1970-1983.
Black Nationalism and the Revolutionary Action Movement This link opens in a new window Collection of records reproducing the writings and statements of the Revolutionary Action Movement (RAM), a US-based revolutionary black nationalist group, as well as organisations that evolved from or were influenced by RAM. The collection spans the years 1962-1999.
Black Studies Center This link opens in a new window Consists of scholarly journals, commissioned essays and historic indexes on US focused black studies and culture as well as black literature, and The Chicago Defender newspaper from 1910-1975. A major component is Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, consisting of essays that provide an introduction to major topics in Black Studies. The other black newspapers we subscribe to and the Black Abolitionist Papers are cross-searchable in this resource.
Black Thought and Culture This link opens in a new window Contains an extensive collection of non-fiction writings by major American black leaders, teachers, artists, politicians, religious leaders, athletes, war veterans, entertainers, and other figures. A wide variety of content is included including essays, articles and book chapters, as well as oral histories. Coverage is predominantly the C20 with most content from the 1970's, but there is also some C19 material.
British Online Archives This link opens in a new window Digital primary source collections, covering a wide range of historical topics.
Permanent access is available to all collections.
Civil Rights and Social Activism in Alabama: The Papers of John LeFlore, 1926-1976 AND Records of the Non-Partisan Voters League, 1956-1987 This link opens in a new window Materials documenting the work of John L. LeFlore, the most significant figure in the struggle for black equality in Mobile, Alabama, throughout southern Alabama and Mississippi, and along the Florida Gulf Coast. Also in this collection are records from the Non-Partisan Voters League, founded in Alabama.
Civil Rights and Social Justice via HeinOnline This link opens in a new window A diverse offering of publications covering civil rights in the United States. Includes books, scholarly articles, case law, legislation and publications from the Commission on Civil Rights
Confidential Print: Africa 1834-1966 This link opens in a new window Access to the UKs Colonial, Dominion and Foreign Offices confidential correspondence relating to Africa between 1834 and 1966. Official records, letters, telegrams, dispatches, investigative reports and treaties document the imperial expansion into and subsequent withdrawal from the continent.
Confidential Print: North America, 1824-1961 This link opens in a new window The series originated out of a need to preserve the most important papers generated by the Foreign and Colonial Offices.Covering the United States, Canada and the English-speaking Caribbean, with some coverage of Central and South America.
Empire Online This link opens in a new window Manuscripts, maps, essays, printed and visual historical sources on colonialism and Empire from the 16th to 20th Centuries.
Empire Studies This link opens in a new window This collection offers a rich array of sources for the study of the British Empire. It features material on British colonial policy and government; perspectives on life in British colonies. Content dates from the mid 18th to mid 20th centuries.
Fannie Lou Hamer: Papers of a Civil Rights Activitist, Political Activitist, and Woman This link opens in a new window Correspondence, financial records, programs, photographs, newspaper articles, invitations, and other printed items (1966-78) relating to Fannie Lou Hamer, a voting rights activist and civil rights leader in the U.S.
FBI File: Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. This link opens in a new window The 44,000-page case file of the FBI documents the bureau's role in finding James Earl Ray, who assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, and obtaining his conviction. The file also includes background information amassed by the FBI on Dr. Kings social activism. This archive is of particular interest to students of the civil rights movement and of the continuing controversy surrounding Martin Luther King's murder.
FBI Surveillance of James Forman and SNCC This link opens in a new window FBI reports on James Forman, a prominent African-American leader in the civil rights movement. The files cover the 1961-1976 period, when he was perceived as a threat to the internal security of the United States. The collected materials also include information on the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), in which Forman was active.
Federal Surveillance of African Americans, 1920-1984 This link opens in a new window A collection of FBI files relating to investigations into prominent African American individuals and groups throughout the twentieth century. The FBI recruited black "confidential special informants" to infiltrate a variety of organisations, and hundreds of documents in this collection were originated by such operatives.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, New Deal and Race Relations, 1933-1945 This link opens in a new window Materials from Franklin D. Roosevelt's official file concerning the issues of lynching, segregation, race riots and employment discrimination against African Americans. This collection offers an insight into Roosevelt's political style as well as material useful for the study of the early development of the Civil Rights Movement.
Grassroots Civil Rights & Social Activism: FBI Files on Benjamin J. Davis, Jr This link opens in a new window Comprised of FBI files on Benjamin J. Davis, Jr., a prominent African American member of the U.S. Communist Party. Records include details of grassroots organising successes and failures, minutes from meetings held on all the levels on which Davis engaged, and reports from member-informers on all the major political and theoretical debates. Records are taken from the personal collection of Dr Gerald Horne.
Independent Voices This link opens in a new window Independent Voices is an open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals. These materials 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.
Integration of Alabama Schools and the U.S. Military, 1963 This link opens in a new window Records of the Army’s plans, codenamed "Operation Oak Tree", in the event of civil disturbances related to school desegregation in Alabama in 1963.
Introduction to U.S. History: Slavery in America This link opens in a new window This collection documents key aspects of the history of slavery in America from its origins in Africa to its abolition, including materials on the slave trade, plantation life, emancipation, pro-slavery and anti-slavery arguments, the religious views on slavery, etc.
James Meredith, J. Edgar Hoover, and the Integration of the University of Mississippi This link opens in a new window FBI documentation on Meredith’s attempt to legally become the first African American student at The University of Mississippi in 1962 and the white political and social backlash that followed. The collection includes correspondence from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and others .
Liberation Movement in Africa and African America This link opens in a new window FBI surveillance files (1970 to 1985) on the activities of the African Liberation Support Committee and All African People’s Revolutionary Party .; this collection provides two unique views on African American support for liberation struggles in Africa, the issue of Pan-Africanism, and the role of African independence movements as political leverage for African Americans.
Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975 This link opens in a new window Popular Culture explores the dynamic period of social, political and cultural change between 1950 and 1975. The resource offers thousands of images of manuscript and rare printed material as well as photographs, ephemera and memorabilia.
Public Housing, Racial Policies, and Civil Rights: the Intergroup Relations Branch of the Federal Public Housing Administration, 1936-1963 This link opens in a new window Contains directives and memoranda related to the US Public Housing Administration's policies and procedures. Includes civil rights correspondence, statements and policy about race, labour-based state activity records, local housing authorities' policies on hiring minorities, court cases involving housing decisions, racially-restrictive covenants, and news clippings.
Quest for Labor Equality in Household Work: National Domestic Workers Union, 1965-1979 This link opens in a new window Records of the United Domestic Workers Union (U.S) from 1965-1979, including minutes of committees, financial documents and legal documents. Topics include involvement in the Black community, the Manpower Program, the Career Learning Center, the Homemaking Skills Training Program, Maids Honor Day, the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA), and various federal agencies.
Race Relations in America This link opens in a new window Documenting three pivotal decades in the fight for civil rights (1940s to 1970's), this resource showcases the speeches, reports, surveys and analyses produced by the Departments staff and Institute participants, including Charles S. Johnson, Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thurgood Marshall.
Ralph J. Bunche Oral Histories Collection on the Civil Rights Movement This link opens in a new window The Ralph J. Bunche Oral History Collection from the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center includes around 700 interview transcriptions with those who were active in the US civil rights movement (1950's-1973).
Rastafari Ephemeral Publications from the Written Rastafari Archives Project This link opens in a new window This collection contains magazines, newsletters and ephemeral publications from the Written Rastafari Archives Project (WRAP). The period covered is the early 1970s to 2014 and covers a transitional period, where the movement has spread across the Afro-Atlantic world and has become more globalized.
Republic of New Afrika This link opens in a new window An African-American social movement in the USA, believed by the FBI to be seditious. This collection contains FBI documentation from 1968-1980, collected through intelligence activities, informants, surveillance, and cooperation with local police departments.
Slavery, Abolition & Social Justice This link opens in a new window Bringing together documents from archives and libraries across the Atlantic world, spanning from 1490 to 2007, this resource allows to explore and compare unique material relating to the complex subjects of slavery, abolition and social justice. Includes original manuscripts, pamphlets, books, paintings and maps.
Southern Negro Youth Congress and the Communist Party This link opens in a new window Papers of James E. Jackson and Esther Cooper Jackson, African American communists and civil rights activists, best known for their role in founding and leading the Southern Negro Youth Congress (1937-48). Papers cover 1932-2000 and include correspondence, lectures, research notebooks, speeches, and other publications.
U.S. Military Activities and Civil Rights: Integration of the University of Mississippi and the Use of Military Force, 1961-1963 This link opens in a new window Collected records from the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Military Operations relating to the use of Federal marshals, U.S. Troops, and the federalised National Guard in Oxford, Mississippi, 1962-1963, on the occasion of James Meredith's enrolment at the University of Mississippi, as their first African-American student. Includes coverage of the riots as well as daily events in this period.
U.S. Military Activities and Civil Rights: The Little Rock Integration Crisis, 1957-1958 This link opens in a new window Manuscripts covering President Eisenhower's use of Federal troops and the Arkansas National Guard in the Little Rock integration crisis of 1957-1958. Records include a journal of events, a summary of the operation, a historical report, press reports and observations by Army officers surrounding events at the school and in the community.
U.S. Military Activities and Civil Rights: The Military Response to the March on Washington, 1963 This link opens in a new window Gives details of the Federal Government's plans to militarily intervene in the 1963 March on Washington (codenamed Operation "Steep Hill") in the event the march became disorderly. Includes Army staff communications, contingency plans, intelligence reports, press articles, and maps planning the route. Also some documents on Alabama school integration.
We Were Prepared for the Possibility of Death: Freedom Riders in the South, 1961 This link opens in a new window The Freedom Riders operated during the struggle for civil rights in the U.S.. They set out to challenge the Jim Crow travel laws by riding public transport in the Southern States of the U.S. in 1961. This collection from the FBI Library covers the rides and the violent reactions they provoked.

American National Biography Online This link opens in a new window Access to thousands of biographies of the individuals who have shaped American history. Intuitive search and browse options are available to facilitate searching by name, date, occupation and more.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography This link opens in a new window Online reference work for information about people who have helped shape British history, life and culture. The Dictionary offers concise, up-to-date biographies written by named, specialist authors.

American Film Institute Catalog This link opens in a new window An index of American film from 1893-present.
Box of Broadcasts This link opens in a new window An online service for off-air recording, media streaming and archiving of TV and radio programmes from all scheduled free to air broadcast channels. BoB provides a facility for recording, creating clips and playlists of programmes.
Kanopy This link opens in a new window Online video streaming platform. Includes critically-acclaimed movies, inspiring documentaries, award-winning foreign films and more. Films are discoverable via Library Search.

Civil Rights and Social Justice via HeinOnline This link opens in a new window A diverse offering of publications covering civil rights in the United States. Includes books, scholarly articles, case law, legislation and publications from the Commission on Civil Rights
Colonial Law in Africa 1808-1919 This link opens in a new window Originally known as the 'Government Gazettes', these resources contain the colonial laws administered by the British for the year they were published. The legal records also include property for sale, probate records and bankruptcy notices. This is the first part of the three part series 'Colonial Law in Africa'. This resource covers the Napoleonic Wars, the Boer War and the First World War. It also covers the abolition of the legal status of slavery. These gazettes were published alongside the African Blue Books of Statistics during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Colonial Law in Africa 1920-1945 This link opens in a new window Originally known as the 'Government Gazettes', these resources contain the colonial laws administered by the British for Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Gambia, Ghana and Uganda between 1920-1945. The legal records also include property for sale, probate records and bankruptcy notices.
Colonial Law in Africa 1946-1966 This link opens in a new window Originally known as the 'Government Gazettes', these resources contain the colonial laws administered by the British for Kenya, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Gambia, Ghana, Uganda, Lesotho and Zimbabwe between 1946-1966. Their contents include tenders of property, probate records and insolvency notices.
Legal Battle for Civil Rights in Alabama: Vernon Z. Crawford Records, 1958-1978 Civil Rights Cases and Selections from the Blacksher, Menefee & Stein Records This link opens in a new window Selected portions of the records of attorney Vernon Z. Crawford and the Blacksher, Menefee and Stein law firm whose work represents a significant contribution to the shape of the civil rights movement in 20th century Alabama. Contains legal documents, correspondence, surveys and much more.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law via HeinOnline This link opens in a new window Historical legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. Includes statute, case law, commentary and analysis on slavery issues.

African American Poetry This link opens in a new window African American poetry from 18th & 19th centuries.
Black Drama, 3rd ed This link opens in a new window Contains the full text of more than 1,700 plays written from the mid-1800s to the present by more than 200 playwrights from North America, English-speaking Africa, the Caribbean, and other African diaspora countries. Many of the works are rare, hard to find, or out of print. More than 40% of the collection consists of previously unpublished plays.

Black Short Fiction and Folklore Black Short Fiction and Folklore brings together 82,000 pages and more than 11,000 works of short fiction produced by writers from Africa and the African Diaspora from the earliest times to the present.
Black Women Writers Black Women Writers presents 100,000 pages of literature and essays on feminist issues, written by authors from Africa and the African diaspora.
Caribbean Literature Literature One Collection. In Caribbean Literature, students and scholars can find, view, and analyze the interplay of language and culture, for an understanding of the struggle between indigenous and European languages. For the first part of the 20th century Caribbean writers defined themselves and their culture in the languages of their colonizers. But after independence, with a new self-determination and pride of origin, authors increasingly used local styles and vocabularies.

Papers of Amiri Baraka, Poet Laureate of the Black Power Movement This link opens in a new window Amiri Baraka was both a poet and a political activist in the U.S. noted for his leadership of the Harlem-based Black Arts Movement. Papers include poetry, records from the variety of organisations he was involved in, print publications, articles, plays, speeches, personal correspondence, oral histories, as well as some personal records. Coverage is 1913-1998.
Twentieth-Century African American Poetry This link opens in a new window Full text database of modern and contemporary African American poetry.

Newspaper Collections

African American Newspapers 1827-1998 This link opens in a new window 270 searchable newspapers drawn from over 35 U.S. states. A unique record of African American history, culture and daily life. Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1828-1998
Caribbean Newspapers This link opens in a new window Over 140 searchable historical newspapers from 22 Caribbean islands. Offers insight into nearly two centuries of colonial history, the Atlantic slave trade, New World slavery and more. English, Spanish, French and Danish language titles are available. Digitised page scans. Date coverage: 1718-1876
Early American Newspapers, 1870-1922 This link opens in a new window Access to searchable issues of over 300 local U.S. newspapers, with titles available from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. This collection chronicles the evolution of American culture and daily life. Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1870-1922
Independent Voices This link opens in a new window Independent Voices is an open access digital collection of alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals. These materials 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.
Proquest News & Newspapers This link opens in a new window A gateway enabling cross searching of all University of Exeter subscribed news sources from Proquest. Mainly English language but with some European and other languages content. Digitised OCR text content.

Proquest: African American / Black Historical Newspapers Collection

Black newspapers were on the frontlines of the civil rights movement. Organizing boycotts and nationwide protests, fighting discriminatory housing and employment practices, launching community clean-up campaigns, and advocating for improved health services for minorities, they gave voice and strength to communities often ignored by other media. The newspapers in this collection provide unique perspectives on local, national, and international events:

Atlanta Daily World This link opens in a new window Fully searchable archive of the Atlanta Daily World, a daily newspaper published in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S.) and one of the oldest African-American newspapers. Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1932-2010
Baltimore Afro-American‎ This link opens in a new window Fully searchable archive of the Baltimore Afro-American, ‎an African American weekly newspaper published in Baltimore, Maryland (U.S). Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1893-1988
Chicago Defender‎ This link opens in a new window Fully searchable archive of Chicago Defender‎‎, a daily African-American newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois (U.S.) known for its civil- and equal-rights advocacy. Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1909-1975
Cleveland Call and Post‎ This link opens in a new window Fully searchable archive of the Cleveland Call and Post‎, a weekly leading African-American newspaper published in Cleveland, Ohio (U.S.) Older material is available a digitised article and full page scans, newer material is available as OCR text. Date coverage: 1934-1991.
Los Angeles Sentinel This link opens in a new window Fully searchable archive of the Los Angeles Sentinel, a weekly newspaper published in Los Angeles, California (U.S.). The newspaper provides first-hand accounts, reporting and unparalleled coverage of the politics and society from one of America's most prominent African American newspapers. Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1934-2005
Michigan Chronicle This link opens in a new window Fully searchable archive of the Michigan Chronicle, an African-American weekly newspaper published in Michigan, Detroit (U.S.). Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1939-2010
New York Amsterdam News This link opens in a new window Fully searchable archive of the New York Amsterdam News, a weekly African American newspaper published in New York (U.S.). Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1922-1993
New Journal and Guide‎ This link opens in a new window Fully searchable archive of the New Journal and Guide, a weekly newspaper published in Norfolk, Virginia (U.S) focusing on local and national African-American news, sports, and issues. Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1916 - 2010
Philadelphia Tribune This link opens in a new window Fully searchable archive of the Philadelphia Tribune, an African American daily newspaper published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (U.S.). Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1912-2001
Pittsburgh Courier‎ This link opens in a new window Fully searchable archive of the Pittsburgh Courier, a weekly Africa American newspaper published in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (U.S.) and one of the leading Black newspapers in America in the 1930s. Digitised scans of individual articles and full newspaper pages. Date coverage: 1911-2002

Civil Rights and Social Justice via HeinOnline This link opens in a new window A diverse offering of publications covering civil rights in the United States. Includes books, scholarly articles, case law, legislation and publications from the Commission on Civil Rights
JSTOR This link opens in a new window Full text archive of back issues of journals and e-books in all subject areas.
Slavery in America and the World: History, Culture & Law via HeinOnline This link opens in a new window Historical legal materials on slavery in the United States and the English-speaking world. Includes statute, case law, commentary and analysis on slavery issues.

Black History & Black Lives Matter Collection: Resources

Back to Black

Making Black History

The New Black History

Black Mosaic

Black British History

The Oxford Companion to Black British History

Thinking Black

Early Black Media, 1918-1924

Beyond Slavery and Abolition

Black Tommies

The Making of the Black Working Class in Britain

The Cambridge companion to British Black and Asian literature (1945-2010)

Things fall apart

Database Highlights

Finding Resources using Library Search

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Useful Links

Databases for Black History Research

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