It can be pretty difficult for students in the twenty-first century to understand the hardships that African Americans endured during the brutal era of government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the United States.
These links will bring African-American History to life, with real audio recordings of African Americans born from the 1820s to the 1860s, personal narratives, and poignant images.
This collection offers students the chance to listen to real audio recordings of African Americans born from the 1820s to the 1860s. In these 23 recordings, slavery-era survivors provide real recollections and reminiscences about daily life during and after the Civil War, families, slavery, and finding freedom. From the Library of Congress.
The New York Institute for Special Education provides this index of important resources in African American History. This page includes a timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement, Voices of the Civil Rights Era (in audio), and many links concerning African society and culture, including “African Wedding Guide” and “Minority Colleges and Universities.”
Do you understand the significance of the sit-ins that occurred during the early months of the civil rights movements? In 1960, four freshman students at North Carolina A&T went into Woolworth and at the lunch counter they "sat,” waiting for service that never came. This move sparked a new age in American history. Sit-ins represented the first cracks in accepted segregation and oppression. One interesting feature is a PDF link to the Greensboro newspaper that reports the first famous incident.
This site brings to life the severity of government-sanctioned racial oppression and segregation in the United States that resulted as a backlash to Reconstruction laws. This site includes stories, an interactive map, and activities for students and teachers. This site is published by PBS.
This site provides a quick history through the years of baseball in black America that led up to Robinson's 1947 debut in Brooklyn. While baseball may seem an unlikely part of history, it does serve an important role in African-American history and the long struggle for equality in America.
Take a virtual tour through the Civil Rights Movement. “This National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary tells the powerful story of how and where the centuries-long struggle of African Americans to achieve the bright promise of America culminated in the mid-20th century in a heroic campaign we call the modern civil rights movement.”
This collection provides first-hand access to the story of African Americans and their struggle for freedom and human rights from Civil War days until the twentieth century. This collection is a part of “Documenting the American South,” from the University of North Carolina.
This collection of diaries and letters details life within two separate American communities during the Civil War era. The searchable collection provides a glimpse into daily life of both black and white citizens in the turbulent backdrop of war. If you prefer, you can narrow your search with the term “African Americans” to find those resources that relate specifically to African-American History Month.
Du Bois (pronounced doo – bois') was an early role model and advocate for full equality for African Americans. In this his collection of essays Du Bois depicts life in rural Georgia, the cotton economy of rural Georgia in the early years of the twentieth century, and African-American religion as it developed from African religion and customs.
Born Isabella Baumfree, Sojourner Truth suffered unspeakable cruelty as a young girl at the hands of several merciless slave owners before gaining her freedom. As a free and devoutly religious woman, Sojourner changed her name and set off for a life of heroic leadership as a uniquely gifted speaker and writer.
