Top Databases
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Accessible Archives This link opens in a new windowEyewitness accounts of historical events, ads and genealogical records published in popular 19th century newspapers including African-American publications.
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AM Explorer This link opens in a new window
AM Explorer is a cross-collection search of the entire corpus of Adam Matthew's digitized arts and cultural heritage material in subjects including Area Studies, Cultural Studies, Empire and Globalism, Ethnic Studies, Gender and Sexuality, History, Politics, Literature, Theatre, and War and Conflict.
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Black Abolitionist Papers This link opens in a new window
This collection searches a unique set of primary sources from African Americans actively involved in the movement to end slavery in the United States between 1830 and 1865. The content includes letters, speeches, editorials, articles, sermons, and essays from libraries and archives in England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and the United States.
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Gale in Context: U.S. History This link opens in a new window
Covers a wide range of U.S. history from the arrival of Vikings in North America, through the American Revolution, the Civil Rights movement, 9/11, and the War on Terror. Includes reference works, magazine articles, and primary source documents ranging from slave journals to presidential papers.
Digital Collections Beyond BU
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Library of Congress - Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers' Project, 1936-1938This collection contains more than 2,300 first-person accounts of slavery and 500 black-and-white photographs of former slaves. These narratives were collected in the 1930s as part of the Federal Writers' Project (FWP) of the Works Progress Administration, later renamed Work Projects Administration (WPA).
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Library of Congress - Frederick Douglass Newspapers, 1847-1874This online collection presents newspapers edited by Frederick Douglass (1818-1895), the African American abolitionist who escaped slavery and became one of the most famous orators, authors, and journalists of the 19th century.
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Library of Congress Manuscripts - African American History & CultureThe Manuscript Division has one of the nation's most valuable collections for the study of African-American history and culture. The division's collections are particularly strong for the history of the twentieth-century civil rights movement. The work of individual activists, rights organizations, and jurists is well represented.
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Freedom's Journal Online ArchiveFreedom's Journal is the first African American newspaper in the United States, published between 1827 and 1829 in New York City. Collection includes images of all 103 issues.
Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center at BU Libraries
About
The Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center (HGARC), instituted in 1963 and named for its founder, houses many of Boston University Libraries’ special and archival collections. It is located on the fifth floor of Mugar Memorial Library and is accessible via the South elevator. The Gotlieb Center specializes in the personal collections of twentieth century public figures in the fields of literature, criticism, journalism, drama, music, film, civil rights, diplomacy and national affairs. In addition to its contemporary collections, the Center is home to substantial holdings of earlier historical documents and rare books. Please reach out to the Gotlieb Center with any questions.
Selected Collections
- Bay State Banner Collection: A weekly newspaper primarily geared toward the readership of the African-American community and more broadly, New England. Founded in 1965 by BU Trustee Melvin B. Miller, who remained the chief editor and publisher until March 2023
- William Monroe Trotter and the Boston Guardian Collection: An African-American newspaper, co-founded by William Monroe Trotter and George W. Forbes in 1901 in Boston and published until the 1950s
- Earl Anthony Collection: Playwright, author and activist who worked to create the African People's Repertory Theater
- Alex Poinsett Collection: Senior Editor for Ebony Magazine for over 30 years.
- D. Parke Gibson Collection: A pioneer in multicultural public relations and founder of the Black-owned PR firm, D. Parke International in New York in 1960
