We see historical events one way, but how did people see it back then? Have you ever wondered what people at a given point in time thought about current events and issues? You'll always need to find today's scholarly articles on your research topic, but historical primary sources can help you to explore the historical context of your topic within its own time.
Try searching in one of our historical collections to find historical books, journals, and newspaper articles that respond to your topic from the past!
Contains records of civil rights organizations and personal papers on African American life in the 20th century. Also contains collections from federal government agencies and records on the major milestones and events in the civil rights movement.
The NAACP Papers collections contains internal memos, legal briefings, and direct action summaries from national, legal, and branch offices throughout the country. It charts the work of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and delivers a first-hand view into crucial issues of the struggle for civil rights.
This collection covers investigations and tracking of the activities of Communist groups, Communist-front groups, and other left-wing organizations in the U.S. by the FBI and the Subversive Activities Control Board from 1945-1972. It includes files from the office of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, many of which were originally intended to be destroyed but were preserved through both intended and inadvertent exceptions to Hoover’s orders.
Contains annual and general reports, court files, fundraising items, historical information, minutes, correspondence, clippings, topical files, newsletters, police brutality files, and publications and flyers relative to the ongoing work of the African American Police League (AAPL) and its education and action arm, the League to Improve the Community (LIC). The collection also contains items on numerous law enforcement and civil rights organizations across the country; materials on the suspension of AAPL executive director Renault Robinson from the Chicago Police Department and related lawsuits; and materials pertaining to the National Black Police Association (NBPA).
