National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Citizens: African American Identity: 1865 1917
Discusses the efforts of African Americans to be recognized as equal citizens after the Civil War, and the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. Includes links to supplemental information.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Community & Self Help, Making of African American Identity:v. 3
An interview illustrating some of the ways community functioned in the lives of African Americans. It explores how external pressures of racism brought African Americans together to form fraternal organizations and entire towns.
Digital Public Library of America
Dpla: African American Soldiers in World War I
This primary source set emphasizes the experiences of African American doughboys during the war while also highlighting how they were perceived by white Americans. Use the sources to determine how racism and patriotism shaped the...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Rhythms in Poetry: Claude Mc Kay
This is a succinct biography of Claude McKay, infamous Harlem Renaissance poet who expressed the need for the African American community in America to speak out against racism. See "Claude McKay Activities" for related materials.
University of Illinois
University of Illinois Urbana Champaign: Eslarp: Race Riot at East St. Louis, 1917
This chapter from a book about East St. Louis relates the horror of the East St. Louis Massacre where maurading whites fired on African Americans and torched their homes. Read about the aftermath of the massacre and what happened to...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Racial Discrimination, Kenneth Clark
In this transcript of an interview for Eyes on the Prize, psychologist Kenneth Clark describes his research that illustrated the impact of racism on African American children.
Black Past
Black Past: Robeson, Paul
This encyclopedia entry tells about Paul Robeson, famous baritone, and his struggles for racial equality. A link to a website for more information on African-Americans is provided.
Curated OER
History Matters: Atlanta Compromise Speech, 1895
Read an excerpt from Booker T. Washington's 1895 Atlanta Compromise speech, in which he stresses accommodation rather than resistance as way to deal with racism. Includes a short audio clip - the only surviving recording of Washington's...
US National Archives
Nara: Powers of Persuasion: United We Win
In spite of racial discrimination and segregation in the military and in civilian life, the overwhelming majority of black Americans participated wholeheartedly in the fight against the Axis powers. This site explores the posters,...
PBS
Pbs Need to Know: Florida Ex Felon Voting Laws
Did you know that one in ten adults in Florida is currently not eligible to vote due to having been convicted of a felony? Find out how African Americans in particular are disproportionately affected. Article has particular emphasis on...
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: The Exodusters
Learn about the Exodusters, thousands of African Americans, from the southern states along the Mississippi River, who migrated to Kansas.
PBS
Pbs: Identity, Oppression, and Protest
This lesson plan supplements a study of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. The lesson plan is designed to help students understand the impact of Jim Crow Laws and their impact of oppression on African Americans. Blues music is shared to...
Digital History
Digital History: To the Heart of Dixie
In the early 1960s civil rights activists put the ban on segregation to the test. In 1961, "Freedom riders," boarded buses headed south to test the federal ban on segregated travel. And in 1962, the University of Mississippi was ordered...
Black Past
Black Past: Buxton, Iowa
This is an interesting encyclopedia article about the multi-ethnic town of Buxton, Iowa, a coal-mining town with little racial discrimination.
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Racial Segregation History in the United States
This article contains numerous facts about black segregation history in the United States from the Civil War through the end of the Civil Rights Movement.
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: Naacp Facts & History Timeline
Presents details of important people and interesting historical events relating to the NAACP in a timeline format.
Digital History
Digital History: Simple Justice
Follow the civil rights quest for integrated schools from the beginning in 1849 through the 1954 Supreme Court decision in Brown v. the Topeka Board of Education and the struggle that ensued for decades following in the most reluctant...
Black Past
Black Past: Hughes, Langston
This encyclopedia article is a brief biography of Langston Hughes, the influential poet during the Harlem Renaissance.
Black Past
Black Past: Mingus, Charles
In this encyclopedia entry, you learn about Charles Mingus, jazz bassist and composer.
Black Past
Black Past: Newton, Huey
A brief encyclopedia entry about the life of Black Panther, Huey Newton.
Black Past
Black Past: Whitney Young, Jr.
This encyclopedia article gives biographical information about Whitney Young, civil rights leader and president of the National Urban League.
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia Britannica: Augusta Savage
Read interesting facts about the life of American sculptor and educator, Augusta Savage, who battled racism to secure a place for African American women in the art world.
University of California
History Project: Chicago Race Riot, 1919
This lesson for high school students explores the race riot in Chicago in the summer of 1919. Students are asked to explain the reasons for the riot and address the questions in the lesson. Included are excerpts from 26 primary source...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Campaigns for Economic Freedom
This teacher resource highlights how racial discrimination affected the economic conditions of African Americans in the twentieth century. It includes a detailed lesson plan as well as videos and documents for students to explore. There...