Research Guides: AFRS 3260: Slavery, Racism & Colonialism in the African Diaspora: Primary Sources

Primary Sources

A primary source is a firsthand account of an event that happened, data from a study, or an original work.

Examples of primary sources:

Photographs of historical events
News articles
Novels and short stories
Autobiographies by historical or famous people
Letters and journals
Published essays and opinion pieces
Original works of art
Documentaries
Excerpts from radio broadcasts and podcasts
Data from studies and surveys
Poll results
Recordings of speeches, music, and other performances
Government documents about specific policies and laws
Laws (as in, the actual text of an ordinance or law)

Databases

American Periodicals
Full text periodicals published between 1740 and 1940.
African American Newspapers Series 1: 1827-1998
Provides access to U.S. newspapers chronicling a century and a half of the African-American experience. This collection includes historically significant papers and features many rare 19th-century titles.
Charlotte Observer Historical Archive, 1886-2018 (via Readex)
Includes obituaries, stocks, editorials and first-hand accounts of events.
Charlotte Observer (1886-present)
Charlotte Observer online from 1886 to the present.
America's Historical Newspapers
Searchable American newspaper collections, including African American Newspapers Series 1, 1827-1998; Caribbean Newspapers, 1718-1876; South Carolina's Historical Newspapers; Hispanic American Newspapers, 1808-1980; and selected historical newspapers.
New York Times Historical Archives (1851-2021)
Major global newspaper including news, editorials, letters to the editor, obituaries, birth and marriage announcements, as well as photos and advertisements.
Readers' Guide Retrospective: 1890-1982 (H.W. Wilson)
Index for general-interest, news, and opinion magazines published primarily in the United States.
African American Communities (Adam Matthew)
Focusing predominantly on Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, New York, and towns and cities in North Carolina this resource presents multiple aspects of the African American community through pamphlets, newspapers and periodicals, correspondence, official records, reports and in-depth oral histories.
American History, 1493-1945 (Adam Matthew)
Documents American History from the earliest settlers to the mid-twentieth century. Sourced from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Milestone Documents in American History
Combines primary source documents in American and world history with expert analysis and commentary.
Greensboro Massacre, 1979: Shootout between the American Nazis and the Communist Workers Party
Collection of documents from FBI, local and state police, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and the Civill Rights Division of the Justice Department relating to the shootout and the aftermath.
JSTOR
Provides access to academic journals and books covering a wide range of disciplines; it also includes some limited primary source collections.

Additional Primary Resources