DISCOVERING PEOPLE
Rosa Louise Parks was nationally recognized as the "mother of the
modern day civil rights movement" in America. Her refusal to surrender
her seat to a white male passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus,
December 1, 1955, triggered a wave of protest December 5, 1955 that
reverberated throughout the United States. Read more...
THINGS TO DO
- African-American Museum in Philadelphia Home to art shows and historic exhibits that focus on African-American themes, a permanent collection of African-American art and historical photographs of Philadelphia.
- Underground Railroad Tour-Burlington CityTake a walk back in time and engage your mind with self-guided tours of historic sites in the City of Burlington.
- Smithsonian: African American History and CultureThe National Museum of African American History and Culture has a diverse array of material related to the history and culture of African Americans.
WEBSITES
- Aboard the Underground Railroad: A National Register Travel ItineraryThis site introduces travelers, researchers, historians, and anyone interested in African American history to the fascinating people and places associated with the Underground Railroad.
- African American History MonthA celebration from the Library of Congress.
- African American History Timeline Covers pre-1600 to some current events.
- African-American Mosaic: A Library of Congress Resource Guide for the Study of Black History & CultureThe Mosaic is the first Library-wide resource guide to the institution's African- American collections.
- Africans in AmericaA PBS site that focuses on the people & events during America's journey through slavery.
- Celebrate Black HistoryOffers biographies of over 400 famous African-Americans, a timeline of black history, games, study guides and much more.
- Smithsonian: African American History and CultureA very thorough listing of resources and exhibitions provided by the Smithsonian Institute.
- Toward Racial EqualityThese articles published in Harper's Weekly magazine between 1857-1874 serve as a window in to the coverage of the multifaceted history of black Americans.
E-RESOURCES & DATABASES
- Biography Collection CompleteFull-text biographies of individuals from all walks of life - history, science, the arts, music, literature, multicultural studies, gender studies, business, government & politics, sports, entertainment and many other areas.
- Facts on File - African American HistoryThis reference database provides articles from reference books, encyclopedias, images, maps and graphs, and chronologies.
LOCAL HISTORY
The New Jersey State Library provides a rich selection of materials in their digital collections page. Here are a few samplings. Visit the State Library for more.
- A Tour of African Resources in Burlington County No New Jersey county has a a richer black historical presence than Burlington County. The black presence on soil that is today Burlington County is in fact older than the county itself....
- Afro-Americans in New Jersey: A Short HistoryGiles R. Wright; Trenton, NJ, New Jersey Historical Commission, 1989. The document available at this page was scanned from a library copy of the publication and consists of several files.
- James StillArticle on the life of Dr. James Still published the March 1963 issue of "Journal of the National Medical Association."
- New Jersey African American History Curriculum Guide: Grades 9 to 12Although meant to be a curriculum guide for teachers, the document provides an extensive historical background of African Americans in New Jersey.
- The Underground Railroad and the Passage to FreedomNew Jersey was barely north of the Mason/Dixon line, but due to the work of the Quakers and the growing empathy of evangelical Christians, West Jersey, and Burlington County in particular, was a welcome home to a black population as early as 1810.
A FEW NOTABLE NAMES
For more biographies, use our database The Biography Collection.
- George Washington CarverAgricultural chemist George Washington Carver developed crop-rotation methods for conserving nutrients in soil and discovered hundreds of new uses for crops such as the peanut, which created new markets for farmers, especially in the South.
- Justice for All: The Legacy of Thurgood Marshall"Thoroughgood (actual birth name) Marshall was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on July 2, 1908. His father was a railroad porter and his mother was an elementary schoolteacher....."
- Mae Jemison, first African-American woman to fly in SpaceDr. Mae C. Jemison blasted into orbit aboard the space shuttle Endeavor on September 12, 1992, the first woman of color to go into space. This historic event was only one of a series of accomplishments for this dynamic African-American women.
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers ProjectThis Stanford University project provides the most significant correspondence, sermons, speeches, published writings, and unpublished manuscripts of Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Oliver CromwellBorn in Burlington County, a revolutionary war hero who crossed the Delaware with General Washington...
- James Van Der ZeeAmerican photographer who chronicled life in Harlem, NY.
- Wilma RudolphAmong other accomplishments, Wilma Rudolph became the first American woman to win 3 gold medals in the Olympics.
Loading...
