Greater U Street Historic District

It is advantageous to go to archival repositories armed with names, dates, and places to use as keywords in searches. This government sponsored website on the Greater U Street Historic District quickly provides readers with all kinds of tidbits useful for further research. Since U Street is so close to Howard University it is not surprising that the area became a black self contained city by the end of the 19th century (when Howard University was founded). U Street was one of the places for black elite to congregate and commence in various leisure activities throughout the 20th century. This website lists the names and locations of many relevant places like the Lincoln theatre, benevolent societies, and jazz clubs.

The Washington Post

Most people do not know that Georgetown actually used to be a black enclave. A group of historians published a book called Black Georgetown. It is interesting, however, that the truth about Georgetown just received recognition in a mainstream publication, The Washington Post. While understanding the past can help us understand the present, the present can also help us to understand our past. This article may help uncover new questions about the cultural continuum in Washington D.C. How did displacement of black populations out of Georgetown affect them culturally? Does the silencing of African American historical ties to Georgetown also play a part in the history of their cultural life?

Historical Society of Washington D.C.

Such a vast amount of information exists at this seemingly small archive. A little room with four tables and a few computers currently houses the Historical Society of Washington D.C. One might find themselves alone in this space surveying dusty photos, or rare records. It is therefore fortunate that the Historical Society of Washington D.C. has included a search engine on their website. It is convenient to be able to find documents relevant to the Washington D.C. African American from home. This archives houses the family papers of many early 20th century African American elites.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Nestled in the concrete jungles of Harlem, New York, is a vast repository for items relating to African and African diasporan culture. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture has been world renowned since the beginning of the 20th century. Surprisingly, the Schomburg is actually a division of the New York Public Library. As opposed to a library, the Schomburg seems more like an archives, museum, and library combined. Collections housed by the Schomburg range from engraved art, family papers, and rare books. In addition, the library also serves as a venue for jazz festivals, and other events that represent black culture. This website includes descriptions of archived materials.

The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center

The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center is one of the largest repositories of documentation concerning those of African ancestry. The superiority of the Moorland-Spingarn Research Center is understandable considering that it is part of the great Howard University. Government officials established Howard University to become a cornerstone in the large national network of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) that currently exists. Former general O.O. Howard (also co-founder of the Freedman’s Bureau) founded Howard University subsequent to the Civil War. At approximately the same time Howard University officials began to collect records and other valuable archival collections concerning those of African descent. The Moorland-Spingarn Research Center is ultimately the fruit of their labor. This website includes description of manuscript collections and the research facility.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library: Black Studies Division

In the interest of some historians who still believe in the ability to tangibly access historical documents the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library: Black Studies Division may be of interest. Librarians and other interested parties founded this division at the burgeoning of new social history and the end of the black power movement. This collection is also relevant because of its location. Washington DC has a rich history of elite African Americans leading the black masses from the nation’s capital. The many sources at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library: Black Studies Division can prove useful to any historian investigating African American history since the records of many leading blacks remains in Washington DC. Like most library websites this one includes resource guides and a search engine for library materials.

Smithsonian: From Field to Factory

This website is important not only because it displays the content of a significant exhibit but it also reveals a small layer of African American History in relation to the larger American context. In other words, this website is important because the Smithsonian, one of the most important organizations in this country, sponsors it. A careful historian must examine what has not been included on this web page. The Smithsonian curators may have decided to utilize the recent trend towards examining the agency of unlikely populations and therefore focused on “the migrants themselves.” In this way they can avoid showcasing some of the real ways that white terrorist organizations prompted a massive migration. While curators made the Ku Klux Klan a part of the exhibit mention of the organization is noticeably absent from the web page.