The African American Mosaic

"This guide lists the numerous examples of government documents, manuscripts, books, photographs, recordings and films in the collections of the Library of Congress which examine African-American life. Works by and about African-Americans on the topics of slavery, music, art, literature, the military, sports, civil rights and other pertinent subjects are discussed"--

This one-volume reference work examines a broad range of topics related to the establishment, maintenance, and eventual dismantling of the discriminatory system known as Jim Crow. Many Americans imagine that African Americans' struggle to achieve equal rights has advanced in a linear fashion from the end of slavery until the present. In reality, for more than six decades, African Americans had their civil rights and basic human rights systematically denied in much of the nation. Jim Crow: A Historical Encyclopedia of the American Mosaic sheds new light on how the systematic denigration of African Americans after slavery-known collectively as "Jim Crow"-was established, maintained, and eventually dismantled. Written in a manner appropriate for high school and junior high students as well as undergraduate readers, this book examines the period of Jim Crow after slavery that is often overlooked in American history curricula. An introductory essay frames the work and explains the significance and scope of this regrettable period in American history. Written by experts in their fields, the accessible entries will enable readers to understand the long hard road before the inception of the Civil Rights Movement in the 20th century while also gaining a better understanding of the experiences of minorities in the United States-African Americans, in particular.

Where were the first African American churches founded? When did Frederick Douglass deliver his first anti-slavery speech? Who de-segregated Major League Baseball? The turbulent history of African Americans unfolds in historical waves, through rights and injustices, migration, inventions and art, protests, legislation, and accomplishments. From the first recorded arrival of Africans in the New World to the death of Rosa Parks, a chronology of events ties history together for the reader, giving a greater sense of the struggle, alienation, and triumph of blacks in America. The African American Chronology introduces the student researcher to the most impactful events in African American history, drawing from such categories as: Abolitionism, civil rights, economics, marriage, religion, media, literature, science, crime and war. Organized by date and including entries through 2005, the Chronology is one of the most accessible and current of its kind. The fascinating historical record is illuminated through primary source sidebars, illustrations, a glossary, print and online bibliography, and index.

Treating broad themes as well as specific topics, this guide to the Great Black Migration will introduce high school students to a touchstone critical to shaping the history of African Americans in the United States. The movement of Southern blacks to the urban North and West over the course of the 20th century had a profound impact on black life, affecting everything from politics and labor to literature and the popular arts. This encyclopedia provides readers and researchers with a comprehensive reference work on this central topic of African American history, exploring the breadth of the black migration experience from its origins in the agricultural economy of the post–Civil War South to the return migration of the late 20th century. Entries cover such topics as the destinations that attracted black migrants, the impact of the Great Migration on black religion, the relationship between migration and black politics, and the patterns of discrimination and racial violence migrants encountered. Unlike more general reference works on African American history, each entry in the encyclopedia situates its subject within the context of black migration and articulates connections between the subject of the entry and the overall history of the migration.

"This two-volume work celebrates 50 notable achievements of African Americans, highlighting black contributions to U.S. history and examining the ways black accomplishments shaped American culture"--

This encyclopedia provides a comprehensive reference work on the migration of Southern blacks to the urban North and West over the course of the 20th century

"This guide lists the numerous examples of government documents, manuscripts, books, photographs, recordings and films in the collections of the Library of Congress which examine African-American life. Works by and about African-Americans on the topics of slavery, music, art, literature, the military, sports, civil rights and other pertinent subjects are discussed"--