Related Resources

This page includes additional resources on civil rights from the Library's website.

Bibliographies and Guides

African American History Online: A Resource Guide
This guide highlights contributions by African Americans to the arts, education, industry, literature, politics and much more as represented in the vast online collections of the Library.
Brown v. Board of Education: A Resource Guide
May 17, 2004, marked the fiftieth anniversary of the 1954 Supreme Court decision to end segregation in public schools. View selected digitized historical information that enhances classroom research.
14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Primary Documents in American History
Ratified in 1868, the 14th Amendment granted citizenship to "all persons born or naturalized in the United States." This guide provides access to digital collections, websites, and print materials related to the amendment.
15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Primary Documents in American History
Ratified in 1870, the 15th Amendment granted African American men the right to vote. This guide provides access to digital collections at the Library of Congress, external websites, and print materials related to the amendment.
Library of Congress Manuscripts: An Illustrated Guide - African-American History and Culture
The Manuscript Division has one of the nation's most valuable collections for the study of African-American history and culture. The Library's holdings include information about slavery and the slave trade as well as other aspects of plantation life. Papers of slaveholders provide one view of slavery, and slave narratives give another. Diaries and journals further illuminate lives spent in slavery and freedom. The manuscripts of black and white abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and Salmon P. Chase describe the efforts of those who attempted to alleviate the plight of slaves, and the records of the American Colonization Society detail the saga of African Americans who left the United States and established the West African nation of Liberia in the mid- nineteenth century. Papers relating to black participation and victimization in the Civil War abound, and African-American history during Reconstruction is reflected in collections pertaining to newly elected black officials such as John Mercer Langston, Blanche K. Bruce, Hiram R. Revels, and Francis L. Cardozo.
Mary Church Terrell: A Resource Guide
This guide provides links to resources about Mary Church Terrell and a bibliography containing selections for both general and younger readers.
Rosa Parks: A Resource Guide
This guide provides links to resources about Rosa Parks and a bibliography containing selections for both general and younger readers.
W. E. B. Du Bois: A Resource Guide
This guide provides links to resources about W. E. B. Du Bois and a bibliography containing selections for both general and younger readers.

Black History Month

The monthly portals highlights the Library's own collections and events, they also represent a collaboration with other federal cultural heritage institutions to feature relevant materials from their institutions. Partners in the past have included the National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Black History Month Portal
In celebration of Black History Month, this Web site highlights the many resources on African-American history and culture available from the extensive online collections of the Library of Congress.

Exhibitions

The African-American Mosaic: Migration
The guide includes a section on migrations which made northerners more aware of disenfranchisement in the Deep South.
African American Odyssey: A Quest for Full Citizenship - The Civil Rights Era
This exhibition showcases the African American collections of the Library of Congress. It displays more than 240 items, including books, government documents, manuscripts, maps, musical scores, plays, films, and recordings.
American Treasures of the Library of Congress - A Letter from Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson describes his debut into baseball , which broke the color barrier that had existed since 1876.
American Treasures of the Library of Congress - Civil Rights
View the multi-media Civil Rights exhibit from the Reason gallery, American Treasures of The Library of Congress.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964: A Long Struggle for Freedom
This exhibition, which commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964, explores the events that shaped the civil rights movement, as well as the far-reaching impact the act had on a changing society.
A Day Like No Other: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
This exhibition transports visitors to the momentous day of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, August 28, 1963—a day that transformed our nation—when 250,000 people from all walks of life participated in the largest non-violent demonstration for civil rights that Americans had ever witnessed.
The NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom
The NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom exhibition presents a retrospective of the major personalities, events, and achievements that shaped the NAACP’s history during its first 100 years.
Rosa Parks: In Her Own Words
Showcases rarely seen materials that offer an intimate view of Rosa Parks and documents her life and activism—creating a rich opportunity for viewers to discover new dimensions to their understanding of this seminal figure. The materials are drawn extensively from the Rosa Parks Collection, a gift to the Library of Congress from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation.
Voices of Civil Rights
This exhibition draws from the thousands of personal stories, oral histories, and photographs collected by the "Voices of Civil Rights" project, a collaborative effort of AARP, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR), and the Library of Congress.
"With an Even Hand": Brown v. Board at Fifty
This exhibition commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board judicial case.

Historic Newspapers

Chronicling America

View Chronicling America
Historic American newspapers from 1777 to 1963 selected and contributed by state partners in the National Digital Newspaper Program.

Selected newspaper articles that mention events pertaining to African American civil rights:

Topics in Chronicling America Research Guides

This research guide gathers together a collection of topical guides that tell various stories of America through the newspapers available in Chronicling America.

View Topics in Chronicling America Research Guides

Selected topics in Chronicling America for individuals who were civil rights activists:

Ralph Bunche: Topics in Chronicling America
Ralph Bunche is the first African American to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. When he brokers the 1949 Israeli-Arab armistice, New York City throws him a ticker tape parade up Broadway. His diplomatic skills—sublime masterworks of applied psychology—are legendary at the United Nations. He goes on to direct peacekeeping efforts in the Suez in 1956, the Congo in 1960, and Cyprus in 1964! An early campaigner for civil rights, he publishes essays and gives talks throughout the U.S. Active in the NAACP, he marches alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.
Booker T. Washington: Topics in Chronicling America
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) was one of the leading African American voices of his time. He was a writer, editor, orator, and civil rights activist who worked for the advancement of the Black community. His most famous speech was the "Atlanta Compromise." In 1901, his autobiography, Up From Slavery became a bestseller. Later, he founded the Tuskegee Institute.
Ida B. Wells: Topics in Chronicling America
Ida B. Wells was a civil rights activist who wrote in newspapers to advocate against lynching and racial discrimination. This guide provides access to material related to "Ida B. Wells" in the Chronicling America digital collection of historic newspapers.

Legislative Information

Congress.gov

Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and the public. It is presented by the Library of Congress (LOC) using data from the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, the Government Publishing Office, Congressional Budget Office, and the LOC's Congressional Research Service

Selected highlights:

Library of Congress Blog

Selected blog posts include compelling stories and fascinating facts written by Library of Congress curators and librarians.

Press Releases

Resources for Teachers

The Library of Congress offers classroom materials and professional development to help teachers effectively use primary sources from the Library's vast digital collections in their teaching. Find Library of Congress lesson plans and more that meet Common Core standards, state content standards, and the standards of national organizations.

Lesson Plans

After Reconstruction
Students identify problems and issues facing African Americans immediately after Reconstruction using text-based sources.
Segregation: From Jim Crow to Linda Brown
Students explore the era of legalized segregation. This lesson provides a foundation for a more meaningful understanding of the modern Civil Rights Movement.

Primary Source Sets

The Civil Rights Movement
A selection of Library of Congress primary sources exploring the U.S. civil rights movement. This set also includes a Teachers Guide with historical context and teaching suggestions. Photos, newspaper articles, interviews, and other primary sources.
The NAACP: A Century in the Fight for Freedom
This gallery showcases a selection of items from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, at the Library of Congress. Founded in 1909, it was at the center of nearly every battle for the rights and dignity of African Americans in the twentieth century. Today, the NAACP honors its heritage of activism and continues to work for civil rights.
Rosa Parks
This gallery showcases a selection of items from the Rosa Parks Papers at the Library of Congress, a gift from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation. This collection contains thousands of items that document the life, work, and legacy of this civil-rights legend.

Civil Rights in America: A Resource Guide

History, Humanities & Social Sciences: Ask a Librarian