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Slavery in America: A Resource Guide

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries millions of Africans were forced to become enslaved people in the American colonies. This guide provides access to Library of Congress digitized primary sources, links to related websites, and a print bibliography.

Introduction

The collections of the Library of Congress contain a wide variety of materials related to the practice of slavery in America, including photographs, manuscript materials, recorded oral histories, and books. Many primary source materials from the Library's collections have been digitized and are described and linked from this guide. In addition, related resources available from the Library and from external websites are included. Finally, we provide a selected bibliography of print resources for both general and younger readers available at the Library of Congress, but likely also available from your local public or research library.

Slave auction at Richmond, Virginia. 1856. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.