Traces the development of Afro-American history since Carter Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History in 1915. Reviews two books, BLACK HISTORY AND THE HISTORICAL PROFESSION (Meier and Elliott, 1986) and THE STATE OF AFRO-AMERICAN HISTORY: PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE (Hine, 1986), stating that they illustrate the…

Maintains that, except from treatments of slavery as a legal condition, there was little coverage of African Americans in the first half-century of the "American Historical Review." Asserts, however, that coverage of black issues was even less in other scholarly journals. Reviews recent historiography related to African Americans. (CFR)

Relates the founding of the NAACP and critical events in its history. Describes the organization's present headquarters, resources, and aims. (DM)

This article analyzes William Lloyd Garrison as a moral extremist in his antislavery movement. Unlike other historians, the author presents Garrison as a man who understood what he was doing, giving insight into the purposes and tactics of the radical abolitionist movement. (Author/JR)

An analysis of the works of black playwrights since 1821 (the date of the earliest recorded play) reflects the Afro-American's concern with social revolution and his commitment to revolt. Early forms of protest in black drama revealed the desire to become active members of American society. Following a void in black playwrighting during the…

Phillis Wheatley has been criticized for "thinking White" and lacking Black identity. In fact, Wheatley was a strong force among contemporary abolitionist writers and, through the use of Biblical imagery, incorporated anti-slavery statements in her writings. Wheatley's work must be understood within the historical context of…

Presents the results of a survey of readers' opinions about African Americans who made the greatest contributions to American society during the 20th century. Martin Luther King, Jr., received the most votes by a large margin, followed by Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Malcolm X. Discusses survey results by various categories. (SM)

In 1946, the Committee on Negro Studies of the American Council of Learned Societies began the project of microfilming the Negro newspapers published in the United States in the last century. The Library of Congress, through its Photoduplication Service, performed the microfilming service and in 1953 issued a guide entitled Negro Newspapers on…

Blacks in the United States can relate to, and should participate in, the country's bicentennial celebration because of their many contributions to the country's growth and development. This paper briefly discusses the fact that blacks in this country have a long record of achievement, beginning before the Mayflower, and it outlines some of these…

Considers the life and publishing career of Edward E. Cooper, a Black journalist whose newspaper, the "Colored American," was the leading Black Washington newspaper in the period around 1900. (GW)

This article gives the background to the emancipation of slaves in 1863, and goes on to discuss the present situation of Blacks in the U.S. (AM)

Discusses three growth periods, beginning in the early 1800s, in the publication and circulation of black newspapers and asserts that the black press seems to be entering a fourth period of activity. (KS)

Describes the Underground Railroad, a loosely organized system used by runaway Southern slaves to reach freedom in the North. Discusses the role of "conductors," who acted as guides and offered shelter along the route. (FMW)

A cultural history of the rise of black consumer magazine publishing is presented in this paper. It examines the interrelated elements in the development of shifts in the institutional support base of black magazines and shifts in the ethos or style of middle-class black life, as reflected in the magazines themselves. The paper takes as an example…