History M131 African American History to 1877: Home

Welcome to the History Research Guide. This guide is intended to help you learn about a variety of resources useful for conducting historical research about African American contributions to the United States to 1877 and to provide you with tools to assist you in the following:

• Finding books & eBooks in tle Library
• Finding reference materials
• Finding articles through the databases
• Finding Primary Sources
• Citing your sources using the Chicago Manual of Style
• Using the Web for historical research

Use the following  terms and subject headings in the Online Catalog. The "Find Reference Books" tab in this guide is also helpful . The following are a good starting point to start your reseach:

• African American Scientists
• African American Inventors
• African Americans Military
• African American Musicians
• African American History
• Afro-American History
• Afro-Americans Biography

Reference Books
Check the reference materials list for ideas and for biographies. Once you have the name of the person, search under the name of the person in the Online Catalog and the databases.

Databases/eResources
Click on the “Find Articles” tab in this guide. The page lists recommended databases to use in order to find biographical information about African Americans and other topics. Be sure to ask the librarian for help if you cannot locate enough information on your topic.