AP African American Studies Resource Archive | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Four maps of the United States with net loss or gain in African American population by city or region.

Largest African-American Migrations, by Metropolitan Area, 1975–2000

by Michael Siegel and Rutgers Cartography

Visualize demographic shifts in the African American population since the Great Migration.

Thematic Map

A partially typed, partially hand-drawn map from All Souls Church toward the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington

March on Washington Route Map

1963

View one of the organizing documents for the 1963 March on Washington.

Primary Source

Map of Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma with towns pointed out.

The Exodusters and Black Towns, ca. 1900

by Michael Siegel and Rutgers Cartography

Explore an early phase of Black migration after the Civil War through this map.

Thematic Map

Two African American pioneer families in foreground with two children playing on left, two women and a small child near a covered wagon at center and two men drinking coffee around a campfire by a stream.

“Camping Time”

by John Coleman

View a depiction of Black migration during Reconstruction.

Work of Art

At left, a man with a simian face and rumpled clothing, and a dagger in his right pocket. He is holding a club with "A Vote" written on it. He is wearing a hat with a white ribbon reading "5 Points" and a Christian cross tucked into the ribbon. 2. At center, a tall man with a goatee. He has a CSA belt-buckle, a light-colored hat with a large brim and a black ribbon, and a pistol on his left hip. He holds a dagger with "The Lost Cause" written on the blade. At right, a shorter man in a three-piece suit.

The Betrayal of Emancipation

by Thomas J. Davis

Learn more about Black civil rights following Reconstruction.

Essay

Sepia photographic portraits of a man and a woman; the woman is wearing a white shirt with checked trim and an earring; the man is bare-chested, with well-defined musculature. Both have traditional scarification on their cheeks.

“Escrava Mina” and “Escravo Mina”

1864

View two photographs of enslaved people in Brazil.

Primary Source

A red brick church building with white steps. "Login Required" message is an overlay.

“The Birth of a New Nation”

1957

Read the sermon Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered after his visit to an independent Ghana.

Primary Source

Breakdancing at the Olympic Games

2024

See an example of breakdancing in performance at the Paris summer games.

Primary Source

A map of the southern states of the United States with bar charts for each noting population movement from other states (color-coded).

“African Americans Going South, 1995–2000”

by Michael Siegel and Rutgers Cartography

Visualize a phase of Black migration at the end of the twentieth century.

Thematic Map

Map of the United States Midwest with bar charts noting change in population over time for select cities.

“African American Population in Selected Cities, 1900–1920”

by Michael Siegel and Rutgers Cartography

Visualize some of the impact of the first wave of the Great Migration.

Thematic Map

A black-and-white photograph of several Black men in army uniforms (dark double-breasted coats, dark gloves, dark hats) standing aboard a ship, rigging visible in the left midground and cargo in the right foreground and midground.

Resistance and Resilience: Black Service in World War I

with Adriane Lentz-Smith

Learn more about African American service in the war to “make the world safe for democracy,” while also dealing with racism at home.

Video

A typed document on yellow-green paper

March on Washington Organizing Document

1963

Read instructions for a group of medical professionals ahead of the March on Washington.

Primary Source